Verdict with Ted Cruz - March 17, 2026


BONUS POD： The TSA Crisis Is What Happens when Democrats put Politics Before Public Safety

Topics
Democrats crisis at airports TSA funding crisis & staffing shortages
Hosted by
Ted Cruz
Mentioned
Trump Ben Ferguson Joe Shucker Alam Omar Story Adam
The Great Dana White One-on-One： Trump, Boxing, Ali vs Tyson, UFC, Business, Exercise & Weight Loss plus the Best Rocky Movie Ever The Save America Act — FINALLY on the Floor of the Senate

Episode Stats


Length

13 minutes

Words per minute

148.58

Word count

2,030

Sentence count

98

Harmful content

Misogyny

1

sentences flagged

Hate speech

1

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

TSA agents are quitting, and the lines are getting longer, and now Republicans in the White House are demanding immediate funding, while the Dems stall on purpose. So what is their next move? You re listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson!

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
Topics generated with Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct.
Hosts, guests, and mentioned names generated with spaCy (en_core_web_sm), reconciled against Wikidata.
00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.
00:00:02.480 Guaranteed human.
00:00:04.800 Our powerful military campaign to end the threats posed by the Iranian regime 0.73
00:00:11.140 continued in full force over the past few days.
00:00:14.700 They have been literally obliterated.
00:00:18.420 The Air Force is gone.
00:00:20.180 The Navy is gone.
00:00:21.660 Many, many ships have been sunk.
00:00:24.100 They're warfighting ships, but I guess they didn't know how to use them.
00:00:26.660 and anti-aircraft is decimated, their radar is gone, and their leaders are gone.
00:00:32.460 Other than that, they're doing quite well.
00:00:34.140 You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.
00:00:38.100 Good Tuesday morning. It's nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update.
00:00:41.960 We've got one big story for you.
00:00:44.100 Airports are getting worse by the day.
00:00:46.600 TSA agents are quitting, and the lines are getting longer.
00:00:50.000 And now Republicans in the White House are demanding immediate funding,
00:00:54.140 while the democrats stall on purpose so what is their next move but before we get to that i want
00:01:00.940 to take a moment and ask you to help the people in israel with my friends at the ifcj working
00:01:07.060 right now on the ground for all those in need having just come back from israel i want to paint
00:01:12.660 you a picture it's midnight sirens are blaring and you have only seconds to grab your child and
00:01:19.800 run now imagine you're elderly your legs don't work like they used to getting downstairs feels
00:01:25.100 impossible and after all of that you end up in a bomb shelter for hours even days because you can't
00:01:31.360 make the trek again this is what's happening across israel as operation epic fury continues
00:01:37.640 children are being traumatized families are just exhausted and homes have been destroyed and that's
00:01:44.580 why the international fellowship of christians and jews is there on the ground bringing food
00:01:50.280 emergency equipment care for those children and help for the elderly and supplying the bomb
00:01:56.740 shelters and medical centers for critically needed essentials if you've ever wondered what it looks
00:02:02.080 like to stand for israel and stand for good against evil this is it and that's why i'm asking
00:02:07.600 to now please act give $45 right now to rush life-saving essentials to the vulnerables under
00:02:14.880 fire you can also call 888-488-IFCJ that's 888-488-IFCJ join me and give and make a real
00:02:26.980 difference online at ifcj.org that's ifcj.org it's the 47 morning update and it starts right now
00:02:36.880 Story number one.
00:02:38.220 It is official.
00:02:39.300 Democrats got exactly what they wanted.
00:02:42.100 There is a growing crisis at airports across the United States of America today.
00:02:46.920 And it's directly tied to a political battle in Washington over the funding of ICE that is holding, literally, America's airports, and you if you're a traveler, hostage.
00:02:59.460 Right now, more than 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers are working without pay
00:03:08.660 after Congress yet again failed to pass a full funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security.
00:03:15.840 The shutdown began after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement over immigration enforcement
00:03:21.060 and broader DHS spending priorities, and the consequences, they're immediate.
00:03:26.340 According to federal officials today, TSA union representatives are also confirming that more than 300 TSA officers have already quit since the shutdown began.
00:03:39.320 Democrats knew that this was going to happen.
00:03:42.300 They designed this on purpose.
00:03:44.780 About 10 percent of TSA officers called out or failed to report to work during the first weekend without full pay as well.
