When delays occur at the airport, they are usually caused by weather.
But this time it’s from Democrats who have called for defunding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and partially shut down the federal government.
The Democratic move has resulted in long lines and hours-long delays for Floridians to board their flights.
Thousands of TSA employees have not received their paychecks, and hundreds have quit or called in sick, causing further delays.
Orlando CBS affiliate WKMG reported significant delays at Orlando International Airport, which were made worse by the storm impacts travelers are facing due to the partial government shutdown.
NBC News from South Florida reported more than 420 delays and 50 cancellations at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and more than 500 delays and 23 cancellations at Miami International Airport.
NBC6 in South Florida spoke to people who tried to board the plane and said they waited in line for more than two hours just to get into the building to check in, and some said their flight was delayed three or four times.
North Florida is feeling the pain as well.
With TSA officers absent, travelers at Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) are feeling the effects of a partial government shutdown, with passengers waiting in lines and flights being canceled, according to WJXT.
Most recently, airline CEOs have called on Democrats and other elected leaders to stop harming the industry and its workers.
The CEOs of nine shipping and airline companies are pleading with Democrats to stop treating the Department of Homeland Security like a “political football.”
In an open letter to Congressional leaders, the CEOs said it is “totally unacceptable” to force 50,000 TSA employees to work without pay and warned of “painfully slow” wait times at airports across the country.
