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TSA agents could start receiving backpay soon
TSA agents who have been working without pay during the partial government shutdown could receive paychecks as soon as Monday.
(FOX 2) - TSA workers could soon see paychecks hitting their bank accounts after working without pay for weeks during the partial government shutdown.
TSA agents have gone more than 40 days without pay.
What we know:
President Donald Trump ordered that the workers be paid on Friday, and those paychecks could come as soon as Monday.
What we don't know:
Despite this, it is unclear how long it will take before airport security lines ease up. After TSA agents who were not being paid called off work, some airports experienced hours-long wait times at security checkpoints.
It is also unknown when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will leave airports after they were called in to help at airports seeing big holdups at security.
When will TSA agents be paid? Why Trump's order may not bring immediate relief to airports
As of Sunday, TSA agents have gone a record 44 days without pay because Congress is at a stalemate over funding the Department of Homeland Security.
According to White House border czar Tom Homan, who spoke on CNN’s "State of the Union," how long it takes to get back to normal will depend on how many TSA agents quit their jobs during the shutdown. The Department of Homeland Security said that nearly 500 agents have left the agency during the shutdown.
Caleb Harmon-Marshall, a former TSA officer who runs the travel newsletter Gate Access, said the staffing crisis won’t improve significantly until TSA agents are confident that they won't miss more paychecks.
"It has to be an extended pay for them to come back or want to stay there," he said.
He believes the longer lines could stick around for another week or two.
What's next:
Democrats say they won’t vote to fund Homeland Security unless the Trump administration makes changes to its immigration enforcement and mass deportation operations after the killings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis by federal officers during protests.
The Senate passed a measure Friday to fund TSA and other branches of DHS, excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and parts of Customs and Border Protection (CBP). However, the House rejected the Senate's plan and passed their own bill that includes money for ICE and CBP.
Both chambers are on a two-week break, so it is unknown when they will again vote on this funding.
The Source: Information from the Associated Press and previous reporting were used.
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