The TSA’s acting administrator, Ha Nguyen McNeill, told the House Committee on Homeland Security on Wednesday that her agency has lost 480 security officers since the shutdown began on Feb. 14.
She also emphasized the mounting financial strain that the TSA’s workforce has dealt with while working without pay.
“Many in our workforce have missed bill payments, received eviction notices, had their cars repossessed and utilities shut off, lost their childcare, defaulted on loans, damaged their credit line and drained their retirement savings,” she said.
According to McNeill, the TSA’s callout rate has increased from its typical baseline level of 4% to as high as 40% at some airports, with some workers not showing up because “they simply cannot afford to report to work.”
McNeill said the high callout rates have resulted in the longest wait times in TSA history and may force some smaller airports to close if the shutdown doesn’t end soon.
