The financial situation among some Transportation Security Administration employees has become so dire that they are selling their blood to afford to get to work — where President Donald Trump has been forcing them to go unpaid during the ongoing government shutdown, according to a report.
The partial shutdown amid a Department of Homeland Security spending stalemate has entered its second month, and has pushed 50,000 TSA workers to continue working without paychecks, The Daily Beast reported. It's also the third time in the last year that the TSA employees have had to work without pay during a government shutdown.
Acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl told CBS Mornings during an interview on Wednesday that the situation has become very difficult for some workers.
“We have individuals sleeping in their cars, drawing blood to afford to pay for gas to get to work,” he said.
“Our people are hurting,” Stahl said.
He also told CBS News that there is a growing concern over the number of TSA employees calling out sick, saying that "there could be scenarios where we may have to shut down airports."
Meanwhile, Democrats and Republicans have continued a standoff over DHS funding. Republicans have refused to accept demands from Democrats to secure the funding, including forcing federal immigration agents to obtain judicial warrants before entering private residences and a ban on masks following the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who were killed by agents in Minneapolis.
Trump told TSA workers last week to continue working without their pay — and vowed he would backpay them.
“Keep fighting for the USA. GO TO WORK!” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “I promise that I will never forget you!!!”