TSA confirms numbers of employees working without pay
In a release congratulating Markwayne Mullin on his confirmation as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the Transport Security Administration, TSA shared information on its current situation.
“Around 61,000 TSA employees, including every frontline TSA officer, have been working without pay during the DHS shutdown,” it said.
TSA made no mention of the 400 employees who have left TSA. The number has been widely reported by U.S. mainland media.
The A.B. Won Pat International Airport. Photo from Journal files
Major events TSA is preparing for include the FIFA World Cup 2026 and America’s 250th anniversary. Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, and Seattle will all host soccer events. America’s 250th Anniversary of Independence in July is also expected to drive tourism.
The partial U.S. Government shutdown that is affecting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security went into effect on Jan. 14, CHamoru Standard Time. Departments that are potentially affected include the Transport Security Administration, the Secret Service, the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, all of which have a presence in Guam and in some cases are active in other islands.
The Journal was the first media to report that at Guam and Saipan airports it has been business as usual. See DHS shutdown not affecting arrivals in Mariana Islands for background on this story. mbj
Guam Business Magazine appreciates the fact that Sen. William A. Parkinson reads the magazine, as do other senators, and no doubt he reads the Marianas Business Journal also.
One week after Super Typhoon Bavi, Guam’s public utility infrastructure has approached near-total recovery, with the island-wide power system restoring 96% of customer demand and the water utility bringing 95 wells back online.
A regional tropical cyclone formation alert has been issued as a developing weather disturbance northwest of Yap threatens to strengthen the seasonal monsoon across western Micronesia and the Mariana Islands.
Contributing to Valiant Shield 2026, the Guam National Guard joined the Washington National Guard in Palau to demonstrate expeditionary sustainment exercises providing logistics, medical, and communication support.
