Sununu on TSA workers, DHS shutdown: 'I don't think there's a breaking point' |
Sununu on TSA workers, DHS shutdown: ‘I don’t think there’s a breaking point’
Airlines for America CEO and former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said Monday he does not believe the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown has hit a “breaking point,” even as security lines grow at airports nationwide.
“I don’t think there’s a breaking point,” Sununu told host Blake Burman on NewsNation’s “The Hill.”
“That’s the challenge, is that it’s not like last time where flights will be canceled or even delayed. The flights are leaving and arriving on time safely as they ever were because air traffic control is fine. They’re fully funded. This time it’s just [the Transportation Security Administration], so it’s just really a customer backup.”
That point won’t be reached until congressional leaders begin to feel political pressure from their constituents, he argued.
“I think the breaking point is really when the American public pushes on their representatives,” Sununu said.
TSA workers missed their first full paycheck on Friday, as the partial shutdown stretched past the one-month mark with no end to the funding stalemate in sight.
The strain on airport security is beginning to be felt, with staffing shortages becoming a problem as an increasing number of unpaid employees call out sick or quit altogether. More than 350 TSA officers have left the force since the shutdown began in mid-February, according to DHS.
A senior Trump administration official warned Tuesday that some smaller airports may be forced to close if the trend continues.
“As the weeks continue, if this continues, it’s not hyperbole to suggest that we may have to quite literally shut down airports, particularly smaller ones, if callout rates go up… A lot of those officers can’t afford to come in,” Acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl told Fox News.
The CEOs of the nation’s largest airlines penned an open letter to Congress on Sunday calling for a bipartisan solution to ensure federal aviation workers, including TSA officers and air traffic controllers, are paid during potential future shutdowns.
“TSA officers just received $0 paychecks. That is simply unacceptable. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to put food on the table, put gas in the car and pay rent when you are not getting paid,” they wrote.
Sununu has led Airlines for America, a trade group representing North America’s largest airlines, since last year. He signed the letter alongside the chief executives of Atlas Air, UPS and FedEx.
On NewsNation’s “The Hill,” he urged Democratic leaders to reach a consensus to restore DHS funding, saying he hopes that will happen by next month with the anticipated confirmation of Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) as the next secretary.
“That’s an opportunity for Markwayne Mullin, who has been a senator, who knows the process, has friends on the Democrat side, [to] provide a leadership opportunity for the rest of America. So hopefully, that’s the worst we see,” he added.
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