Airport Security Lines Grow As TSA 'Blue Flu' Spreads

Passengers have found themselves waiting in massive lines at airports across the nation as agents with the Transportation Safety Agency choose to call out sick rather than work without pay.

Passengers flying out of the Delta Airlines terminal at LaGuardia Airport in New York City on Sunday reported waiting in line for up to 90 minutes to get through the TSA checkpoint. TSA-Precheck, a service that expedites pre-cleared passengers, was closed that afternoon, increasing wait times for everyone. 

Callouts by TSA agents have ticked up dramatically according to statistics from the agency amid a partial government shutdown that's entered its third week. The staffing shortage has forced travelers to deal with long security lines and delayed flights. Frontline staff at the agency have been without pay since the shutdown began, though many expect to be paid in full once the government resumes normal operations. While back pay is generally approved by Congress following the end of any government shutdown, many workers say they still need to pay for essentials like gas or public transportation to get to work. 

Officials with the TSA wrote on Twitter Friday that they were "closely monitoring the situation" and that the call outs are causing minimal impact at airports around the U.S. 

"To date, however, screening wait times remain well within TSA standards," the agency wrote on Friday. 

However, dozens of people on Twitter shared video and photos as they waiting in long security lines before boarding their flights. 

The government partially shutdown more than three week ago after Congress and the White House reached an impasse on funding for President Donald Trump's wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Democrats are refusing to allocate money for the project, calling it wasteful spending. Trump and Republicans in the Senate insist that the wall is crucial for border security. 

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