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The Department of Homeland Security is vehemently denying a new report claiming that hundreds of Transportation Security Administration screeners are calling out sick amid the ongoing government shutdown.
With the federal government shutdownnearing its third week,CNNon Friday reported a dramatic increase in the amount of TSA agents — who have been required to continue working without paychecks — calling out sick. Noting that there’s currently no end in sight for the shutdown, the outlet pointed out that a lack of agents could result in a lapse of security.
DHS spokesman Tyler Q. Houlton went on todeny the report.
CNN reported a 200-300 percent increase in agents calling out sick at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, and also claimed that throughout the first week of January, as many as 170 agents called out at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport each day.
TSA went on to issue their own statement, acknowledging that while theamount of call outs “have increased,”the safety of screening processes has not been affected.
“Call outs began over the Holiday period and have increased, but are causing minimal impact given there are 51,739 employees supporting the screening process,” the statement read. “Security effectiveness will not be compromised and performance stands will not change.”
Additionally, TSA reported that so far screening wait times continue to be “well within” their standards.
PresidentDonald Trumpwent weighed in on the situation, siding against the news outlet, which the president condemns on a frequent basis.
CNN went on to respond to Trump, writing that while Trump “may not like the truth,” TSA did confirm that the number of call outs had increased.
In absence of a path forward, the shutdown could become the longest in American history, surpassing the previous record of 21 days in the ’90s, underPresident Bill Clintonand a Republican-led Congress, according toCNN.
source: people.com
