by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:01 AM ET, Tue January 8, 2019
In response to reports of long lines and extensive wait times, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said the government shutdown had not significantly impacted the time spent at airports by passengers.
According to FoxNews.com, TSA officials were forced to deny claims made by CNN that hundreds of security officers were calling out of work as part of a staged "sickout" to protest the ongoing political battle in Washington D.C. impacting the federal government.
"Nationwide, TSA screened approximately 2.22 million passengers yesterday (Sunday), a historically busy day due to holiday travel," TSA's official Twitter said in a series of tweets. "99.8 [percent] of travelers waited less than 30 minutes; 90.1 [percent] of passengers less than 15 minutes. In TSA [PreCheck] lanes, passengers on average waited less than five minutes."
"We are grateful to the more than 51,000 agents across the country who remain focused on the mission and are respectful to the traveling public as they continue the important work necessary to secure the nation's transportation systems," the statement continued.
While TSA officials confirmed more employees called out during the government shut down, they say the impact has been minimal.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesman said there were no organized protests and called the CNN report "fake news."
"Callouts began over the Holiday period and have increased, but are causing minimal impact given there are 51,739 employees supporting the screening process," the TSA tweet continued. "TSA is grateful to the agents who show up to work, remain focused on the mission and respectful to the traveling public."
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