Times are tough right now. It’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
And this Trump official issued an ominous warning that has Americans panicking.
American travelers are about to face serious headaches at the airport, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is sounding the alarm loud and clear.
During his appearance on ABC’s This Week this past Sunday, Duffy explained how the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security is set to make TSA lines far longer and more frustrating than anything seen yet.
The problems have already started piling up, with agents working without paychecks and more than ten percent of them failing to show up for shifts last Monday and Wednesday.
On top of that, around four hundred TSA officers have already quit their jobs since the shutdown began, leaving security operations stretched thin.
Host Jonathan Karl pressed Duffy on the situation, asking just how rough things would get if the funding standoff continues much longer.
Duffy laid it out straight, warning that the delays travelers have dealt with so far are nothing compared to what is coming.
Duffy responded by pointing to the upcoming Friday payday as a key moment. “So, I think, as we look forward to Friday, that’s when the next paycheck should come. And if this — if this Homeland Security funding isn’t resolved, I think you’re going to see more TSA agents, as we come to Thursday, Friday, Saturday of next week, they’re going to quit or they’re not going to show up.”
He went on to describe the tough financial reality for these workers. “A lot of the starting salaries at TSA, they’re right around $50,000. So, if you live in, you know, one of the big cities of America, L.A. or New York or Miami, it’s hard for these individuals already to make their ends meet. But without getting paychecks, it’s even that much more challenging.”
Without steady income, these frontline employees will have no choice but to seek other work just to survive.
Duffy made that point plainly. “And so, they’re going to take other jobs to put food on the table and pay the rent. So, I do think it’s going to get much worse.”
The worsening conditions at checkpoints across the country will ramp up the heat on lawmakers to hammer out a fix.
Duffy declared that this mess will force action from Congress. “And as it gets worse, I think that puts pressure on the Congress to come to a resolution. Democrats have to say, you know what, we’re not going to defund this. We’re going to actually work together, have some common sense reform that the president will work with us on. And, you know, let’s get America working again.”
For regular folks just trying to get from point A to point B, this political standoff means nothing but hassle and wasted time.
Duffy drove home the personal toll with a simple plea. “And the last thing you want as you travel is to deal with political fights at the airport. Let that stay in Congress, but don’t extract pain out of me and my family as I’m trying to just go to Florida and get some sun on my bones during spring break with my kids.”
It is high time the obstructionists in Congress stop holding hard-working Americans hostage over their partisan games and deliver the sensible solutions the president is ready to support so our country can move forward strong and united.
