It's day 35 of the government shutdown and Transportation Security Administration employees are faced with missing another paycheck. The TSA announced early Friday morning that it will issue partial paychecks to workers after more than a month without getting paid.
"It’s emotional," said Arthur McIntyre who works at a security checkpoint of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. "Everyone has their own stressors in life, and this is an undue stressor. Working for free and to not know when you’re going to get paid adds stress. You have medical expenses, you have rent, you have a mortgage that needs to be paid. Everybody is feeling it. It’s not just a little bit of pain, this is reality."
As anxiety among TSA workers continues to grow, unions across the country express their concern surrounding the safety of government employees and travelers.
Officials with the TSA unveiled a new plan to release partial payment to its employees. Officials have been working with the Department of Homeland Security to release partial payment for those employee who worked in an exempted status during the pay period of Dec. 23 - Jan. 5.