Transportation Security Administration employees faced empty paychecks on Friday as the partial government shutdown stretched past the one-month mark, leaving airport security workers without their first full paycheck during the funding crisis.
The situation has created a stark contrast at airports nationwide, where travelers continue paying mandatory security fees with every ticket purchase while the very workers providing those security services labor without compensation.
At Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, passengers and staff moved through terminals on Friday as TSA officers continued their duties despite the financial hardship caused by the Department of Homeland Security funding lapse.
The ongoing shutdown has meant that while security fee revenue keeps flowing from airline passengers, the federal workers responsible for airport security operations have been left waiting for their paychecks as the political standoff drags on.
