Over two hours into a House Homeland Security committee hearing, lawmakers and Transportation Security Administration officials are stressing the urgency of the ongoing government shutdown as TSA workers scrape by without pay and long security lines wind through some airports. Ha Nguyen McNeill, the agency’s acting administrator, says the shutdown may force TSA to consider closing some airports until funding resumes. She said multiple airports are experiencing callout rates higher than 40%. Meanwhile, senators are chasing a deal that would fund much of DHS, including TSA workers who are going without pay, but exclude immigration operations that have been core to the dispute.
