TSA lines swell at airports as government shutdown leaves officials unpaid
Acting TSA Administrator Adam Stahl warns that TSA wait times will worsen, possibly leading to minor airport shutdowns if Congress does not soon defund the Department of Homeland Security to ‘Varney & Co.’
Delays in airport security during the partial government shutdown have created nightmares for weekend travel, massive TSA lines clogging terminals across the country, unpaid officials shouting increasing numbers, and President Donald Trump vowing to send US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to airports to try to stem the tide of American aggression.
“This is crazy,” a frustrated passenger told CNN at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International, considered the world’s busiest airport. “We didn’t think it would be this bad.”
“It’s pandemonium out there,” added one of the videos posted on social media this weekend.
“We don’t have to deal with this just to get on a plane,” blares an X poster — a complaint now hanging in the air at airports across the country as travelers experience the fallout from Washington’s fiscal battle.
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The world’s most popular airport in Atlanta was plagued by long TSA security lines due to the government shutdown and staffing shortages. (Megan Varner/Getty Images/Getty)
The chaos is fueled by a shortage of TSA staff during the busiest travel season due to spring break at schools and colleges. Police are working without pay under the shutdown, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has warned absenteeism, resignations and delays could worsen if the situation continues.
More than 400 TSA employees have quit since the shutdown began on February 14, according to DHS.
However, the current concern of travelers is more important: getting into the checkpoint before their flight departs.
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Among the most notable wait times and airport line scenes reported this weekend:
Atlanta (ATL): A wait of 153 minutes was reported Sunday morning, with lines described as wrapping around baggage claim.
New Orleans (MSY): The security line reportedly stretched into the parking garage.
Houston (IAH/HOU): Some passengers have reportedly faced waits of up to two to three hours, while Hobby Airport has been hit hard by staff shortages.
JFK (New York): Waits increased to 75 minutes Sunday morning after decreasing significantly the previous day.
Newark (EWR): Delays up to 44 minutes at points.
LaGuardia (LGA): Waits increased to nearly 20 minutes, lower than other major hubs but still up from the minimum wait the previous day.
Cincinnati (CVG): Third-party tracker estimates showed the wait approaching nearly an hour.
San Juan (SJU): Third-party tracker estimates also showed waits approaching an hour.
The ‘Big Money Show’ discusses the growing security risks amid DHS shutdowns, airport delays, TSA staffing shortages, and growing economic losses.
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The full national picture remains sad because the TSA’s official tools are no longer reliable.
“Due to the expiration of federal funding, this website will no longer be maintained,” a red alert on the My TSA app read Sunday. “Click here for more information.”
That link shows that the data hasn’t been updated in over a month:
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“This website was last updated on February 17, 2026 and will not be updated until after the budget is released. Therefore, the information on this website may not be up to date. Jobs submitted through this website may not be processed and we will not be able to answer questions until after the budget is spent.”
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TSA union leader George Borek joins ‘Varney & Co.’ to discuss the challenges faced by unpaid TSA representatives. He highlights the 37% call rate in Atlanta, warning that the situation will worsen if DHS funding is not resolved.
DHS said more than 10% of TSA officers have been on call for more than half of the past seven days, and some airports have an absence rate close to 20%. At Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport, the rate has reportedly increased by more than 40% on some days. Those missed games have forced lane closures, long backups and hour-to-hour wait times.
For weeks, Republicans in Congress have been sharing narratives — with photos and videos of TSA security delays — “thank you Democrat.”
Trump went so far as to call Democrats the “biggest enemy” America faces, as he continued to declare victory over Iran.
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“Now that Iran is dead, the biggest enemy America has is the Radical Left, Highly Incompetent, Democrat Party!” Trump wrote Sunday morning on Truth Social.
Trump’s position came after he vowed to send ICE agents to TSA security checkpoints at US airports. As it happens, Democrats have forced the Senate to shut down DHS funding over allegations of abuse of power by ICE agents in Democrat-controlled cities and counties.
But, as Trump and Republicans keep reminding their colleagues, ICE is already fully funded since last summer’s passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill, so shutting down the DHS provision doesn’t accomplish its stated goals.
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Senni. John Hoeven, RN.D., discusses the ongoing partial government shutdown causing major airport disruptions across the country in ‘The Bottom Line.’
“On Monday, ICE will go to the airports to help our good TSA Agents who stay on the job even though Radical Left Democrats, who are only interested in protecting criminals who entered our country illegally, are putting the USA at risk by withholding money that was agreed upon long ago and contracts signed and sealed, and everything,” Tomman wrote praising the TSA border. with urgency.
“But look, no matter how great a job ICE does, the Lunatics who lead the incompetent Dems will be very critical of their work. They WILL DO A GOOD JOB. Big Tom Homan is in charge!!!”
Democrats blasted the idea, when Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., calling it “another senseless, lawless threat to abuse ICE agents,” and Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., accused Trump of “creating chaos at airports to gain political power.”
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned the scandal could get worse, saying the current delay could look like “child’s play” if TSA workers miss another payment. Officials have also suggested that other airports could face deep disruptions – or possible closures – if the staffing crisis continues to worsen.
Currently, airports are urging travelers to arrive at least three hours early, even when leaving home. But for commuters eyeing marathon lines, the advice comes as a warning rather than a reassurance: the shutdown is no longer just a battle in Washington — it’s now a real-time screening issue at airports across America.
“The current insecurity is driven by unpredictable staffing levels, basically, how many TSA officers show up for work on any given day,” said Sheldon H. Jacobson, , a founding professor of engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an expert in aviation security and airport security screening, told Business Insider.
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“TSA officers have long been trained to do a lot of different jobs, so it’s the amount that comes out that matters,” Jacobson said.
ICE agents are trained specifically for airport security, the base of the TSA, which has 65,000 employees, including 50,000 airport security officers. ICE has played a key role in the Trump administration’s illegal immigration crackdown.
“He doesn’t seem to know where the limits are for ICE, and I think America would be very surprised to see ICE patrolling airports, just like they’re breaking down doors,” Blumenthal told reporters in Washington.
Former Trump official Katie Miller joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to weigh in on the DHS shutdown, TSA disruptions, and the political battle over border security, election integrity and the SAVE Act.
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Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, on Saturday offered to pay TSA checks for “this financial crisis that is negatively impacting the lives of many Americans at airports across the country.”
Homeland Security has historically shifted resources across agencies during emergency response worker shortages, said Stewart Baker, a former DHS policy officer in the administration of President George W. Bush. Keeping the TSA going without paying staff creates a “big problem” for the agency, Baker said.
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Using ICE agents for airport security “may be slower than using trained people, but it’s better than no one,” he added.
Reuters contributed to this report.
