PERSPECTIVE: The Cost of Political Gridlock: How Partisan Battles Jeopardize National Security

First, let me state that this is my opinion and I am writing this as a political independent with no alliances to any political party or politician. I began my career as a 21-year-old Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps and have spent the last forty plus years in the security field including the military, Homeland Security and the private sector. I keenly understand the threats and risks we face as a nation.

We are currently in another period of government shutdown, and the political temperature is increasing at an irresponsible pace. Today it was announced that the DHS is temporarily shutting the TSA PreCheck and CBP Global Entry programs. Both of these successful programs have significantly added to the overall security of the travelling public. Many may think they are just used to expedite travel or make it easier but in fact both programs were designed to increase security by understanding the traveler and assessing risk. Risk based security is the foundation of great security.

Let’s examine the partial shutdown and its impact. The partial shutdown was put in place by one party to force the DHS to change its immigration policies and operations. In reality , this has little effect on ICE as it is not part of the shutdown. Other DHS elements are suffering. Consider this question and I chose TSA as an example. The typical TSA employee, the Transportation Security Officer (TSO) is at the front lines and called upon on a daily basis to ensure that the American traveler can safely move through the aviation system. They get paid very little and deal with an angry public who ridicule and disparage them on a regular basis. The morale at TSA has historically been low but the interesting thing is that in multiple surveys the average TSA employee especially the TSOs all believe in the necessity and success of their mission. The TSOs are not being paid. They are continuing to work while not being paid. Do our politicians understand that more than likely these individuals must now worry about house, car and family bills that they can’s pay. Many live paycheck to paycheck. From a security perspective don’t we want our security personnel to be focused on the mission and not worrying about bills piling up? The irony is the politicians that play the shutdown card are still getting a paycheck.

Now let’s consider the response by the other political party. Shutting down TSA PreCheck and CBP Global Entry to turn up the heat is pure partisan politics. So, leveraging and shutting down programs designed to enhance security and make it easier for the travelling public is a GOOD SECURITY IDEA? Anyone who understands security knows that the calmer and more stable the screening environment makes it easier to identify threats and risks. Shutting down these programs will flood the normal TSA security and CBP lines thereby putting significant stress on TSA and CBP personnel, besides making it miserable and problematic for the overall security environment, security personnel and the travelling public.

Political brinkmanship may be a familiar feature of American governance, but when it leads to interrupted security operations, the cost is paid in more than just inconvenience. Each day these programs remain offline, the risk grows that threats will slip through the cracks while security personnel are stretched thin. The shutdown also erodes public confidence in the government’s ability to protect its citizens—a consequence that cannot be easily measured or quickly remedied.

Ultimately, security is not a partisan issue, but a collective responsibility. The current shutdown and the resultant disruption of TSA PreCheck and Global Entry should serve as a wake-up call: when politics takes precedence over public safety, it is not only travelers who suffer, but the nation as a whole. Our leaders must find common ground to ensure that the machinery of protection is never again brought to a grinding halt by political stalemate. Remember the Oath that all of you took and your duty to protect the American people.

I urge both political parties stop acting like petulant children and understand they have significantly increased the risk and threat to the American people. If both sides cared about the American public they would find a way to meet and work out some type of agreement before Americans suffer the consequences of lapses in security.