NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer on Sunday called for the Transportation Security Administration to enlist more canine units dogs for the holiday travel season, anticipating a possible staffing shortage.
Roughly 40% of TSA employees remain unvaccinated ahead of a Nov. 22 vaccine mandate for federal workforces, Schumer said.
The New York senator said the deployment of additional TSA dogs across the nation’s airports could help stave off a chaotic travel season.
"If the TSA lags in jabs, send in the dogs," Schumer said during a Manhattan news conference. "They could lend a real paw to the TSA."
TSA Administrator David Pekoske told CNN last week that the agency is building contingency plans should the mandate have a meaningful impact on its workforce.
Schumer argued that the dogs could help move security lines along swiftly even with fewer workers and said he was specifically concerned with New York’s three international airports.
"They can help secure national security and allow TSA agents to more effectively and efficiently screen individuals for explosives," Schumer said. "It really works, and it moves the lines along."