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By Aliss Higham
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What's New
A looming government shutdown could impact travel for millions of people throughout airports across the country during the holiday period, the head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) warned on Thursday.
Newsweek has contacted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for comment via email outside of regular working hours.
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Why It Matters
The U.S. House of Representatives voted against a government funding measure backed by President-elect Donald Trump just one day before the deadline at midnight on December 20. It means the clock is now ticking to find a bipartisan solution before "nonessential" government services are halted for an indefinite amount of time.
Among those government departments that could be impacted are the TSA and the FAA, the workers of which play vital roles in ensuring international and domestic air travel runs smoothly.
What To Know
TSA administrator David Pekoske wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday afternoon that while the department's "personnel are prepared to handle high volumes of travelers," anyone with plans during this period should "be aware that an extended shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports."
"We expect to screen 40M passengers over the holidays and through January 2," he wrote.
He also confirmed that if a shutdown does happen, some 59,000 of the agency's 62,000 plus employees will continue working, although this will be without pay until funding is secured. Those who work in air-traffic control, which is the responsibility of the FAA, will also be required to keep working.
According to Politico in September 2023, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg previously told Congress that a government shutdown would mean that 1,000 air traffic controllers going through training would be furloughed. The FAA is also dealing with a shortage of air traffic controllers.
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What People Are Saying
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, in a statement issued on December 19: "If the government shuts down, holiday travel will be impacted. The ability of everyday Americans to visit their family, their friends, their loved ones will be impacted. Border security and border patrol agents will not be paid. TSA agents will not be paid."
Everett Kelley, president of American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the union representing 800,000 federal workers, including TSA employees in a statement on Thursday: "Our members have a clear and urgent message for Congress. Stop jeopardizing our livelihoods and the critical services we provide to the American people. Do your job, put the needs of the country first, and keep the government running."
Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, speaking to reporters heading into the U.S. Capitol on Friday morning: "We're expecting votes this morning, so y'all stay tuned. We got a plan."
What's Next
It remains to be seen if lawmakers will get a deal secured before the deadline to keep the government funded till mid-March.
During the 2018-19 record setting 35-day long government shutdown, air travel faced significant challenges. Longer lines plagued travelers as some TSA agents failed to report to work due to a lack of pay, leading to the closure of security checkpoints. The absence of 10 air traffic controllers temporarily halted operations at LaGuardia Airport in New York and caused delays at several major U.S. airports.
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