BONUS POD： The TSA Crisis Is What Happens when Democrats put Politics Before Public Safety
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Summary
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
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Our powerful military campaign to end the threats posed by the Iranian regime
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continued in full force over the past few days.
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They're warfighting ships, but I guess they didn't know how to use them.
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and anti-aircraft is decimated, their radar is gone, and their leaders are gone.
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You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.
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Good Tuesday morning. It's nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update.
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TSA agents are quitting, and the lines are getting longer.
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And now Republicans in the White House are demanding immediate funding,
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while the democrats stall on purpose so what is their next move but before we get to that i want
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to take a moment and ask you to help the people in israel with my friends at the ifcj working
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right now on the ground for all those in need having just come back from israel i want to paint
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you a picture it's midnight sirens are blaring and you have only seconds to grab your child and
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run now imagine you're elderly your legs don't work like they used to getting downstairs feels
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impossible and after all of that you end up in a bomb shelter for hours even days because you can't
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make the trek again this is what's happening across israel as operation epic fury continues
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children are being traumatized families are just exhausted and homes have been destroyed and that's
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why the international fellowship of christians and jews is there on the ground bringing food
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emergency equipment care for those children and help for the elderly and supplying the bomb
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shelters and medical centers for critically needed essentials if you've ever wondered what it looks
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like to stand for israel and stand for good against evil this is it and that's why i'm asking
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to now please act give $45 right now to rush life-saving essentials to the vulnerables under
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fire you can also call 888-488-IFCJ that's 888-488-IFCJ join me and give and make a real
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difference online at ifcj.org that's ifcj.org it's the 47 morning update and it starts right now
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There is a growing crisis at airports across the United States of America today.
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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.
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Right now, more than 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers are working without pay
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after Congress yet again failed to pass a full funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security.
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The shutdown began after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement over immigration enforcement
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and broader DHS spending priorities, and the consequences, they're immediate.
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According to federal officials today, TSA union representatives are also confirming that more than 300 TSA officers have already quit since the shutdown began.
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About 10 percent of TSA officers called out or failed to report to work during the first weekend without full pay as well.
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Normally, absentee rates are around 2% to 3%, meaning absentees have quadrupled or more
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Some major airports have reported more than 20% staffing shortages during peak travel periods
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And remember, TSA officers are considered essential personnel, meaning they are required
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to keep working even if they are not being paid they will get back pay eventually now abc news
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and others are forced to cover this ongoing crisis and as spring break surge the strain
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has gotten even worse the spring break travel crush underway expected to be the busiest ever
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as millions fill airports across the country early this morning security lines snaking outside the
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airport in austin texas the travel surge coming as 60 000 tsa officers are already feeling the
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squeeze receiving their first zero dollar paycheck today with funding still halted for the department
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of homeland security with no end in sight morale is low your bills are still going to keep coming
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but you have nothing no way to pay them to ease the burden food pantries opening up from jfk
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to seattle denver's airport accepting food and gas card donations for its tsa officers
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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.
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Nearly a month into the shutdown, more than 300 TSA officers have quit.
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President Trump demanding that these TSA agents receive their paychecks.
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Democrats are saying, no, we want them to suffer because we don't like ICE agents that
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And for many of these agents, by the way, the financial pressure is immediate.
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The average frontline TSA officer that you meet at the airport, their salary is roughly
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$45,000 to $60,000 per year, meaning missing even one paycheck can create major financial
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stress for families trying to pay rent mortgages groceries as well as child care now republicans
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and president trump have been leading the push to fund the tsa republicans in congress say the
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crisis is entirely avoidable they have introduced legislation that would fully fund just the tsa
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operations and the rest of the department of homeland security but democrats holding america
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hostage during spring break have refused to advance the funding bill. They say unless
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immigration enforcement provisions are stripped out. This is all about political revenge.
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President Trump has repeatedly urged Congress to fund TSA and border security immediately.
