The TSA fiasco is an appalling example of how we treat essential workers

Amid the partial government shutdown, at least 61,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents are going without pay. Regardless, the employees, who are considered essential workers, have to continue showing up to work, despite not earning an income. And over 3,000 agents—over 10% of the total agency—aren’t showing up to work at all. The situation has caused major financial strain for agents who work in an already demanding job that doesn’t seem to have a safety net. Now, they’re caught in the middle of a political battle that’s caused historic chaos and dysfunction in airports across the country: terminals are standing room only, with security lines snaking their way through multiple floors of the building, with passengers waiting for hours. When essential workers get pushed to the brink—supermarket staff during the pandemic, service staff facing abuse during the holiday season, and many more—it exacerbates the challenges they already face, between low pay and difficu