Former Homeland Security officials requested the Trump administration to end the ongoing partial government shutdown as it may soon put national security at risk and create other issues lasting years, The Hill reported Thursday.
Jeh Johnson, former Homeland Security secretary under the Obama administration, described the shutdown as “a security crisis†that’s causing stress, hardship and anxiety across federal agencies. He added that the prolonged closure of agencies might push employees to quit their jobs and lead to lasting damage to an agency’s recruitment efforts, particularly DHS.Â
“I fear the damage done to our security will be for months, if not years,†Johnson said.Â
Peter Neffenger, a former Transportation Security Administration head, said many federal workers are receiving low salaries because of the shutdown. Other former federal officials warned that the situation could negatively affect how the U.S. responds to future crises, such as natural disasters.
“It’s having a long-term, extremely detrimental effect on the nation’s preparedness to respond to disaster and acts of terrorism in the United States,†said Tim Manning, a former deputy administrator at Federal Emergency Management Agency.Â
