See what long lines at TSA look like
As TSA lines grow longer at airports across the country, crowds increase and travelers share their experiences.
President Donald Trump announced on March 26 that he aims to end chaos at the nation’s airports by signing an executive order that will protect the salaries of TSA employees.
“I intend to sign an order directing Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA employees to address this emergency and quickly stop the Democratic disruption at our airports,” the president said in a statement Thursday night. “This will not be easy, but we will do it! I want to thank our hard-working TSA officers and ICE for the incredible support they have given us at the airport.”
The president’s announcement comes amid a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, where airport security agents are expected to continue working but remain unpaid. Many people quit or stopped showing up. The result is long lines at some of the country’s largest transportation hubs.
USA TODAY has reached out to the White House for information on how the president will ensure workers’ wages are paid. It is unclear what legal authority the president has on this issue.
It is unclear when exactly President Trump intends to sign the proposed order.
As a result of the partial government shutdown, security lines could be seen extending to airport doors across the country.
On March 23, in Atlanta, flyers departing from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport waited for five hours to reach security. Passengers also waited for hours at hubs in New York and Texas.
This line has proven problematic for federal employees involved in government work.
Following a March 22 crash on the runway at New York’s LaGuardia Airport that killed two pilots, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said TSA lines delayed one investigator’s arrival at the scene by several hours. Homendy suggested she and the rest of her team drive from Washington, D.C., to avoid airport security delays.
President Trump’s proposed executive order shift to employee pay follows other efforts to lessen the impact of airport closures.
The president ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to be redeployed to airport security duties in order to get travelers onto planes. The move to hire an unpopular Department of Homeland Security official has prompted protests and backlash from labor leaders.
At an event Wednesday night, President Trump also floated the idea of sending in the National Guard to help secure airports.
