CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The partial government shutdown affecting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security continues, leaving TSA agents without pay.
The shutdown, now entering its seventh week, stems from ongoing negotiations over immigration policy changes in Congress.
It appears some TSA workers may get paid as early as Monday after President Donald Trump signed an order back on Friday night. Trump took the action after the U.S. House rejected a U.S. Senate plan that would have funded several agencies in Homeland Security but not ICE.
Meanwhile, lines and wait times at many airports have grown longer. However, that’s not the case at West Virginia International Yeager Airport in Charleston.
Director and CEO Dominique Ranieri said TSA workers there continue to report to work despite not being paid but it’s not been easy.
“Here at CRW we have a lot of husband-and-wife duos, couples that both work for TSA here at CRW so imagine that situation where both are not receiving a paycheck since February,” she said. “And we’re not far off from the last government shutdown so a lot of them were just recovering from the credit card bills and everything they had accrued just months ago.”
About 52 TSA employees, including screeners and administrative staff, work at Yeager.
During the shutdown, airport officials and volunteers have been collecting donations to support those workers.
Volunteer Alisa Bailey said they are accepting $20 gift cards for food and gas, along with nonperishable items, hygiene products and pet supplies.
She said the effort is a way for the airport and the community to show appreciation during this time.
“We’re just trying to show them that we really appreciate the work that they do and help them out in their time of need,” she said.
Bailey said workers are grateful for any donations they receive.
“I do know that they have appreciated it, especially some of the grocery’s that are coming in because you know, and the gas cards, because those prices seem to be a little inflated right now,” she said.
Ranieri said she is not worried about her TSA agents, noting they are reliable and dedicated and continue to be supported during this time.
However, she said she is concerned about the long-term impact on recruiting TSA agents.
“I’m worried about the future and the ability of TSA to continue recruiting people to work for TSA generally I mean if you’re thinking about working for the agency and you’ve seen multiple shutdowns is it the most reliable position that you can go out for,” Ranieri said.
She said more than 450 TSA agents across the nation have quit during the shutdown.
She added the airport wants the shutdown to end to avoid disruptions to operations and to maintain passenger confidence.
“We definitely want to see the shutdown end sooner rather than later so that the confidence the passengers have doesn’t wane and they don’t start doing the analysis of do I just drive,” Ranieri said.