Lifestyle Trend: TSA officers at PBI work without pay as funding lapse continues You Should Know

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — TSA officers at Palm Beach International Airport are working without paychecks as a federal funding lapse continues in Washington, D.C., leaving some employees struggling to cover basic expenses during one of the busiest travel seasons of the year.

The funding lapse, tied to a congressional stalemate over immigration and Department of Homeland Security funding, has left TSA officers in the same position they faced during last year’s record-long government shutdown — only months after many were still catching up on bills from that ordeal.

William Watts, a representative for Local AFGE 558, which represents TSA officers from Melbourne to the Florida Keys, said the financial strain on workers has reached a breaking point.

“TSA preserves a vital part of keeping Americans safe,” Watts said. “We’re putting things at risk.”

Watts, who also went through the record-breaking government shutdown last October, said many officers are struggling just to get to work.

“We didn’t think we’d be back here six months later,” Watts said. “A lot of us are just catching our breath, just catching up on the past bills. It’s exceptionally hard.”

He said some officers are facing dire circumstances, unable to meet even the most basic financial obligations.

“We have officers that are sleeping in their cars,” Watts said. “Officers don’t have the money to be able to pay for their kids’ day care.”

The financial pressure comes as many families in South Florida are already stretched thin. Child care costs, which Meghan Martinez-Reyes, a Palm Beach Gardens mother, described as overwhelming, are adding to the burden.

“One child and we are like bankrupt,” Martinez-Reyes said. “I didn’t know it was going to be $1,500, $1,600, $1,700 a month.”

Rising gas prices are also taking a toll. Sherwin Foster, owner of Foster’s BBQ food truck, said the squeeze is widespread.

“We’re just trying to balance the cost because everyone is suffering,” Foster said.

For TSA officers, those everyday expenses are now piling up with no current income to offset them.

“Suffering, both mentally, physically, emotionally,” Watts said.

Despite the hardship, officers say they remain on the job, keeping travelers safe during a hectic spring break travel season — even as cancellations and delays continue to mount at the airport.

“Lines are going to get longer, and it’s only going to get worse,” Watts said.

Officers say they are hoping Congress resolves the funding lapse soon.

The TSA provides data to check airport security wait times through its TSA mobile My TSA app.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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