SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- The ongoing federal government shutdown is forcing thousands of Transportation Security Administration officers in San Diego to work without pay during the busy spring break travel season.
At San Diego International Airport, TSA officers are still showing up to keep travelers safe, but behind the scenes, many are struggling to make ends meet.
Alondra Galvan is a single mother and a TSA officer currently working without pay because of the partial government shutdown.
"It’s very frustrating for everything, from financial restraints to mental instability. There’s times that at night I’m like what am I going to do, how am I going to do it," Galvan said.
Galvan has been working as a TSA officer for two years. She said she has been trying to bounce back from the longest government shutdown in U.S. history last year, where she went without pay for 43 days. Now, it is happening all over again. For her, this shutdown is more than just politics; it is personal.
"I’m a single mom right now, my son usually goes to spring break camps, and I can’t afford that right now because there’s no money coming in, and I just don’t know what to do anymore. There’s no babysitter. I don’t have money to pay a babysitter, so it’s all around bad," Galvan said.
The union representing TSA workers held a food bank for them. Galvan said anything helps.
"It’s just eggs, milk, and some vegetables, and some rice, but for me, that’s what we eat on the daily basis," Galvan said.
Galvan said she decided to continue going to work, but she does not know how much longer she can handle it. She is already starting to look for other jobs to fall back on because she is being stretched thin financially.
"I’m down to my last like $100 and I just put gas in my car that was $50 I don’t know how I’m going to do it the next two weeks," Galvan said.
The Department of Homeland Security said that since the shutdown started, over 350 TSA officers have left the force, and more continue to call out. TSA workers like Galvan want this to end.
