Roughly 50,000 TSA security officers missed their first full paycheck on Friday, March 13, as the partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security entered its fifth week with no resolution in sight. President Trump posted on Truth Social Saturday urging agents to keep showing up for work, promising he would “never forget” them, while blaming Democrats for the impasse. This is the third shutdown in less than a year to leave TSA workers without pay.
The Human Cost
The financial strain on TSA officers is severe. The average TSA security officer earns approximately $35,000 per year. Many are working second jobs on apps like Uber, Lyft and DoorDash to cover rent, childcare and groceries. Some are still paying off loans taken out during last fall’s record 43-day shutdown. At least one officer tapped his retirement account to cover March rent. Supervisors have warned officers that taking a day off could be classified as absent without leave, even as many cannot afford to commute to work.
“I put myself in debt to serve the American people,” said Johnny Jones, secretary-treasurer of AFGE TSA Council 100, who represents about 45,000 TSA officers. “It’s crazy.” AFGE TSA Local 554 president Aaron Barker said officers are “at their wits’ end” and “pissed off and frustrated with how our congressional members are handling this situation, which has nothing to do with TSA.” (CNN, NBC News)
Airports across the country have stepped in with emergency support. Denver International has asked travelers to donate grocery and gas gift cards. Seattle-Tacoma International and Harry Reid International in Las Vegas have opened food pantries for workers. Burlington, Orlando, Cleveland, Reno and other airports are also running collection drives. (HNGN, NBC News)
The Impact on Travelers
Security lines at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport stretched to more than three hours over the weekend. More than 53% of the TSA workforce at Hobby called out on at least one day, forcing officers from Dallas to be relocated to fill the gaps. Lines at JFK in New York have stretched to two hours. A checkpoint was temporarily closed at Philadelphia International. Long lines were also reported at New Orleans and Atlanta. Spring break travel, which involves an estimated 171 million passengers between March and April, is now underway on top of the staffing crisis. TSA PreCheck lines remain open at most airports but are being limited on a case-by-case basis. (CNN, Travel and Tour World)
TSA employees have now worked without pay for nearly half of all workdays in fiscal year 2026, according to the American Association of Airport Executives. “For the third time in five months, TSA screeners are being asked to perform their jobs without pay because Washington can’t find a way to do its job,” said AAAE president Todd Hauptli. (Government Executive)
The Political Standoff
DHS is the only federal agency not funded for fiscal year 2026. All other agencies, including the FAA and air traffic controllers, are fully funded. The shutdown began February 14 after Congress failed to pass a DHS spending bill. Democrats have refused to approve DHS funding unless Republicans agree to new oversight restrictions on immigration enforcement officers, following the fatal shooting of two American citizens in Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge. Republicans passed a new House funding bill largely along party lines Thursday that did not include those restrictions. It is not expected to pass the Senate. Democrats introduced standalone bills to fund TSA separately, but Republicans blocked them.
A notable side effect of the crisis is renewed debate about privatizing airport security. San Francisco International Airport, one of about two dozen airports that uses private screeners under the TSA’s Screening Partnership Program, largely avoided staffing disruptions because private contract employees continued to be paid normally during the shutdown. (Washington Times)
Why This Matters to You
If you are flying anywhere in the United States over the next several weeks, this shutdown is directly relevant to your travel plans. Security lines at major airports are already running two to three hours long in some cases. With spring break travel surging and more officers expected to call out as financial pressure mounts, conditions could deteriorate further before any deal is reached.
Beyond the inconvenience to travelers, there is a deeper issue. The people responsible for screening nearly a billion passengers a year are being forced to work without pay while airline passengers continue paying the September 11 security fee with every ticket purchase. Those fees are still accruing. The money simply is not reaching the workers. It is worth thinking about: If TSA officers are required by law to work without pay or face termination, is that arrangement constitutional? With airports now running food pantries for federal employees, what does that say about the government’s obligation to the workers it classifies as essential? And with this being the third shutdown in less than a year to affect TSA staff, is the current system of funding national aviation security sustainable?
-Elijah Iraheta, Editor in Chief, ASC News
