Before a record number of three million people are expected to be traveling during the busiest holiday season of the year, the Transportation Security Administration better known as the TSA, might be in trouble.
Days before a record number of passengers are expected at U.S. airports, Transportation Security Administration officers and air traffic controllers across the nation may be working unpaid during the Thanksgiving travel rush as the country prepares for a government shutdown.
Reasons for Possible Government Shutdown
If Congress doesn’t approve a new funding bill, the federal government will shut down on Saturday and won’t be able to pay its employees. Even though air traffic controllers and airport security will still need to report for duty unpaid, previous shutdowns have increased the absence of employees, which may increase the likelihood of lengthy security lines and delayed flights for holiday travelers.
The Effects on TSA Employees
Due to staffing shortages and an unexpected volume of passengers, air traffic controllers and TSA officers happen to already be working unpaid overtime, adding to the already overworked and overwhelming workforce in the aviation industry. Some may be forced to take on second jobs as a result of the financial uncertainty of not getting paid.
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, more people are expected to travel, according to the TSA. The Sunday after Thanksgiving is predicted to be the busiest day, with a record of three million passengers expected to take flights that day.
With just five legislative days remaining before the deadline, House Republicans will make another attempt to pass a short-term budget this week, but there won’t be much leeway. In an unexpected attempt to prevent a government shutdown, House Republicans over the weekend offered multiple spending bills that would have kept the government open until January in an effort to unite disparate Republican groups.