Washington, March 31 The White House on Monday blamed Democrats for a deepening crisis in US air travel, saying a funding lapse at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has led to staff shortages, long queues, and rising security risks at airports.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said “500 TSA officers quit their jobs” in recent weeks, while “thousands more were calling out sick at record rates due to the lack of pay”.
She said the situation had pushed the aviation system “to its breaking point”, with security wait times “exceeding three hours at major airports across the country”.
“This resulted in security wait times exceeding three hours… creating nightmares for millions of Americans,” she said.
Leavitt said morale among Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staff had “plummeted”, creating what she described as “an unacceptable, heightened security risk”.
She blamed Democrats in Congress for voting “seven times against funding the Department of Homeland Security”, accusing them of playing “reckless political games”.
“Democrat members of Congress are more than happy to put your safety at risk,” she said, linking the funding dispute to broader disagreements over immigration policy.
According to the White House, President Donald Trump last week signed a presidential memorandum directing officials to ensure TSA workers receive pay and benefits despite the funding impasse.
Leavitt said the President had instructed the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of Management and Budget to use available funds “with a reasonable and logical nexus to TSA operations” to compensate workers.
“This bold and necessary action… will ensure our TSA workers receive their hard-earned paychecks,” she said.
However, she warned that the measure was only temporary.
“Nothing will be truly normal again until Democrats do the right thing to fund this agency fully,” she said, urging Congress to return to Washington and resolve the issue.
Leavitt said the administration viewed the situation as an emergency affecting national security, particularly given TSA officers' roles in screening passengers and safeguarding airports.
The disruption has come at a time of heavy travel demand, amplifying the impact of staff shortages and long wait times across major US airports.
The White House also linked the funding standoff to its broader immigration enforcement agenda, arguing that opposition to DHS funding reflected disagreement with deportation policies.
The Department of Homeland Security oversees border security, immigration enforcement and transportation safety, making it central to domestic security operations.
Funding disputes over DHS have periodically disrupted operations, but the current standoff has coincided with workforce attrition and operational strain at US airports.
--IANS
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