Shutdown Disrupts US Airports, TSA Workers Quit Amid Funding Fight
WASHINGTON – A partial US government shutdown is causing significant disruption at airports nationwide, with over 400 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers having resigned since February 14th as they face working without pay, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The impasse stems from Democratic demands for reforms at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection following allegations of abuse.
The shutdown has led to increased wait times and frustration for travelers. Joe Smollen, traveling from Newark Liberty International Airport to San Diego, told reporters he arrived hours early “just in case,” expressing concern for both passengers and TSA staff. “I think it’s unfair to citizens to have to put up with it,” he said, adding, “And these poor people who work here…we need them. And it’s unfair that they would be singled out like that.”
The impact isn’t uniform. DHS data shows Houston Hobby Airport experienced a callout rate – the percentage of TSA employees absent from scheduled shifts – of 51.5% on Friday. Houston Intercontinental Airport reported a 36.6% callout rate, while New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport saw 29.5% of its TSA workforce absent. Nationally, the callout rate reached 10% on more than half of the last week, and peaked at 10.22% on Friday.
The staffing shortages are particularly concerning given that TSA employs approximately 65,000 people, with 50,000 serving as frontline security officers. The agency reports that nearly half of those who have quit during the shutdown had over three years of experience, and a third had over five.
The financial strain on TSA workers is acute. Anthony Riley, a 58-year-old father of three, recently told NBC News he faces possible eviction after weeks of working without pay.
The political battle over the shutdown continues in Washington. A Democratic bill to fund TSA workers separately from the rest of DHS failed to pass the Senate on Saturday, blocked by Republicans. Republicans, in turn, saw their efforts to fully fund DHS voted down by Senate Democrats.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have publicly called for reforms at ICE, including ending what they describe as indiscriminate arrests, prohibiting officers from wearing masks, and addressing alleged racial profiling.
President Donald Trump has blamed Democrats for the shutdown, calling it the “Democrat DHS shutdown” and, in a post on Truth Social, threatened to deploy ICE agents to airports. Funding for ICE itself has not been affected by the shutdown, having received $75 billion in additional funds last year.
The Transportation Security Administration was created after the September 11th attacks to bolster the security of the nation’s transportation systems. The current disruption highlights the fragility of these systems and the human cost of political gridlock.
