Former TD Ameritrade President and CEO Joe Moglia reveals concerns about a government shutdown as lawmakers disagree on a continuation resolution on the “Claman Countdown.”
Americans traveling across the country for the holidays could face longer wait times at airports if the government continues to partially shut down, the head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) warned Thursday.
Congress and the Biden administration face a midnight deadline Friday to agree on a spending measure to fund the government, or else Partial government shutdown will begin When a partial shutdown occurs, non-essential government workers are off the job, although many essential workers will continue to work during the shutdown without pay.
TSA Director David Pekoske noted in a post on X that most of the TSA workforce is considered essential and will continue to help with security at the nation's airports. However, he warned that if there is a prolonged government shutdown, it could lead to a longer one Waiting time at airports For passengers
“At TSA, part of DHS, approximately 59,000 of the agency's 62,000+ employees are considered essential and will continue to work without pay during the shutdown. We expect to process 40 million travelers over the holidays and through Jan. 2,” Pekowski wrote. let's do it.”
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The TSA director warned that a prolonged government shutdown could cause longer wait times for holiday travelers. (Reuters/George Frey/Reuters Photo)
He added: “While our staff are ready to handle the high volume of passengers and ensure safe travel, please note that extended closures could mean longer waiting times at airports.”
Late December and early January are expected to be the busiest travel period, as it is traditionally referred to as Christmas and New Year holidays.
AAA predicted that the year-end holiday season would bring a record number of travelers that would surpass that figure. Before the pandemic register
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Most TSA employees are considered essential and must work through the partial government shutdown. (Hyun Jiang/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
AAA's 2024 Year-End Travel Forecast predicts that 119.33 million Americans will travel during the year-end holiday season.
This total includes 107 million car passengers and 7.85 million air passengers, as well as 4.47 million passengers using other modes of transportation.
AAA's year-end 2024 travel forecast is slightly higher than the record set in 2019, when 119.3 million Americans traveled during that period. That year there were 108 million people car passengersas well as 7.33 million air travelers and 3.89 million people who used other means of transportation.
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AAA's forecast also shows a 2.8 percent increase from 2023, with 2.4 percent growth in car passengers, plus a 4.7 percent increase in air passengers and a 9.7 percent increase in other modes of transportation.