Hot mic at Kristi Noem event catches TSA agents complaining of being 'terrified'

Ahead of a press conference led by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Monday, Transportation Security Administration agents were heard on a hot mic complaining about being “terrified” of one of their superiors, as well as about their “frustrating” busy schedules.

Held in Tampa, Florida, details as to what would be announced at the press conference were scant. However, ahead of Noem taking the stage, the more than two-dozen TSA officers could be heard speaking among themselves as they awaited the beginning of the presser.

“I used to be terrified of [her] when I started in HR, I was so scared of her,” one of the TSA agents could be overheard saying. “She was just really busy; she did, like, discipline stuff in HR, so being an officer, she didn't trust me to be around any of it because she didn't know if I had a big mouth or not.”

That same officer later complained about their busy schedule, as did another.

“Now you can no longer go to the store,” they could be heard saying. “I wish I had Sunday-Monday or Friday-Saturday [off], because having both weekend days off is great, but it's frustrating sometimes.”

TSA agents were among the government workers that were asked to work amid last month’s government shutdown, the single-largest government shutdown in U.S. history. Agents worked weeks without pay after receiving a partial paycheck in early October, and at the behest of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Transportation Department.

The government shutdown was sparked by Democrats’ refusal to support any spending bill that didn’t include an extension to Obamacare subsidies, which, if allowed to expire, are projected to boot 4 million Americans off of their health insurance and increase premiums for millions of Obamacare enrollees by 114%.