Miami International Airport was forced to close one of its terminals over the weekend after double the usual rate of Transportation Security Administration screeners called out of work as the government shutdown enters it fourth week.
The shutdown has affected air travel as higher-than-usual numbers of TSA employees out sick and missing work have been reported, and some airports may soon experience security lane shutdowns and employee shortages as they call out from work.
Fifty-five percent more TSA employees called out sick from work on Thursday compared with the year before, Bloomberg reported.
On Friday, thousands of federal workers missed their first paycheck during the the time of the partial government shutdown, which has entered its fourth week. This is the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
The shutdown began the Friday before Christmas when funding for several federal agencies ran out at midnight on Dec. 21. A bill was not signed because Trump and Democrats could not reach an agreement on funding that included money for a physical barrier at the southern border.
TSA agents, and thousands of other federal workers, have either had to work without pay, or are being furloughed.
