Airport security workers around the country are opting to call in sick rather than work without pay, widening the ripple effects of the partial government shutdown to include travelers and everyday Americans. According to union leaders, hundreds of employees with the Transportation Security Administration called out of work at major airports across the country this week, with TSA officials acknowledging the uptick in absent employees on Friday. And while officials say it hasn’t affected the quality of security measures, airline travelers may start feeling the burdens of the political showdown between President Donald Trump and lawmakers. ”Wait times may be affected depending on the number of call outs,” a TSA spokesperson said in a statement this week, adding that the screenings will “remain well within TSA standards.” Airport checkpoints must take a maximum of 30 minutes for regular screenings, and 10 minutes for premium passengers. As of Thursday, average screening times still met those markers, officials said. In the more than two full weeks of a partial government shutdown, the fallout of major agencies screeching to a halt has had a disparate impact on the public, hitting mostly low-wage federal workers who are either furloughed or working without pay. Aside from closures at public institutions and parks, most everyday Americans have been shielded from the effects. Congress needs to push through seven new spending bills in order to turn the lights back on at the roughly quarter of the federal government that remains unfunded. The sticking point is funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which holds the pursestrings to funds over border security. So far, Trump has refused to step away from his $5 billion border wall; congressional Democrats have meanwhile capped their border security offer to $1.3 billion. But the longer the shutdown continues to drag on, the more programs that intersect with the public could be affected. Already, stories are emerging of people seeing delays for everything from receiving their tax returns, to some farmers counting on federal loans to see them through the trade war with China. The Trump administration did not anticipate the full scale of a long-term shutdown Federal officials are still trying to assess the full scope of the border wall showdown. It was only this week that top officials within the administration realized the full scale of how a protracted shutdown might play out, the Washington Post reports. Agency heads are now reportedly exploring their options to intervene if new funding is not delivered. One more week, and the US could pass the threshold for the longest government shutdown in history. Still, President Trump emerged from talks with congressional leaders Friday defiant, threatening to keep the shutdown going for months, maybe even years (though the likelihood of him being able to pull that off is low, as Vox’s Li Zhou explains). Federal officials are now coming up with contingency plans to ward off the ill-effects of funding gaps. Around 420,000 federal employees are working on the expectation they’ll receive back-pay, as they have during previous shutdowns. They’ll really start to see the full weight of the shutdown on January 11, their scheduled payday. Another 380,000 federal workers have been furloughed. What could be impacted if the shutdown drags on Food stamps , known officially as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), is a rare program that is renewed each year, regardless of whether Congress has issued it funding. But a protracted shutdown would dip deep into its reserves. The USDA has contingency funds that would cover only a portion of SNAP benefits through February, the Washington Post reports. By March, those emergency funds are expected to run dry. , known officially as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), is a rare program that is renewed each year, regardless of whether Congress has issued it funding. But a protracted shutdown would dip deep into its reserves. The USDA has contingency funds that would cover only a portion of SNAP benefits through February, the Washington Post reports. By March, those emergency funds are expected to run dry. Subsidized school lunches for children in low-income families — like food stamps — have limited reserve funds. for children in low-income families — like food stamps — have limited reserve funds. Tax refunds will face greater delays the longer it takes for a resolution to the shutdown. The Internal Revenue Service has previously stated that it would not issue tax refunds in the event of a shutdown, though it’s unclear whether all refunds will be put on ice until the agency fully reopens, or whether the process will be slowed. What’s already run out of carry-over funds since the shutdown began:<doc-sep>Airports are dealing with massive lines due to the government shutdown. The shutdown began on Saturday, December 22. TSA employees are part of the government, so they're affected and working without pay. But TSA staffers are calling out of work. At Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), the call-out rate has increased by as much as 300%. A rep for the TSA workers union says they aren't calling out intentionally. The TSA staffers simply can't afford to get to work. TSA employees live paycheck to paycheck, according to their union rep. The mean annual wage for TSA employees was about $40,960 as of May 2017. The TSA says they are "closely monitoring the situation" and that "security effectiveness will not be compromised." Read more about how the government shutdown is affecting TSA workers. EDITOR'S NOTE: This video was originally published on January 9, 2019.