TSA agents have officially missed their first full paycheck as the Department of Homeland Security continues to go without funding amid a showdown between Republicans and Democrats in Washington, D.C., over immigration enforcement.
Johnny Jones, a security officer at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, who also serves as the secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Government Employees Council 100, joined “The Weekend” on Saturday to discuss the strain the lapse in funding is putting on airports across the country and why he believes both political parties are to blame.
While federal workers are legally guaranteed to receive back pay once the shutdown ends, many are struggling to make ends meet in the meantime.
“This weekend, they’re going to get a big fat zero in their bank account,” Jones told MS NOW, adding that he and his colleagues are “concerned about how they’re going to pay their bills.”
“Some people, there’s not just their bills, there’s child care, there’s rent, and maybe even cat or dog food. You know, there’s a lot of other things that depend on their paychecks,” he said.
The partial shutdown, which began on Feb. 14, has already caused a wave of resignations, with more than 300 employees quitting the agency, leaving the remaining agents, who are considered essential employees and therefore required to work during a shutdown, overwhelmed.
“They’re going to do their jobs,” Jones said of his colleagues. “So the lines are going to get long … it’s one passenger at a time, one bag at a time. You got to follow the procedures, make sure everybody travels safe, even though a lot of our co-workers may not be able to come to work because they don’t have the funds.”
Jones told MS NOW that his colleagues are frustrated with the situation in Washington and blame both Democrats and Republicans for the ongoing shutdown.
On Monday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Democrats plan to force a vote on legislation that would fund “the parts of the Department of Homeland Security that do not include ICE and the Trump mass deportation machine,” like TSA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
In the meantime, Jones and his colleagues will continue to work without pay.
“Let’s just say the TSA officers are tired of being used as political pawns in the game,” he said.
“Each party has used the federal workers to their benefit, whether this shutdown or the previous shutdown, it doesn’t matter,” Jones said “We’re tired of being the pawns on the chessboard.”
You can watch Jones’ full interview in the clip at the top of the page.
Allison Detzel is an editor/producer for MS NOW. She was previously a segment producer for “AYMAN” and “The Mehdi Hasan Show.”