TSA chief warns government shutdown could impact travelers

The head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) warned Thursday that Americans traveling around the country during the holidays could face longer wait times at airports in the event of a partial government shutdown.

Congress and the Biden administration face a deadline of midnight Friday to agree on a spending measure to fund the government, or otherwise Partial government shutdown It will start. When partial shutdowns occur, government employees working in non-essential jobs remain out of work, although many essential workers continue to do their work throughout the shutdown without pay.

TSA Administrator David Pekoske noted in a post on X that most of the TSA workforce is considered essential and will continue to help handle security at the nation’s airports. However, he warned that if there was a prolonged government shutdown, it could result in a longer period Waiting times at airports For travelers.

“At TSA, part of the Department of Homeland Security, about 59,000 of the agency’s more than 62,000 employees are considered essential and will continue to work without pay in the event of a shutdown. We expect to screen 40 million travelers over the holidays and through January 2,” Pixowski wrote.

These domestic airlines carried the highest number of passengers in 2024

He added: “While our staff are prepared to handle large numbers of travelers and ensure safe travel, please be aware that an extended closure may mean longer waiting times at airports.”

Late December and early January are expected to be a particularly busy travel period as they are traditionally granted Christmas and New Year holidays.

AAA expects the year-end holiday season to bring record levels of travelers, exceeding Before the pandemic register.

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AAA’s 2024 Year-End Travel Forecast predicts that there will be 119.33 million Americans traveling during the year-end holiday season.

This total includes 107 million passengers by car and 7.85 million passengers by air, in addition to 4.47 million passengers who use other means of transportation.

AAA’s travel forecast for 2024 is slightly higher than the record high set in 2019 when 119.3 million Americans traveled during that period. That year saw 108 million Car travelersIn addition to 7.33 million air passengers and 3.89 million using other means of transportation.

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AAA’s forecast also represents a 2.8% increase from 2023, with a 2.4% growth in the number of people traveling by car, as well as a 4.7% increase in the number of people traveling by air and a 9.7% increase in other modes of transportation.