As the partial federal government shutdown moves into the beginning of its third week, hundreds of Transportation Security Administration workers at major airports are calling in sick or otherwise calling off work, according to multiple reports.
TSA employees are considered "essential workers" by the federal government. As a result, those workers are required to work despite not being paid during the federal shutdown.
According to a statement from the TSA late Friday, employees calling off are causing a minimal impact on operations, but officials are keeping an eye on the situation.
"Callouts began over the Holiday period and have increased, but are causing minimal impact given there are 51,739 employees supporting the screening process. Security effectiveness will not be compromised and standards will not change," the TSA statement said, in part.
In a tweet Saturday morning, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms emphasized that many workers at the airport would be affected if the government shutdown does not end immediately.
Union leaders for TSA workers told the Washington Post on Friday that hundreds of workers have been off of the job simply because they cannot afford to get there.
"Fifty to 100 people are calling out at any particular airport," Hydrick Thomas, president of the TSA union under the American Federation of Government Employees told the Post. "They are not coming to work because they don't have the money to get to work. They're not just taking off. They're not saying, 'We're going to shut things down.' They are the lowest paid employees in the federal government, and they don't have the money to get to work."
At Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, on Saturday morning, security wait times remained within the standard 15-to-30 minute timeframe, without any appreciable increase, despite the shutdown.