TSA Sends More Security Workers to JFK to Combat Long Lines
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by Mindy Cohn
Just in time for Labor Day weekend, the TSA sent 200 additional workers, including K9s, to JFK Airport to help reduce long security lines plaguing flyers throughout the summer travel season.
The additional workers were assigned in response to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's letter sent last month to TSA Administrator David Pekoske insisting on more staffing at JFK by Labor Day. The Senator called the hours-long lines at the airport "unacceptable," especially given the more than $9 billion approved for TSA improvement in the latest $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill.
The Senate Majority Leader said the unacceptably long lines were caused by a shortage of security workers, resulting in many travelers missing flights.
"I've worked to allocate the TSA the federal funds needed to meet the mark here, and now they must deliver," Schumer said in a statement. "For many days this past month, the TSA line at JFK has packed people in like sardines for hours. Airports across New York City cannot be known for hours-long TSA lines, and it is unacceptable, given the funds are there to avoid this kind of thing.