A TSA security checkpoint at Appleton International Airport in Greenville is seen June 16, 2021. PC: Fox 11 Online
(WTAQ-WLUK) — While the partial government shutdown continues to cause chaos across the country, airports in Northeast Wisconsin say things are running relatively smooth.
Images of travelers waiting in long TSA lines for hours at the country’s largest airports illustrate frustration for both travelers and the TSA agents, who have been working without pay for six weeks.
Green Bay’s Austin Straubel Airport says its TSA agents continue to come to work everyday to ensure the public is safe and to keep the lines short.
To support them, employees and tenants of Austin Straubel Airport are providing hot lunches and a food pantry with non-perishable items for their TSA team while they are not getting paid.
A similar situation is reported at Appleton’s International Airport where staff thanks its TSA team for showing up everyday.
That is not the case at other airports across the U.S.
Roughly 300 to 400 TSA officers have quit, and that number continues to climb as the partial government shutdown continues.
Congress has remained at an impasse since Feb. 14 over immigration policy changes sought by Democrats. President Trump urged Republicans Monday not to strike a deal with Democrats to fund TSA and instead push to combine DHS funding with the SAVE America Act.
To help offset TSA staffing shortages, the Trump administration deployed hundreds of ICE agents to several major airports, including Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. The effects of ICE agents at the airport have had mixed reviews. Officials say ICE agents are not performing screening duties but assisting with crowd control.
During the last government shutdown in November, both Green Bay and Appleton supported unpaid TSA agents with basic needs items. ATW also set up a “TSA Appreciation Wall” displaying words of encouragement from staff and travelers.
Officials say you can help TSA agents working without pay during a shutdown by donating to organized food drives, dropping off approved gift cards at designated airport locations, and showing patience, as federal agents cannot accept tips. Non-perishable food, toiletries, and small, non-cash gift cards are accepted through unions or official airport donation centers.
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