Hundreds of TSA agents reportedly call in sick rather than work without pay

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents are among those federal employees tasked with working without pay while the partial government shutdown continues, though they will receive back pay once the shutdown ends. In the meantime, however, hundreds of TSA employees have called in sick, CNN reported Friday, citing agency and union officials.

"This problem of call outs is really going to explode over the next week or two when employees miss their first paycheck. TSA officers are telling the union they will find another way to make money," said a union leader from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. "That means calling out to work other jobs."

The Department of Homeland Security labeled the report "#FakeNews" in an angry tweeted response:

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The TSA itself issued a statement acknowledging "[c]all outs began over the Holiday period and have increased," but added that they "are causing minimal impact given there are 51,739 employees supporting the screening process." The vast majority of passenger wait times are under half an hour, the agency said.