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By Jasmine Laws
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A union representing Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers has warned that there's going to be a "breaking point," as an increasing number of U.S. airports are becoming strained as the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues.
Executive vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 777, which represents TSA officers specifically in Wisconsin and Illinois, Christine Vitel told The New York Times: "Our officers are coming to work, but there’s going to be a breaking point sooner or later."
Airports across the country warned on Sunday that lines for TSA security checks were "longer than usual," and advised passengers to arrive earlier than normal for their flights. Images and videos of the long lines at airline check-in desks and TSA checkpoints have been circulating on social media.
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Lauren Bis, Acting Assistant Secretary for DHS, told Newsweek: "The Democrats’ reckless DHS shutdown is causing TSA officers to go without pay for the third time in nearly six months. These political stunts are causing unneeded financial hardship for our TSA officers and their families. Now, 366 TSA officers have left the force. Because of this DHS shutdown, Americans are facing HOURS long waits at airports across the country. Democrats must reopen DHS now."
Newsweek has contacted AFGE and TSA via email outside of regular working hours for comment.
Why It Matters
On February 14, DHS partially shut down as lawmakers clashed over reforms to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) following federal agents' deadly shootings of American citizens in Minnesota. DHS oversees the TSA, meaning that TSA workers have been working without pay during the shutdown.
DHS also told Newsweek that callout rates–unscheduled absences by frontline officers–have spiked nationwide, with the highest single-day airport callout rate reaching 55 percent at Houston Hobby International Airport (HOU) on March 14, 2026.
Houston airport has experienced unscheduled absence rates above 30 percent on at least five days during the shutdown. TSA average callout rate prior to the shutdown was below 2 percent, DHS added.
Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X that many TSA workers are having to get additional jobs as a result in order to juggle their finances.
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What To Know
Vitel, who is also a TSA officer at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, told The New York Times that at least two members of the union had been evicted because they were unable to pay their rent.
She also said she was considering seeking financial support from her father, so that she can pay her credit card bills. “People deserve their pay,” she said.
On Sunday, several airports issued warnings about the long lines at airports. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport shared photos of the long lines of travelers waiting to check in their luggage and of passengers waiting to complete security screening, advising travelers to arrive at the airport 30 minutes earlier than normal for their flight.
LaGuardia Airport in New York also warned that TSA lines are "currently longer than usual." The airport advised travelers come to the airport "early to ensure you have enough time to clear security before your flight."
Various airline chief executive officers (CEOs) and presidents have also written a letter to Congress, voicing their concern about the ongoing DHS shutdown and its impact on air travel.
In the letter, the 10 CEOs said that "once again air travel is the political football amid another government shutdown," adding that "the problem is solvable, and there are solutions on the table," calling lawmakers to pass a number of acts that would secure pay for workers during shutdowns.
On Thursday, the Senate rejected the fourth proposed funding bill for DHS, as discussions in Congress continue to remain heated. The White House and the GOP have been blaming Democrats for the ongoing shutdown of DHS, while Democrats have proposed separate funding for the TSA and other DHS agencies in the meantime.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday: "Thank you to Johnny Jones and all of our GREAT TSA Agents who are going to work but not being paid because the Radical Left Democrats refuse to honor the deal that was approved and voted on in Congress. They want your money to go to “Border Criminals, Murderers, foreign Drug Dealers, and some of the worst people on earth.” They don’t want it to go to you. Keep fighting for the USA. GO TO WORK! I promise that I will never forget you!!!"
DHS told Newsweek: "The government shutdown of any length adds undue financial and emotional pressure on TSA’s employees, especially those at the nation’s airports. It has a profound impact on TSA operations, leading to significantly lower morale among Transportation Security Officers (TSOs), increased call outs and attrition rates. When employees cannot pay their rent, buy food or gas or other essentials, they leave their jobs which increases attrition. During the last shutdown, TSA saw attrition rates as high as 25 percent at some airports."
"TSA simply cannot afford to lose its screening workforce as it takes four to six months to train new recruits. As TSOs callouts rise, airport security checkpoints will need to be consolidated or reduced. The impact on travelers will be increased wait times throughout the country, in some places already surpassing 3 plus hours. It also strains TSA’s resources and operational readiness as fewer available TSOs are forced to screen a larger number of passengers."
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, wrote in a post on X: "Howdy, travelers! We are seeing lines for airline bag check-in starting to fill up. Please arrive at least 2.5 before your flight, and give yourself plenty of time to complete any pre-security screening activities. Safe travels!"
What Happens Next
The end of the shutdown does not seem to be all that close, as Senate Democrats and Republicans continue to spar over how DHS should be funded.
Paul Hudson, president of FlyersRights, an American nonprofit advocating for airline passengers rights, previously told Newsweek that the lines are "likely to get longer until Senate restores TSA funding."
Update 3/17/26, 9:53 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from DHS.
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