Officials across America massively turn to food banks for food
Food banks appeared in Chicago (Illinois), Tampa (Florida) and Phoenix (Arizona) to help employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), who are forced to work without pay during government closure.
This assistance was provided against the background of constant reports of delays at airports across the country, since TSA employees asked for leave from work, hoping to earn money to pay their bills in other ways, writes Daily Mail.
Tampa International Airport has teamed up with the companies of Feeding Tampa Bay and United Way Suncoast to create a food bank for federal employees after they first didn’t receive a paycheck for January 11.
The bank provides food and hygiene products for TSA employees, customs and immigration control officers and the Federal Aviation Administration.
All three agencies are required to work during the shatdaun, since they are considered important to ensure the national security of the country.
"We're glad we can help," said Tampa International Airport spokeswoman Emily Knipps.
Nipps said that the food bank was visited by 60 people in less than two hours, and the locals, she said, are actively collecting donations for TSA employees.
The food bank will be open until Saturday, January 19, federal agencies can apply for help with a valid ID.
The federal employees at Tampa Airport were also given a 31-day bus pass, and local electricity companies were working to help them pay utility bills.
A mobile food pantry was also set up at the TSA office in Phoenix on Monday.
About 300 employees showed up at the food bank, which distributed 10 pounds of food, ranging from canned goods to fresh produce.
One hundred food parcels were sent to McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville after receiving an "unprecedented" food request from the local American Federation of Government Employees for assistance to TSA employees.
In Boston, the food bank served 400 families of coast guard members, while in Washington, DC, renowned Spanish chef Jose Andres announced that he would open a place where federal workers could eat for free.
As various organizations get together to help TSA workers survive the longest US shutdown, more and more airports across America are forced to close check lines, which increases the waiting time for passengers.
Washington-Dulles International Airport was the last to close the search line on Monday due to the fact that TSA agents do not receive salaries. The George Bush Airport in Houston also confirmed that their checkpoint at Terminal B will remain closed.
And in Atlanta, it took passengers more than an hour to get through internal checkpoints.
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta on its website reported a long waiting time at all three airport checkpoints.
Shatdaun and other airports in the country have suffered.
Recall more than three weeks ago (December 22) in the US, began shatdaun - partial closure of the federal government due to lack of funding. The congress and presidential administration cannot agree on expenses for the next year or at least several months. President Donald Trump is demanding almost 6 billion dollars to be allocated for the construction of a wall on the border with Mexico, but Congress, whose lower house is under the control of the Democratic Party after the mid-term elections, refuses to allocate this money.
Now the head of the United States intends to introduce a state of emergency in the country - in this case, he will be able to provide funding for the construction of the wall from the US military budget.
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