Alaska Airlines appreciates Congress finally passing a bill to reopen the Department of Homeland Security and pay TSA and customs officers after a lengthy, 75-day shutdown.
This funding only stretches through the end of September. To prevent further impacts on the aviation industry, its employees and the communities we serve, it’s essential that Congress approve bipartisan legislation requiring federal aviation workers – including air traffic controllers and TSA officers – to continue being paid if another shutdown occurs.
This recent, unprecedented shutdown saw TSA workers go weeks without a paycheck and more than 1,000 screening officers leave DHS altogether. This is not the way to operate the world’s safest aviation system.