Why TSA agents aren't being paid — and what's needed to change it

TSA agents have gone a month without pay, a situation that has lengthened security lines at some airports. Some agents, fed up with working without pay since mid-February, have begun calling in sick or quitting. The pay lapse stems from a partial government shutdown that began on February 14 and is already the third-longest in US history.

A shutdown happens when lawmakers fail to pass funding for part of the government; this time, every department is funded for the fiscal year except the Department of Homeland Security. Homeland Security oversees TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The standoff traces to two fatal shootings in January — Alex Pretti by border-patrol officers in Minneapolis on January 24 and Renée Good two weeks earlier — which prompted Democrats to demand reforms to CBP and ICE before approving further funding. Lawmakers removed DHS funding from a wider funding package and negotiations have largely stalled.

United States, Minneapolis

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