Trump approves TSA funding, but Sacramento officers say the damage has been done

Kira Cushman wakes up at 2 a.m. most days. By 3:30 a.m., she's at Sacramento International Airport ready to screen passengers, check bags and keep security lines moving.

She's been doing this for five years. For the past six weeks, she hasn't been paid.

"It's like a slap in the face," Cushman said.

That may change soon; President Trump signed an executive order Friday directing the Department of Homeland Security to pay TSA employees immediately. But for Cushman and other officers, the damage may already be done.

On Thursday, about two dozen Transportation Security Officers gathered outside Terminal B to demand Congress end the partial government shutdown. They wore plain clothes — federal employees are prohibited from protesting in uniform — and held signs reading "Pay TSA!"

The partial shutdown began Feb. 14 after Congress failed to reach an agreement on immigration enforcement reforms. TSA officers received a partial paycheck on Feb. 28 for work completed before the shutdown.

Nationally, the situation has been dire. At least 480 TSA officers have quit since the shutdown began, according to congressional testimony this week. Call-out rates at some airports have topped 40 percent. Houston's William P. Hobby Airport hit 43%. Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson, the busiest airport in the country, reached nearly 37%. It's led to security checkpoint times in excess of six hours in some airports.

Sacramento has fared better. A statement from the airport said staffing call-outs have remained minimal and wait times are consistent with pre-shutdown levels. The TSA did not respond to a request for specific call-out rates at Sacramento International Airport. Unlike more than a dozen major airports, Sacramento has not received backup from Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

The officers here are doing it on their own.

"We have a good, dedicated work crew here in Sacramento," said Pamela Mayfield, the chief steward for the local union chapter representing TSA officers. She's been with the TSA for nearly 24 years. "People are trying to be here."

Mayfield said the lack of pay is taking a toll. Many officers live paycheck to paycheck. Some have children. Some are married to other TSA employees, meaning their household is missing two incomes, not one.

Cushman said she had to choose between rent and food after receiving her partial paycheck. She chose rent. It left her with $400 for the month.

"Groceries are like $200," she said. "So it's hurting."

Painful thanks

Passengers have been thanking officers for working without pay. Cushman said kindness is appreciated, but it hurts.

"Every time, it feels like someone is jabbing the needle more," she said. "Congress is getting paid. Everybody else is getting paid. Why aren't we?"

Aki Fujikawa's husband is a TSA officer. She said their household still hasn't recovered from the 43-day shutdown that ended just months ago.

"My husband had to take out loans and still hasn't paid for those loans," Fujikawa said. "As long as we have shelter, we have food on the table, we're getting by. But I don't think we're going to last too long."

Officer Robert Butler said he had a message for lawmakers.

"A worker is worthy of his wages," Butler said. "The political games that they play, put that to the side. Think about people that got bills to pay."

A representative from Congresswoman Doris Matsui's office attended Thursday’s rally and called on colleagues to sign an agreement that would fund the Department of Homeland Security, excluding ICE and Customs and Border Protection.

On Friday, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security to pay TSA employees immediately. DHS said workers could start seeing paychecks as soon as Monday, though it remained unclear how the funding would work.

Hours earlier, the House rejected a Senate-passed bill that would have funded most of DHS. Democrats said they would not support the House's alternative. For the officers caught in the middle, the path forward remains shaky.

Mayfield said officers are relieved, but they’re skeptical.

"What's going to happen come September? Are we going to go through this again?" she said. "They cannot keep doing this to us."

It's a thankless job on a good day, and these haven't been good days. Mayfield said she wants people to imagine themselves in the officers' shoes. 

"How would they process this if this happened at their place of employment?" Mayfield said. "If they were still mandated to come into work and the boss said, 'Oh yeah, we'll pay you in a month or two.' They really need to put themselves in that position."