Air travelers across the country will see a video message from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem placing blame for the government shutdown on Democrats.
“It is TSA’s top priority to make sure that you have the most pleasant and efficient airport experience possible while we keep you safe,” Noem says in the video, which will appear to those waiting in security lines. “However, Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government, and because of this, many of our operations are impacted and most of our TSA employees are working without pay.
“We will continue to do all that we can to avoid delays that will impact your travel,” she continued. “And our hope is that Democrats will soon recognize the importance of opening the government.”
FIRST ON FOX: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem blasted Democrats for the government shutdown affecting TSA workers in a video that will play at every public airport in America. pic.twitter.com/LdhRmF6wlT
— Preston Mizell (@MizellPreston) October 9, 2025
TSA employees are considered essential employees, meaning they must continue working without pay. Hundreds are calling in sick amid the shutdown, however, leading to longer security lines.
Fifty of 250 TSA officers—roughly one in five—who were scheduled to work in a region including seven mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia called in sick Monday, Joe Shuker, regional vice president of AFGE Council 100, the union representing TSA workers, told Forbes, adding that “similar numbers” called out sick Tuesday in the same region.
New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport saw roughly 400 callouts by TSA officers this weekend, Shuker told Forbes.
TSA is no longer updating wait time information on its website or app.
TSA officers are scheduled for a partial paycheck on Friday, Oct. 10. If the shutdown continues, the first zero paycheck is scheduled for Oct. 24. The average TSA screener makes $48,520 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Shuker told Forbes many of the union’s members live paycheck to paycheck. “If you have kids, a mortgage, a car payment, food bills—you can’t miss a check,” he said. “Our members are worried about how to pay for childcare, wondering if they could be saving money by staying home with their kids.” Already during this shutdown, Shuker arranged for a local food bank to bring in meals for TSA workers at Philadelphia International Airport. “And it was a godsend, really,” he said. (Forbes)
The Schumer Shutdown is in Day 10 with no signs of ending anytime soon. The Senate minority leader boasted this week to Punchbowl News that “every day gets better for us."
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
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