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Former TD Ameritrade Chairman and CEO Joe Moglia Voices Fears About a Government Shutdown as Lawmakers Disagree on Continuation of ‘The Claman Countdown’ Resolution.
Americans traveling across the country for the holidays could face longer wait times at airports if a partial government shutdown occurs, the head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) warned Thursday.
Congress and the Biden administration face until midnight Friday as a deadline to agree on a spending measure to fund the government, or else a partial government shutdown will begin. When partial shutdowns occur, government workers in non-essential activities remain off work, although many essential workers continue to perform their jobs during the shutdown without pay.
TSA Administrator David Pekoske noted in a post on X that most of the TSA workforce is considered essential and will continue to help manage security at the country’s airports. However, he warned that if there is a prolonged government shutdown, it could lead to longer wait times for travelers at airports.
“At TSA, part of DHS, about 59,000 of the agency’s more than 62,000 employees are considered essential and would continue to work without pay in the event of a shutdown. We expect to screen 40 million passengers over the holidays and through Jan. 2. “Pekoske wrote.
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The TSA administrator warned that a prolonged government shutdown could lead to longer wait times for holiday travelers. (Reuters/George Frey/Reuters Photos)
“While our staff is prepared to handle high volumes of travelers and ensure safe travel, please note that an extended closure could mean longer wait times at airports,” it added.
The period of late December and early January is expected to be a particularly busy travel period as the Christmas and New Year holidays are traditionally celebrated.
AAA projected that the year-end holiday season would bring record levels of travelers, surpassing the pre-pandemic record.
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Most TSA employees are considered essential and would be required to work during a partial government shutdown. (Haiyun Jiang/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
AAA’s 2024 holiday travel forecast projected that there will be 119.33 million Americans traveling during the holiday season.
That total includes 107 million car travelers and 7.85 million air travelers, as well as 4.47 million travelers using other modes of transportation.
AAA’s year-end travel projections for 2024 are slightly higher than the record set in 2019, when 119.3 million Americans traveled during that period. That year there were 108 million automobile travelers, as well as 7.33 million air travelers and 3.89 million who used other means of transportation.
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The AAA projection also represents a 2.8% increase over 2023, with 2.4% growth in car travelers, plus a 4.7% increase in air travelers and 9.7% in other modes of transport.
