RDU travelers see shorter lines as TSA employees' pay set to resume

MORRISVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Relief is finally on the way for Transportation Security Administration workers, who are expected to start seeing paychecks again on Monday, even as Congress remains deadlocked over Homeland Security funding.

Early Friday, the Senate reached a deal to approve a funding package that included TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, but excluded funding for ICE. The deal was short-lived, as House Republicans rejected the Senate's bill Friday afternoon and announced plans for a short-term measure to fund all of DHS through May 22.

At Raleigh-Durham International Airport, travelers say they are noticing changes. "The pre-check was going really fast, so I didn't have any problems. I really didn't. I didn't even hear the complaining from the crowd," said Rod Jones, who was traveling from Chicago.

Jones said he made it through security in less than 15 minutes.

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"It's lovely that we can get right through," said Noha Fareg, who was flying to Atlanta. "I was actually dreading it."

Fareg, a CDC worker who was evacuated from Muscat, Oman, because of the war, arrived at RDU nearly two hours early for her flight.

She told ABC11, "I work for the CDC. And so I came, and my daughter met me in Atlanta, and I took some leave for a week to spend some time with her. That's why I ended up here."

She knows firsthand the uncertainty government workers face.

"I experienced it before. When you have a furlough, and you don't get paid, but you're going to work, it's not the most fun thing. And these, their jobs are pretty hard. So very grateful they're getting paid now. It's about time," Fareg said.

Since the partial government shutdown began, nearly 500 TSA workers have quit, and thousands more have called in sick, leading to long lines at airports across the country. For many travelers, the difference is clear.

"We flew a couple weeks ago, and the airport was terrible. We were in TSA for like over an hour. And immediately, like today, it was like night and day different," said Katie Keffer, who arrived from Philadelphia. "I came, and there was no line in either pre-check or regular."

With rising costs, Jones said he's glad to see some progress. "These guys need to be paid because they have a hard job," he said.

The House is expected to vote on Friday night.