The Dictatorship
Airline CEOs call on Congress to fund DHS amid travel nightmares
Airline executives called on Congress Sunday to end the partial government shutdown that has forced TSA workers to go unpaid and upended air travel.
The CEOs of major U.S. carriers wrote in a joint letter to lawmakers that airport security employees of the Transportation Security Administration working without pay is “simply unacceptable.”
The letter, signed by the CEOs of United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and others, was sent just days after tens of thousands of Department of Homeland security workers missed their first full paycheck.
“This problem is solvable, and there are solutions on the table,” they wrote. “Now it’s up to you, Congress, to move forward on bipartisan proposals that will get federal aviation workers—including TSA officers, U.S. Customs clearance officers at airports and air
traffic controllers—paid during shutdowns.”
Funding for the Department of Homeland Security lapsed on Feb. 14 after lawmakers failed to reach a deal, with Democrats demanding reforms to ICE operations following the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown in Minneapolis.
Congressional Republicans have since rejected Democrats’ proposals to reopen much of DHS.
Air travelers are experiencing hours-long wait times at airports, just in time for spring break season, when airlines say they expect a record 171 million passengers. William P. Hobby Airport in Houston experienced wait times of up to three hours last week.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.