Understaffed security checkpoints at some U.S. airports continued to be crippled this week, with long lines and wait times stretching into hours.
Transportation Security Administration employees have been working without pay for six weeks during the partial government shutdown, and Congress is deadlocked over funding for the Department of Homeland Security.
This week, at the request of President Donald Trump, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrived at 14 major U.S. airports to assist TSA agents who have not missed or quit their jobs. ICE agents have also been seen directing snaking security lines and handing out water bottles to weary travelers, but it’s still unclear whether they’ve made a big impact as wait times begin to rise again as the weekend approaches.
Many factors affect wait times, including the number of travelers and available security checkpoints.
On Thursday, President Trump announced he would sign an order directing the Department of Homeland Security to “immediately pay” TSA employees. It was not immediately clear how much the administration intended to pay the agency.
Here are some articles that went viral last week and photos that caught our eye.
