Washington DC [US], March 27: Fans travelling to this summer's World Cup in the United States face disruption amid an ongoing shutdown that threatens a "dire situation" at the nation's airports, a top transport official has warned.
Members of Congress heard of a "potential perfect storm" with a severe shortage of frontline security staff combined with the arrival of millions of supporters for the tournament, which kicks off in June.
Ha Nguyen McNeill, acting head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), told a US House committee that more than 480 officers had quit since the start of the budget stand-off in mid-February, which has seen tens of thousands of workers go unpaid.
There had also been a spike in staff absences "because they simply cannot afford to report to work", she said.
The situation has led to record long queues, with passengers waiting for more than four hours to get through security checkpoints at some airports.
This had been accompanied by a sharp rise in assaults on staff, added McNeill.
US President Donald Trump has already sent federal immigration agents to assist the TSA and has also said he could deploy National Guard troops.
McNeill said: "As the shutdown drags on, we fear we will continue to lose talented and experienced employees to other jobs that can provide a steady pay cheque.
"Not only is the shutdown decreasing the number of interested candidates, for those we are able to hire they are required to complete four to six months of training before they are certified to work at checkpoints.
"At this point, newly hired officers will not be able to work on the checkpoint until well after the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
"This is a dire situation.
"We are facing a potential perfect storm of severe staffing shortages and an influx of millions of passengers at our airports for the World Cup games in less than 80 days."
Democrats have blocked Homeland Security funding as they demand changes to controversial immigration operations after federal agents shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Source: Qatar Tribune
