Airports nationwide are teetering on the edge of closure due to a surge of resignations and absences among TSA agents, according to a stark warning from Adam Stahl, the acting deputy administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
“We are approaching a critical point where it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that we might need to shut down airports, especially smaller ones, if the rate of absences continues to rise,” Stahl remarked in an interview with CNN.
Since the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown on February 14, approximately 50,000 TSA employees have been working without pay.
Over 350 agents have resigned from their positions across the country, as reported by the DHS.
In addition, thousands of TSA workers are calling in sick each day, exacerbating the situation.
This wave of personnel shortages is plunging airports into a state of disarray.
Security lines have stretched to two hours nationwide, with some, like Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, exceding a 180-minute wait.
New York’s LaGuardia Airport is seeing long, winding lines form as early as 4:50 a.m., with anxious travelers spilling into the parking lot as they wait.
And there’s no relief in sight.
A bill to fund the DHS failed to pass in the Senate on Friday, meaning Stahl’s prediction could soon become fact.
“The reality of the situation is this is going to get worse before it gets better, if we don’t see any sort of action,” he said.
Disruptions have also been reported in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Orlando, Philadelphia and other airports on both coasts.
Lawmakers are scrambling to find an emergency stopgap, but many are not hopeful.
“This is a pox on everybody’s house,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
If airports are forced to close, the smaller ones will go first.
“We make these determinations on an airport-by-airport basis,” said Stahl.
