TSA training at FLETC cancelled due to shutdown
Brunswick GA January 16 2019
The Transportation Security Administration had to cancel training last week for 323 employees who do the frontline security work, like airport screening, as the government shutdown continues.
While basic training classes that are considered “mission critical” continue at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia, 18 supervisory and advanced training classes for TSA workers have been nixed, according to a TSA spokesperson.
The cancellations come amid reports today that a passenger in Atlanta was able to board a Tokyo-bound flight with a firearm early this month. TSA refutes that the incident is a result of the shutdown, which is now the longest in U.S. history as it drags into a fourth week.
The agency has also challenged claims by union leaders that the shutdown has led to a spike in TSA agents calling out sick and quitting.
TSA workers, air traffic controllers and FAA inspectors rallied outside the Capitol on Thursday, arguing that the shutdown is hurting aviation security.
