TSA employees working without pay guarantee amid DHS shutdown

BOSTON — The Department of Homeland Security shut down Saturday morning after Democrats and Republicans failed to reach a funding agreement.

The closure affects several federal agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Secret Service.

The shutdown comes as travelers prepare for a busy week on the roads and at airports with school vacation week in Massachusetts.

While essential employees at agencies like the TSA are still working, they are currently doing so without the guarantee of receiving their next paycheck if the funding dispute continues beyond the next two weeks.

At Logan International Airport in Boston, travel operations appeared to be running normally on Monday morning despite the funding lapse.

TSA employees are required to continue working during the shutdown, though they will not receive pay if a deal is not reached before the next scheduled pay period in approximately two weeks.

This uncertainty follows a previous 43-day government shutdown in the fall that resulted in missed paychecks for federal staff.

Travelers at Logan said they are hoping for minimal disruptions to their trips this week. During the shutdown last fall, staffing shortages among TSA workers led to significantly longer security lines, flight delays and cancellations across the country.

Many passengers expressed frustration with the recurring nature of these budget disputes.

Len Spector, a traveler at Logan Airport, described the situation as a result of political gridlock. He noted that the inability to reach an agreement has a direct impact on the livelihoods of federal employees.

“I think it’s terrible,” Spector said. “I think, based on the infighting in politics between Democrats and Republicans, it’s more politics as usual that they can’t resolve issues without forcing each other’s hands in shutting down parts of the government.”

Negotiations in Washington are currently stalled as lawmakers are away from the Capitol on break this week. Spector said he remains hopeful that elected officials will find a way to resolve the dispute and protect those who are still reporting for work.

“My hope is that cooler heads can prevail and somehow that the two sides can come together for some sort of compromise and not hold common people hostage by shutting down parts of the government and TSA workers not getting paid,” Spector said.

Union officials are expected to provide further updates on how workers are handling the situation in the coming days.

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