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Trump said in a statement about the shutdown, quote, our TSA officers and border agents protect
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america every single day they should never be forced to work without pay because of politics
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in washington in another statement on the dhs funding fight trump said today this quote we must
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fund homeland security fully fund tsa and secure our borders republicans are ready to do that
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right now republican leaders argue that air travel security should not become a political bargaining
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chip especially during periods of heightened global tension and multiple terrorist attacks
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have taken place in the United States of America over the last 10 days. At the same time however
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several prominent Democrats have previously called for dramatically reducing or even
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eliminating the TSA. Do you really want to fly on planes is the question all Americans should ask
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Example number one, Alexandra Cortez, known as AOC.
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She's previously supported proposals to restructure or eliminate TSA
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has also expressed support for reducing federal security agencies
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and redirecting resources towards what she described as other priorities,
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meaning you could get on a plane and not go through security.
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In 2020 and 2021, there were multiple progressive Democrats
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that supported policy platforms that proposed abolishing
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arguing that the TSA was ineffective or overly intrusive.
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So therefore, you should just be able to take anything you want
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on an airplane. It's like, you know, the honor system until a terrorist decides to blow up a
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plane. Those proposals are now resurfacing again this week during the current funding fight with
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some progressive lawmakers arguing that DHS agencies should be fundamentally restructured
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rather than simply funded. Now the airlines are now getting into the game. They're warning of
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security risks major airlines are now warning that the situation could spiral if the shutdown
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continues and then there's the travelers themselves they're furious over the lines
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just take a listen to nbc's local dc affiliate and how they are now talking about the real story
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of what has happened at the airports all because of the democrats yeah you know so much concern
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about tsa checkpoint lines all across the country right now we can show you what it looks like at
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Reagan National Airport. Pretty good for the moment. Everything moving pretty smoothly right
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now. But it's what's happening behind the scenes here that's really starting to cause concern.
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Well, TSA workers are about to miss their second paycheck of this ongoing partial government
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shutdown. And that's on top of what these workers went through during the longest government shutdown
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ever in the fall where many missed multiple paychecks as well. Adam and that's the stress
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part is what's really not being reported I think. Joe Shucker is with the union that represents TSA
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employees in the mid-Atlantic. Now TSA sources are telling News 4 that it's gotten so bad that
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some workers are sleeping in their cars outside of airports including Dulles International because
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those workers can't pay rent or afford gas to drive around. I know that's a fact, no doubt.
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It's a stressful enough job as it is. You're looking for bombs, you're looking for weapons,
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right? Now you have the added stress of how am I going to feed my family tomorrow? How am I going
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to put gas in my car? A senior TSA official confirms an internal report to NBC News that
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around 300 officers have now quit and many, many more are calling out sick. That's part of the
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issue that's been causing long lines at some TSA checkpoints across the country. At some point,
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officers are going to hit a breaking point. And like I said, it's going to be a perfect storm.
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We're heading into spring break and the officers haven't got paid in two months.
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When I asked him the solution, he said simply, they have to pay us.
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Now you add all this in with what the airlines are saying. Executives from American, Delta,
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Southwest have now urged Congress directly to resolve the crisis quickly.
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They warned that the continued staffing shortages could increase security wait times,
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force checkpoint closures altogether, and cause major airport delays nationwide.
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During previous shutdowns, wait times at some airports stretched to over two hours
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The numbers behind the crisis are truly incredible.
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50 plus thousand TSA officers are now working officially without any pay at all.
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85,000 Department of Home and Security employees are also affected.
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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.
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Many airports are also seeing major shortages this morning as well.
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As I mentioned earlier, depending on how organized the workers become.
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Some airports are reporting 20% staffing shortages.
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The average salary, as I mentioned earlier, $45,000 to $60,000 annually.
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And that's exactly why many of them are sleeping in their cars at the airport.
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So this is the bottom line for President Trump.
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Airport security in the United States is now caught in the middle of a political fight
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Republicans say they are ready to pass a bill that would fully fund TSA immediately.
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They want broader immigration concessions, meaning more illegal immigrants in America,
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before they agree to give you Homeland Security funding.
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President Trump has also made it clear on another issue.
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It's time for you to call your congressman and your senator
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and demand that our airports are taken off the political chopping block.
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Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.
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Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now.
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And for more in-depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson podcast,