Transportation security officers at Orlando International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the nation, are continuing to show up to work so far, despite a federal government shutdown that will leave them unpaid until the government reopens — and possibly after.
“We have an oath to protect the flying public,” said Candise Isla, a TSA officer who’s served at the Orlando International Airport for more than a decade. She’s personally worked at MCO through four government shutdowns, the last of which occurred during President Donald Trump’s first term in the White House. “We’re coming to work,” she told Orlando Weekly Monday, adding that she and her co-workers “are here” to help ensure smooth travel for passengers.
Orlando International Airport itself put out a statement last week reassuring passengers that the airport (known by the airport code MCO) has “developed contingency plans should there be a dramatic decrease in the number of TSA agents processing passengers.”
Due to its proximity to major theme parks like Disney World and Universal Orlando Studios, the airport is one of the country’s busiest, welcoming 57.2 million passengers in 2024 alone (including, yes, many excitable young children who are eager to meet their favorite Disney princess or the Mouse himself).
“Air travel is an essential part of the tourism sector, which helps to fuel our region; and we remain committed to the best in traveler safety and security,” the airport’s statement reads.
Isla admitted that she expects TSA officers — who are officially employed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security — will eventually start feeling pressure from the lack of reliable pay. Normal operations at the airport could change if the shutdown persists. The previous one, beginning in Dec. 2018, lasted 35 days.
“Honestly, you might want to reach out to us next week,” she told Orlando Weekly in a phone call.
During a government shutdown, the nation’s federal employees are either forced to work for the duration of the shutdown without pay, or are furloughed (and similarly unpaid). TSA officers and air traffic controllers, employed by the Federal Aviation Authority, are considered essential employees during a government shutdown, which means they’re expected to continue showing up to work. Although they are guaranteed* back pay once the government reopens, for the meantime, they are forced to make ends meet without.
(*Actually, a word on that so-called guarantee: Axios published a scoop as we were finishing editing this story, detailing a new White House interpretation of the rule that guarantees back pay signed by Trump during the last government shutdown. A new memo from the Office of Management and Budget claims that the rule has been misinterpreted and does not, in fact, guarantee back pay.)
“Rent needs to be paid, groceries need to be bought,” Isla pointed out, and boy do our readers know that making ends meet in Orlando — one of the nation’s most cost-burdened metros — isn’t easy as it is. She said, in the past, passengers would sometimes try to offer them gift cards, food or money directly at the airport — however, TSA policies generally bar officers from accepting such gifts.
“The best way the public can show appreciation is to take action where it counts: by urging lawmakers to end this shutdown,” Isla said. Nonprofit organizations and community groups can also coordinate donations, meal programs or other forms of hardship relief with the her union, the American Federation of Government Employees Local 556.
Her union represents TSA officers at 10 airports, including airports in Daytona (DAB), Fort Walton Beach (VPS), Gainesville (GNV), Jacksonville (JAX), Lakeland (LAL), Panama City (ECP), Pensacola (PNS), Tallahassee (TLH), Tampa (TPA), St. Augustine (SGJ), St. Petersburg (PIE) and Orlando (MCO).
As executive vice president of her union local, Isla said the safety of millions of passengers “depends on TSA officers being fully staffed, fully focused, and fully supported.”
The federal government shutdown — now more than a week long— has largely resulted from disagreement between Republicans and Democrats in Congress over healthcare funding, including federal subsidies that help offset the cost of insurance premiums for a significant millions of Americans who buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
Democrats want to protect and extend the subsidies that benefit low- and moderate-income Americans, while Republicans are in favor of allowing them to expire at the end of the year. That’s despite the popularity of extending them, even among Republican and MAGA members of the public, according to recent polling.
If the subsidies do expire, health policy advocates warn that insurance premiums for U.S. adults who previously qualified for them could see their monthly premiums more than double — potentially costing them hundreds or even thousands of dollars more per year just to remain insured.
“23.4 million Americans will see a HUGE Obamacare spike on November 1st. In #FL9, we have the 2ND HIGHEST Obamacare enrollment in the nation, with over 271k constituents,” U.S. Rep Darren Soto, a Democrat from Kissimmee, wrote in a Monday post on X. “@HouseDemocrats are prepared to negotiate, protect healthcare, & reopen the government for the American people.”
Republicans, however, are blaming Democrats for the shutdown, arguing they’re being unreasonable in their demands. House speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, argued Monday, “There’s nothing for us to negotiate” and said “the ball is in the court of the Senate Democrats.”
The Florida AFL-CIO, the state’s largest federation of labor unions, is similarly asking its 1.3 million union members, retirees and their families to contact their members of Congress and demand that Republicans “step away from extremist Trump and negotiate for the American people.”
So far, USA Today, says, impacts on air travel nationally appear to be minimal, although the New York Times reported Monday that smaller airports in rural communities could see interruptions soon due to a loss of funding for a program known as the Essential Air Service.
However, airline data tracker FlightAware reported more than 1,400 delayed flights and more than 240 cancellations in the U.S. by 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday. And their data showed that on Monday, Time magazine says, more than 40% of all flights were delayed out of Orlando International Airport.
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Monday also told reporters that government officials are noticing a “slight tick-up” in air traffic controllers calling in sick. Their jobs are notoriously stressful, with 10-hour work days, and a shortage of them (as they’re asked to work without pay) could pressure Congress into agreeing to a funding deal, as it did in at the tail end of the last government shutdown in 2019.
The Orlando International Airport, meanwhile, is encouraging passengers to use the FlyMCO website or Orlando MCO app to see current information and receive updates on the status of airport operations.
If you are a federal worker in Florida who has been furloughed or is currently working without pay, we want to hear from you. Reach out to us by email at news@orlandoweekly.com to share your story.
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