A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
As the Homeland Security shutdown continues, air travelers are facing the longest wait times in U.S. history, and more than 61,000 TSA employees are working without pay. By Friday, those lost paychecks could reach a total of a billion dollars since the shutdown began. Ha Nguyen McNeill, the TSA's acting administrator, shared her concerns with lawmakers.
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HA NGUYEN MCNEILL: Paying these dedicated employees for the work they are performing should never be a point of debate, and yet here we are on the 40th day of our third shutdown this fiscal year.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
More than 480 officers have quit since the shutdown started. And at some major airports, McNeill says nearly half the staff are not showing up for work, driving up wait times to more than 4 1/2 hours in places.
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MCNEILL: Many in our workforce have missed bill payments, received eviction notices, had their cars repossessed and utilities shut off, lost their child care, defaulted on loans, damaged their credit line and drained their retirement savings. Some are sleeping in their cars, selling their blood and plasma and taking on jobs - second jobs to make ends meet, all while being expected to perform at the highest level when in uniform to protect the traveling public.
MARTÍNEZ: McNeill says that without enough security officers, smaller airports might have to close. Recruiting is down, she says, and even if any new hires start today, it'll take at least six months before they're fully trained.
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MCNEILL: This is a dire situation. We are facing a potential perfect storm of severe staffing shortages and an influx of millions of passengers at our airports for the World Cup games in less than 80 days.
INSKEEP: McNeill adds that a disruption on this scale is undermining the security of the U.S. transportation system.
(SOUNDBITE OF AERIAL M'S "AASS") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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