The partial shutdown of the US government is prolonging, leading to serious consequences for the civil aviation industry. On March 25, according to the latest announcement from the head of the Transportation Security Agency (TSA), passengers nationwide are facing the longest waiting time for security checks in the history of this agency's operation.
Speaking at a hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee, TSA Director Ha Nguyen McNeill gave alarming figures. She recalled that during the 43-day shutdown in the fall of last year, TSA witnessed the rate of employee resignation skyrocketing by 25% compared to the same period. History seems to be repeating itself with much worse levels.
The current personnel shortage is causing unprecedented widespread disruptions. The sudden absence of security personnel, coupled with the fact that those who stay behind have to work unpaid, has created a huge "bottleneck" at checkpoints. Passengers are forced to stand still for hours, even the line of people spills out to the outside of the station area.
Reporting to lawmakers, Director McNeill said that in this shutdown alone, TSA lost more than 480 employees. Notably, the number of people calling to report illness or resignation continues to increase at a dizzying rate. "Many airports are experiencing days when up to 40% to 50% of employees resign, simply because they do not have the financial capacity to continue working without being paid," she emphasized. As a result, waiting times have been pushed to unprecedentedly high levels, with some hotspots recording passengers having to queue for more than 4.5 hours.
To cope with the crisis, the TSA is forced to merge security check lanes to optimize the remaining scarce human resources. The agency's leader also warned of the risk of having to completely close checkpoints at small airports if the personnel shortage exceeds the safety threshold.
Data from the Department of Homeland Security shows that the wave of resignations peaked last weekend, marking 5 weeks since the government began shutdown. At major aviation hubs such as Houston, New York and Atlanta, more than 1/3 of the TSA security force was absent. This stagnation exhausted the endurance of both passengers and essential workers trapped in the government's budget problem.
