TSA officers describe tears, tough choices and dwindling savings from working without pay
aylor Desert, a TSA agent, checks in to pick up groceries at Gleaners Food Bank in Indianapolis, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) 2026-03-25T04:04:16Z A woman in Indiana who put off dental surgery because she doesn’t know if she can afford the copay.
A Florida couple with young children who are depleting their savings.
A grandmother in Idaho who plans to sell her car to pay the rent.
They are among the tens of thousands Transportation Security Administration officers set to receive another $0 paycheck this week.
A dispute in Congress over funding the Department of Homeland Security has held up their salaries since mid-February.
With monthly bills coming due, many of these federal employees, who screen passengers and luggage at airports across the U.S., are making difficult choices about how to make ends meet.
High absentee rates at some major airports have produced long lines and frustrated passengers at understaffed security checkpoints.
Union leaders and federal officials say empty gas tanks, childcare expenses and the threat of eviction keep more screeners from showing up the longer the shutdown continues.
At last count, more than 455 had quit instead of weathering the ongoing uncertainty, according to DHS. “Stop asking me about the long lines.
Ask me if somebody’s gonna eat today,” Hydrick Thomas, president of the national American Federation of Government Employees union council that represents TSA employees, told reporters Tuesday.
Indiana TSA agent turns to food pantry for groceries Before starting her shift at Indianapolis International Airport on Monday, Taylor Desert stopped at a food bank for meat, eggs, vegetables and dairy products. “I never thought I would be in a position where, working for the federal government, I would need to go to a food bank to supplement my groceries,” she said as she loaded bags into her car.
Desert, who has been a TSA officer for seven years, said her last full paycheck came on Feb. 14, the day the shutdown started.
She had some savings to draw on despite a record 43-day shutdown last fall but put some personal plans on pause.
For example, Desert needs to get her wisdom teeth removed but says the TSA isn’t approving time off during the shutdown.
She also worries about costs from the surgery not covered by insurance.
Wednesday was the 39th day of the DHS funding lapse.
If it goes another 21 days, Desert said she would seek another job. “I don’t want to have to spend my entire savings
原文链接: AP News