Today, we commemorate the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, and reflect on the worst day in modern American history. In the aftermath of that tragedy, we experienced something that is rare to find today: bipartisanship on Capitol Hill. Barely two months after 9/11, Congress created the Transportation Security Administration, building on a bipartisan consensus that airport security was too important to leave to chance.
Fast forward to the spring of this year, and the contrast could not be starker — with our domestic aviation security paying the price. For more than two months, travelers waited in multi-hour lines at TSA Checkpoints around the country, missing flights, family events, and business meetings. Not because of a threat. Not because of weather. Because of partisan politics.
Join Washington Examiner for unlimited access to the news, analysis, and commentary that matter most.
Already a member? Log in
The Department of Homeland Security ran out of money on Feb. 14, and TSA officers were forced to work without pay as both sides of the aisle tried to leverage this failure of governance to their benefit. Across the country, callout rates at some airports topped 40%. Checkpoints were consolidated. PreCheck lanes went dark. More than 1,100 officers simply quit. By the time the 76-day lapse ended on April 30, TSA had recorded the longest wait times in its history.
