TSA callouts hit Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans hardest, 450 officers have quit nationwide
As the Senate weighs the new paths forward to end the 38-day government shutdown Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security is blasting Democrats for "the safety, dependability, and ease of our air travel at risk."
The first spring travel weekend airport chaos has subsided in the Transportation Security Administration lines at some of the major hubs of Atlanta, House and New Orleans, but acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News that more than 3,200 TSA workers called out from their Monday shifts and more than 450 TSA officers have outright quit their jobs.
"Day 38 of the Democrats’ shutdown: American travelers are facing hours-long waits at airports across the country and more than 450 TSA officers quit and thousands have called out sick from work because they are not able to afford gas, childcare, food, or rent," Bis said in a statement.
Notably, President Donald Trump's move to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at the hardest-hit airports has been given credit to alleviating some of the TSA security delays that reached a reported high of nine hours in Atlanta.
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Fox News reporting on site noted security lines were minimal Tuesday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, widely known as the busiest airport in the world. Also, video on social media hailed ICE agents in Houston passing out water to travelers waiting in still-long lines there.
"While the Democrats continue to put the safety, dependability, and ease of our air travel at risk, President Trump is taking action to deploy hundreds of ICE officers, that are currently funded by Congress, to airports being adversely impacted," Bis' statement added.
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"This will help bolster TSA efforts to keep our skies safe and minimize air travel disruptions."
Some critics note Tuesday's lighter security lines were due to lighter weekday travel versus the first Sunday of spring, famously a busy travel time due to spring break.
Sunday's TSA officer callout rate peaked Sunday at its highest rate of the shutdown (11.6% nationwide), according to DHS data shared with Fox News.
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But callout rates are not equal nationwide, with Houston, Atlanta, and New Orleans topping the DHS charts among the top 10 major airport callout rates.
The DHS funding remains under the pressure of a Democrat-forced government shutdown, the second in this fiscal year. Democrats have made Trump the most shutdown president of all time.
Trump has sent ICE officers to distressed airports, while negotiating a potential deal to fund DHS — even if it leaves out ICE funding as it is currently being weighed on Capitol Hill.