A six-week government shutdown has driven nearly 500 TSA officers to quit, leaving checkpoints crippled with four-hour waits — and threatening preparations for this summer’s FIFA World Cup.
Nearly 500 Transportation Security Administration officers have quit since mid-February as a six-week government shutdown leaves roughly 61,000 DHS workers without pay, driving security wait times past four hours at major U.S. airports.
The mass departures — surpassing total TSA turnover from the previous two fiscal quarters combined — have gutted checkpoint capacity at some of the country’s most congested aviation hubs. At Baltimore-Washington International Airport, passengers were advised to arrive four hours before departure as security lines stretched to 240 minutes. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest passenger airport, recorded three-hour waits on multiple days in March, with lines spilling through terminal halls and into check-in areas.
DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis called the financial strain on frontline officers a “financial catastrophe.” The average Transportation Security Officer earns approximately $46,000 annually — roughly $19,000 less than the average local law enforcement officer — leaving many unable to cover rent, utilities, or the fuel cost of commuting to their posts after missing a second and third consecutive paycheck. Each officer who resigns takes four to six months of certified training out the door.
The funding lapse began Feb. 14, the third such DHS disruption in six months. The political standoff pits House Republicans against Senate Democrats over immigration enforcement reform. Democrats have conditioned a standard FY2026 budget on judicial warrant requirements for ICE arrests and a ban on agents wearing masks in the field — demands that followed the deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal immigration agents in Minnesota earlier this year. The administration has refused those terms.
The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in July 2025, deepened the asymmetry. The law directed $191 billion into DHS over multiple fiscal years, the bulk of it earmarked for immigration enforcement and detention. TSA, by contrast, remains dependent on annual appropriations that have lapsed. ICE has stayed fully funded throughout.
In response, the administration deployed hundreds of ICE agents to airports for crowd and line management. White House border adviser Tom Homan argued the move would free certified screening officers to concentrate on X-ray analysis and explosive detection.
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, rejected that rationale, warning that ICE agents are “not trained or certified in aviation security.” The American Civil Liberties Union characterized the airport deployment as “political retribution.”
On March 27, President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum directing the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Office of Management and Budget to use funds with a “reasonable and logical nexus” to TSA operations to cover back pay for roughly 60,000 employees. White House officials described the crisis as an “unprecedented emergency situation” compromising national security. Legal experts have questioned whether redirecting supplemental OBBBA funds without explicit congressional authorization is permissible.
Acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill testified before Congress that budget uncertainty had already blocked upgraded screening equipment at 45 airports, warning of “security gaps as old equipment ages.” She added that the agency “does not have the luxury of time” to recover before the 2026 FIFA World Cup opens June 11, when millions of international travelers are expected to pass through U.S. airports.
Houston Hobby recorded a single-day absentee rate of 55% on March 14 — a single-day record for the agency during the disruption. LaGuardia Airport logged waits exceeding two hours; Philadelphia International and Los Angeles International each recorded backlogs of up to three hours. Nationwide, more than 3,120 officers called out daily at the height of the disruption, surpassing 11% of the total scheduled workforce.
The broader aviation labor market offers no cushion. Approximately 50% of major FAA air traffic control facilities are understaffed, forcing six-day workweeks and 10-hour shifts. Total economic losses from the 45-day shutdown are estimated between $6 billion and $10 billion, including a 15%–20% decline in hotel occupancy and a 25% drop in restaurant revenue in major travel markets.
Key Takeaways
- Nearly 500 TSA officers resigned in 45 days — surpassing two full quarters of normal attrition — with each requiring four to six months to replace.
- Wait times topped four hours at BWI; Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson, Philadelphia International, and LAX each recorded three-hour backlogs.
- President Trump signed a March 27 memorandum directing back pay for roughly 60,000 TSA workers; its legal basis remains disputed.
- Acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill warned the agency “does not have the luxury of time” to recover before the June 11 FIFA World Cup.
- Total economic losses from the crisis are estimated between $6 billion and $10 billion.