The heads of top passenger and cargo airlines are urging Congress to pay TSA staff and pass legislation that would keep all essential aviation employees compensated regardless of the federal government’s funding status.
In an open letter to lawmakers released on Sunday, airline CEOs and presidents said the American public is increasingly frustrated with long security lines at airports and favors a legislative fix that would fully pay TSA workers and get them back to their posts.
“Americans, who live in your districts and home states, are tired of long lines at airports, travel delays, and flight cancellations caused by shutdown after shutdown,” the letter read. “Yet, once again, air travel is the political football amid another government shutdown.”
The airlines said Congress should reach a deal to end the ongoing partial government shutdown – which has cut off funding to the Department of Homeland Security, of which TSA is a part – and then pass bills that would keep TSA agents and air traffic controllers paid during all future government shutdowns.
“TSA officers just received $0 paychecks,” the letter said. “That is simply unacceptable. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to put food on the table, put gas in the car, and pay rent when you are not getting paid.”
The letter was signed by top officers at American Airlines, United, Delta, Alaska Air Group, Southwest, JetBlue, Atlas, UPS, FedEx, and the trade organization Airlines for America.
The CEOs pointed out that spring break travel is in full swing, and that even more Americans will travel during the upcoming FIFA World Cup and the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations this summer, making it all the more urgent to resolve funding issues now.
“It’s past time for the government to make sure that TSA officers, U.S. Customs clearance officers at airports, and air traffic controllers are paid for the job they do,” the letter concluded. “In these times when it’s hard to reach consensus on just about anything, it is significant that the vast majority of Americans want Congress to pay federal aviation workers, keep our National Airspace System secure, and ensure travelers and packages can get to their destinations safely.”
Funding for DHS has been blocked since mid-February. Lawmakers in Congress have not been able to agree on new oversight rules for Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, whose activities have been heavily scrutinized amid the ramp up in immigration-related arrests and deportations over the past year.
TSA staff received partial pay last month and missed their first full paychecks last week. A growing number of the agency’s employees are calling out of work or resigning, which has contributed to congestion at airport security checkpoints.
Airlines executives and A4A have expressed growing frustration with the regularity of government shutdowns, which almost always impact air travel if they continue long enough. A shutdown last year put additional strain on an already understaffed air traffic control system, and shortages of controllers resulted in the cancellation of hundreds of flights. Carriers warned at the time that allowing the shutdown to continue would have disastrous economic consequences and could jeopardize safety.