00:03:53.120 Normally, absentee rates are around 2% to 3%, meaning absentees have quadrupled or more
00:04:00.580 depending on which airport you are going to.
00:04:04.020 Some major airports have reported more than 20% staffing shortages during peak travel periods
00:04:11.000 and its spring break for many Americans.
00:04:14.040 And remember, TSA officers are considered essential personnel, meaning they are required
00:04:19.220 to keep working even if they are not being paid they will get back pay eventually now abc news
00:04:27.040 and others are forced to cover this ongoing crisis and as spring break surge the strain
00:04:33.660 has gotten even worse the spring break travel crush underway expected to be the busiest ever
00:04:39.800 as millions fill airports across the country early this morning security lines snaking outside the
00:04:45.960 airport in austin texas the travel surge coming as 60 000 tsa officers are already feeling the
00:04:52.860 squeeze receiving their first zero dollar paycheck today with funding still halted for the department
00:04:58.760 of homeland security with no end in sight morale is low your bills are still going to keep coming
00:05:04.680 but you have nothing no way to pay them to ease the burden food pantries opening up from jfk
00:05:10.100 to seattle denver's airport accepting food and gas card donations for its tsa officers
00:05:15.660 It hurts the pride when you have to go and stand in the line, you know, to receive food and things when the only thing you've done is show up like you're supposed to.
00:05:26.080 Nearly a month into the shutdown, more than 300 TSA officers have quit.
00:05:31.160 Callouts more than doubling.
00:05:33.740 President Trump demanding that these TSA agents receive their paychecks.
00:05:39.000 Democrats are saying, no, we want them to suffer because we don't like ICE agents that
00:05:45.160 are actually not TSA agents at the airport.
00:05:48.480 This is what you call political revenge.
00:05:51.340 And for many of these agents, by the way, the financial pressure is immediate.
00:05:56.140 The average frontline TSA officer that you meet at the airport, their salary is roughly
00:06:01.900 $45,000 to $60,000 per year, meaning missing even one paycheck can create major financial
00:06:08.340 stress for families trying to pay rent mortgages groceries as well as child care now republicans
00:06:15.400 and president trump have been leading the push to fund the tsa republicans in congress say the
00:06:20.680 crisis is entirely avoidable they have introduced legislation that would fully fund just the tsa
00:06:28.320 operations and the rest of the department of homeland security but democrats holding america
00:06:34.200 hostage during spring break have refused to advance the funding bill. They say unless
00:06:40.320 immigration enforcement provisions are stripped out. This is all about political revenge.
00:06:47.140 President Trump has repeatedly urged Congress to fund TSA and border security immediately.
00:06:53.620 Trump said in a statement about the shutdown, quote, our TSA officers and border agents protect
00:06:59.800 america every single day they should never be forced to work without pay because of politics
00:07:05.980 in washington in another statement on the dhs funding fight trump said today this quote we must
00:07:13.220 fund homeland security fully fund tsa and secure our borders republicans are ready to do that
00:07:19.460 right now republican leaders argue that air travel security should not become a political bargaining
00:07:26.420 chip especially during periods of heightened global tension and multiple terrorist attacks
00:07:31.820 have taken place in the United States of America over the last 10 days. At the same time however
00:07:38.300 several prominent Democrats have previously called for dramatically reducing or even
00:07:44.540 eliminating the TSA. Do you really want to fly on planes is the question all Americans should ask
00:07:50.540 without going through security.
00:07:53.540 Who are the Democrats behind this idea?
00:07:56.060 Example number one, Alexandra Cortez, known as AOC. 0.80
00:08:01.360 She's previously supported proposals to restructure or eliminate TSA
00:08:06.340 as part of broader federal policing reforms.
00:08:10.600 Alam Omar, another radical of the left,
00:08:13.120 has also expressed support for reducing federal security agencies
00:08:17.300 and redirecting resources towards what she described as other priorities,
00:08:22.820 meaning you could get on a plane and not go through security.
00:08:25.920 In 2020 and 2021, there were multiple progressive Democrats
00:08:30.940 that supported policy platforms that proposed abolishing
00:08:34.980 or privatizing airport security systems,
00:08:39.280 arguing that the TSA was ineffective or overly intrusive.
00:08:44.180 So therefore, you should just be able to take anything you want
00:08:47.160 on an airplane. It's like, you know, the honor system until a terrorist decides to blow up a