<doc-sep>As the partial government shutdown slogs on, the Transportation Security Administration says an increasing number of its officers—who aren't being paid during the furlough – are facing financial difficulties, with some not showing up for work. TSA officers, air traffic controllers and other federal workers who have been showing up for work at airports aren't getting paychecks. Yet across the country, they are getting lots of love, food and offers of assistance from a range of service providers and the general public. At least so far, passengers aren't feeling the strain. The agency says security checkpoint wait times at most of the nation's largest airports remain within TSA's normal wait times of 30 minutes for standard lanes and 10 minutes for TSA Precheck lanes. The time passengers had to wait to pass through the checkpoints at Atlanta, Denver, Newark, Seattle and other airports exceeded those times on Friday. Meanwhile, TSA staffers working without pay are struggling, which is prompting people around the country to rally behind them. At Bellingham International Airport in Washington, about 20 miles from the Canadian border, budget airline Allegiant Air provided pizza for TSA workers on Thursday. tweet In Las Vegas, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak visited with TSA workers at McCarran International Airport to express his appreciation for their service and commitment to the airport and to the community. He, too, came with hot pizzas in tow. tweet2 The offers of free food are coming on the heels of last week's gesture of goodwill from Canadian air traffic controllers, who sent more than 300 pizzas to their counterparts in more than 40 airports in the United States. Air traffic controllers in the Canadian city of Edmonton got the (dough) ball rolling. tweet3 Of course, TSA and FAA employees working without paychecks can't live by pizza alone. Enter Seattle Tacoma International Airport, where donations of non-perishable food and gifts cards are being collected and distributed daily. tweet4 Separately, Seattle-based Washington Federal is offering interest-free, 90-day loans, with no loan fees or application fees, to some federal workers waiting for paychecks in eight western states. "We are proud to step in and help our hard-working neighbors get through this uncertain time and support their financial needs," said Washington Federal president and CEO Brent J. Beardall in a statement, "We hope other financial institutions will do the same." And in San Jose, California, the City Council this week endorsed Mayor Sam Liccardo's proposal to set up a no-interest short-term loan program for many of the 500 federal employees who have been working at Mineta San Jose International Airport without pay. The program, which may be funded through airport revenues and administered in partnership with one or more financial institutions, proposes loans equal to monthly take-home pay for FAA air traffic controllers, TSA workers and officers working for Customs and Border Protection (CBP). "We are going to do everything in our power to keep political dysfunction in Washington from creating service disruptions or safety issues here in San Jose," said Liccardo. Citing the local airport's integral role in the local economy, Liccardo added that the incentives were needed to "help keep these essential workers on the job." With no end in sight to the stalemate, airports around the country continue to gather and distribute donations for federal employees affected by the partial government shutdown. STLTweet At Orlando International Airport, there has been overwhelming response to a donation drive headed up by the Airline Management Council. On Thursday, the airline tweeted a short video of a room with tables piled high with everything from donated diapers to toilet paper and canned goods. tweet As the shutdown continues, airlines, airport concessionaires and other groups are stepping up with donations, discounts and support. This week, the main airports of both Albuquerque and St. Louis offered up free food and goodies to beleaguered TSA workers. ABQ<doc-sep>
(CNN) — Seeking to ease the pain of airport security agents working through the partial government shutdown, the Transportation Security Administration is compensating those on duty the day after the lapse in funding and awarding $500 bonuses for work during the holiday travel season. TSA Administrator David Pekoske announced the compensation Friday on Twitter amid mounting concerns that the nation’s airports might not be able to provide the usual standard of security. Already, hundreds of TSA screeners from at least four major airports have called out from their shifts since the shutdown began three weeks ago. Pekoske said all TSA employees who worked December 22, the last day in that pay period, will receive pay for the day no later than Tuesday. They didn’t get paid originally because the day started after the shutdown began. The $500 bonuses for uniformed screening officers who worked during the busy holiday travel season should arrive in the coming days, Pekoske tweeted. The administrator said the pay was possible due to “unique authorities provided TSA in law.” “While I realize this is not what you are owed for your hard work … and what you deserve, I hope these actions alleviate some of the financial hardship many of you are facing,” the TSA chief wrote. On Saturday, Miami International Airport decided to shut down a concourse early for three days due to a shortage of TSA screeners, airport spokesman Greg Chin said. Concourse G was to close after 1 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday, he said. About 51,000 TSA agents are among the 800,000 government employees working without pay or on furlough. This week, they missed their first full paychecks since the shutdown. TSA officers screen about 800 million passengers a year. Considered essential employees, the agents are among the 420,000 federal workers expected to continue to work without compensation. Pekoske held a call Monday with TSA security directors from airports across the country to discuss the impact of the shutdown, including a growing number of agents refusing to work without pay. The longest shutdown in US history started after President Donald Trump refused to back off a demand for $5.7 billion for his long-promised border wall. The figure remains a nonstarter for Democrats, leaving Congress at an impasse that triggered the partial shutdown – which has affected key parts of the federal government, including the departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Interior, State and Housing and Urban Development.