The shutdown's toll on travelers and screeners
The partial government shutdown has entered day 36 with no resolution in sight, forcing airports across the country to manage unprecedented security line delays. At George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, wait times reached 120 minutes early Friday afternoon, while Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta reported 80-minute delays at its main checkpoint. LaGuardia Airport in New York City saw lines stretch into the parking lot as travelers faced waits exceeding 2.5 hours.
The cascading absences are directly tied to unpaid wages. More than half of scheduled TSA staff were absent Sunday at Houston's airport, while Atlanta reported 38% of officers missed work Wednesday and 32% on Thursday. Over 300 TSA employees have left the agency during the shutdown, and national call-out rates have climbed above 10%.
Workers describe financial desperation
Acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl said this week that staffing shortages reflect genuine hardship. "We have individuals sleeping in their cars, drawing blood to afford to pay for gas to get to work," Stahl said. Pittsburgh International Airport partnered with a local food bank to assist affected workers, while a pop-up food bank in South Florida fed nearly 200 TSA workers and their families.
Joseph Cerletti, a TSA worker and union representative in Oakland, California, described the mounting pressure on officers. "You have cell phone bills, you have gas, you have groceries, you have car insurance. That doesn't even account for rent or mortgage," he told Fox News Digital. Cerletti also noted that some officers are having difficult conversations with landlords and banks about missed payments.
Senate Democrats block DHS funding bill
The Senate failed to advance a Department of Homeland Security funding bill on Friday, with Democrats declining to provide the support needed for final passage. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he would offer an alternative measure during a rare weekend session Saturday to fund just the TSA, though the effort is likely to fail.
Democrats are demanding policy changes to ICE operations as a condition for funding the broader department. Their demands include requiring ICE agents to obtain a warrant from a judge before forcefully entering homes, requiring agents to wear identifying information on uniforms, and banning the use of masks. The Trump administration says it has agreed to expanded use of body-worn cameras, with exceptions for undercover operations, and limited civil enforcement activities at hospitals, schools, and places of worship.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, said he sees "deal space" coming from discussions between White House border czar Tom Homan and a bipartisan group of senators. However, Thune questioned whether Democrats were serious about reaching agreement. "This is a pox on everybody's house," Thune said. "You've got people standing in lines at the airports. This needs to be fixed."
Trump threatens ICE deployment
President Trump warned Saturday that he would deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to airports if Congress fails to fund airport security. "I will move our brilliant and patriotic ICE Agents to the Airports where they will do Security like no one has ever seen before," Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that agents would have authority for "the immediate arrest of all Illegal Immigrants who have come into our Country" with an emphasis on Somali immigrants.
Critics question ICE's suitability for airport duties. The agency focuses on immigration enforcement and lacks training on TSA screening equipment. Substituting TSA agents with ICE could create operational complications that remain unresolved.
Musk offers to pay TSA salaries
Billionaire Elon Musk posted early Saturday morning that he would pay TSA worker salaries during the funding impasse. "I would like to offer to pay the salaries of TSA personnel during this funding impasse that is negatively affecting the lives of so many Americans at airports throughout the country," Musk wrote on X. Based on TSA headcount, Musk's offer could run more than $40 million a week, though it remains unclear how such an arrangement would work legally or administratively.
Some airports avoid the chaos
At least 20 airports participate in the TSA's Screening Partnership Program, founded in 2004, which allows private companies to conduct security screening under federal oversight. San Francisco International Airport and Kansas City International Airport have largely avoided shutdown disruptions because private screeners are paid through pre-funded federal contracts rather than government appropriations.
"Our screeners have continued to get paid throughout this government shutdown," said Doug Yakel, a spokesperson for SFO, noting it has helped maintain a stable workforce. Kansas City International's private contractor VMD Corp. reported operations remain "business as usual."
Former TSA Administrator John Pistole argued in a May 2025 blog post that security is an inherently government function. The American Federation of Government Employees countered that private screening companies prioritize profit over public safety and worker well-being.
Travelers adapt to long waits
Facing unprecedented delays, some passengers are bypassing congestion by using TSA PreCheck's touchless ID program, which uses facial comparison technology for faster identity verification. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport cautioned travelers against attempting to use international security lines to skip domestic queues.
TSA PreCheck Touchless ID will be available at 65 airports by spring. Joseph Cerletti told Fox News Digital that the technology represents the best option for travelers seeking to avoid lines. "The longer this goes on, the worse the situation is gonna get on a day-by-day basis," he said.
Senate Majority Leader Thune has threatened to keep senators in Washington if the impasse is not resolved before Congress's scheduled Easter recess near month's end. Congress has not yet passed a resolution, leaving TSA workers facing another week without income and travelers bracing for continued disruptions.