00:08:52.740 plane. Those proposals are now resurfacing again this week during the current funding fight with
00:08:59.560 some progressive lawmakers arguing that DHS agencies should be fundamentally restructured
00:09:06.200 rather than simply funded. Now the airlines are now getting into the game. They're warning of
00:09:12.340 security risks major airlines are now warning that the situation could spiral if the shutdown
00:09:18.300 continues and then there's the travelers themselves they're furious over the lines
00:09:24.380 just take a listen to nbc's local dc affiliate and how they are now talking about the real story
00:09:32.000 of what has happened at the airports all because of the democrats yeah you know so much concern
00:09:37.440 about tsa checkpoint lines all across the country right now we can show you what it looks like at
00:09:42.200 Reagan National Airport. Pretty good for the moment. Everything moving pretty smoothly right
00:09:47.380 now. But it's what's happening behind the scenes here that's really starting to cause concern.
00:09:53.500 Well, TSA workers are about to miss their second paycheck of this ongoing partial government
00:10:00.460 shutdown. And that's on top of what these workers went through during the longest government shutdown
00:10:05.420 ever in the fall where many missed multiple paychecks as well. Adam and that's the stress
00:10:12.640 part is what's really not being reported I think. Joe Shucker is with the union that represents TSA
00:10:19.400 employees in the mid-Atlantic. Now TSA sources are telling News 4 that it's gotten so bad that
00:10:25.280 some workers are sleeping in their cars outside of airports including Dulles International because
00:10:31.220 those workers can't pay rent or afford gas to drive around. I know that's a fact, no doubt.
00:10:37.760 It's a stressful enough job as it is. You're looking for bombs, you're looking for weapons,
00:10:42.100 right? Now you have the added stress of how am I going to feed my family tomorrow? How am I going
00:10:48.160 to put gas in my car? A senior TSA official confirms an internal report to NBC News that
00:10:53.920 around 300 officers have now quit and many, many more are calling out sick. That's part of the
00:11:00.200 issue that's been causing long lines at some TSA checkpoints across the country. At some point,
00:11:06.560 officers are going to hit a breaking point. And like I said, it's going to be a perfect storm.
00:11:11.120 We're heading into spring break and the officers haven't got paid in two months.
00:11:16.100 When I asked him the solution, he said simply, they have to pay us.
00:11:20.520 Now you add all this in with what the airlines are saying. Executives from American, Delta,
00:11:26.400 Southwest have now urged Congress directly to resolve the crisis quickly.
00:11:32.580 They warned that the continued staffing shortages could increase security wait times,
00:11:37.000 force checkpoint closures altogether, and cause major airport delays nationwide.
00:11:43.080 During previous shutdowns, wait times at some airports stretched to over two hours
00:11:47.720 as TSA staffing shortages grew.
00:11:51.300 The numbers behind the crisis are truly incredible.
00:11:53.920 50 plus thousand TSA officers are now working officially without any pay at all.
00:12:00.120 85,000 Department of Home and Security employees are also affected.
00:12:04.280 300 plus TSA agents have already quit and the absence rate from work is jumping day after day from two all the way up to about 10 percent.
00:12:15.060 Many airports are also seeing major shortages this morning as well.
00:12:18.980 As I mentioned earlier, depending on how organized the workers become.
00:12:23.040 Some airports are reporting 20% staffing shortages.
00:12:28.180 TSA officers, they're not getting rich.
00:12:30.780 The average salary, as I mentioned earlier, $45,000 to $60,000 annually.
00:12:35.800 And that's exactly why many of them are sleeping in their cars at the airport.
00:12:40.000 So this is the bottom line for President Trump.
00:12:43.100 Airport security should not be political.
00:12:46.040 Airport security in the United States is now caught in the middle of a political fight
00:12:50.180 only because of the Democrats.
00:12:52.820 Republicans say they are ready to pass a bill that would fully fund TSA immediately.
00:12:58.380 And Democrats are saying no.
00:13:00.220 They want open borders.
00:13:02.000 They want broader immigration concessions, meaning more illegal immigrants in America,
00:13:07.280 before they agree to give you Homeland Security funding.
00:13:11.660 President Trump has also made it clear on another issue.
00:13:14.340 It's time for you to call your congressman and your senator
00:13:18.420 and demand that our airports are taken off the political chopping block.
00:13:23.980 Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.
00:13:28.300 Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now.
00:13:33.600 And for more in-depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson podcast,
00:13:38.020 and we will see you back here tomorrow.