Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter Monday to David Pekoske, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) administrator, inquiring about how the government shutdown is affecting agency employees.
The partial government shutdown has temporarily closed nine federal departments, and 380,000 employees have been furloughed. More than 420,000 essential employees, including TSA agents, are working without pay.
Friday will be the first missed check for government employees, and a higher-than-usual number of TSA agents have been calling in sick.
“Despite providing essential government services, TSA officers are among the lowest paid federal employees, with many living paycheck-to-paycheck,” Thompson said. “Officers may not be able to pay for rent, child care, and other necessities if their paychecks do not arrive on time.”
No one can be expected to work indefinitely without pay, Thompson said, so it is reasonable to expect that the longer the shutdown lasts the number of agents calling in sick or resigning will increase.
Aviation security is of the utmost performance, Thompson said, and he is worried TSA managers may try to operate their crews in ways that are detrimental to security.
Thompson asked questions on how the TSA is operating during the shutdown and requested Pekoske answer quickly.