As Democrats keep the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, deprive 100,000+ Americans of their paychecks, and continue to inflict pain on travelers, America’s aviation leaders are sounding the alarm.

In a letter to Congress, chief executives of American Airlines, United ​Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Alaska Air and others warned that the ongoing shutdown is putting increasing strain on airport operations and the workforce that keeps them running. Airline CEOs are demanding that Congress “immediately come together to reach an agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security.”

In their letter, airline CEOs wrote:

• “Americans—who live in your districts and home states—are tired of long lines at airports, travel delays and flight cancellations caused by shutdown after shutdown.”
• “TSA officers just received $0 paychecks. That is simply unacceptable. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to put food on the table, put gas in the car and pay rent when you are not getting paid.”
• “U.S. airlines expect 171 million passengers this spring season, a new record. But too many travelers are having to wait in extraordinarily long—and painfully slow—lines at checkpoints. Wait times of 2, 3 and even 4 hours have been reported. Airlines are doing everything we can to mitigate disruption by holding flights for late passengers and rebooking others.”
• “It’s past time for the government to make sure that TSA officers, U.S. Customs clearance officers at airports and air traffic controllers are paid for the job they do.”

Our aviation system relies heavily on TSA officers who are working around the clock WITHOUT PAY— struggling to put food on the table and gas in their cars— the Democrats MUST reopen DHS NOW.

The post Airline CEOs Demand “Immediate” Action as Democrats’ DHS Shutdown Pushes Air Travel to the Brink appeared first on The White House.

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