Why the US Homeland Security shutdown is raising fears of airport delays
Quick Insights
The Bottom Line
Hundreds of TSA workers resigned over unpaid wages during Homeland Security budget uncertainty, threatening airport security staffing.
How This Affects You
Airport security delays and reduced screening capacity could affect travelers' wait times and flight operations during the potential DHS shutdown.
AI Summary
Hundreds of TSA workers have resigned amid unpaid wages during a Department of Homeland Security funding gap, threatening airport security operations. The resignations reflect a broader shutdown affecting the agency as Congress debates funding legislation. Without sufficient TSA staffing, airports could face significant security screening delays that would disrupt travel nationwide. The timing creates pressure on lawmakers to resolve the funding dispute quickly, as even temporary staffing shortages at checkpoints can cascade into widespread flight delays. Congress's handling of the DHS appropriations bill will directly determine whether operations normalize or deteriorate further.
What's Being Done
Congress is weighing funding for the Department of Homeland Security as resignations continue.
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Why the US Homeland Security shutdown is raising fears of airport delays - Al Jazeera
PoliticsUS airports ask for donations for unpaid TSA staff amid partial government shutdown
<p>TSA employees have been working in US airports without pay since the partial shutdown began in February</p><p>A rising number of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news">US</a> airports are asking for donations to support employees affected by the partial government shutdown with airport security officials missing their first full paychecks Friday.</p><p>Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees have been working in airports around the US without pay since a shutdown began in February after Republicans and Democrats failed to reach a funding agreement. Democrats have since refused to support a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, the TSA’s parent agency, without first receiving guaranteed <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/usimmigration">immigration enforcement</a> reforms.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/13/tsa-workers-pay-shutdown">Continue reading...</a>
PoliticsCEOs of top airlines demand Congress restore funding to Homeland Security and pay airport workers - AP News
<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiqwFBVV95cUxOSkktbm1wOFdYT0Y0TmtYVkhwVkt4QW5leWtvdWpJU0NQNmdhaUF0SkpyclRkT2gtWW5NMU1KbFBmMWlaSXY4dDZ5bjVZaGtPamtVejU1OGV0cnVyTUFKMVdmTVp4UzE0M2pTbHdiZDl5SHBSQkdQekFYSWREcnA1M21YQmZGa1JBdzdMZU9UTUJiQXIxZTQ5YnZGWHFNSTFYTnRBdUNTaGJiUkU?oc=5" target="_blank">CEOs of top airlines demand Congress restore funding to Homeland Security and pay airport workers</a> <font color="#6f6f6f">AP News</font>
PoliticsTSA workers miss a full paycheck, while travelers keep paying airport security fees
Many TSA workers received no money in their paychecks Friday as the partial DHS shutdown drags on. Fees paid by airline passengers keep piling up, even as airport security officers work without pay.
Government TransparencyOver a third of TSA officers called out at 3 major airports Tuesday amid partial shutdown
Travelers continue to face long lines at airports with no end to the partial government shutdown in sight. Atlanta was one of three major U.S. airports on Tuesday where more than one-third of TSA officers called out of work. In Philadelphia, flyers found three of six TSA checkpoints closed on Wednesday. Skyler Henry reports.
Politics"We're making people hurt": Democrats adopt new tactic to win DHS shutdown fight
<p>House Democrats are launching a Hail Mary push to effectively end the Department of Homeland Security's <a href="https://www.axios.com/local/huntsville/2026/03/11/dhs-shutdown-funding-deal-katie-britt-alabama" target="_blank">now month-long shutdown</a> by funding all of its sub-agencies except ICE and Customs and Border Protection.</p><p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>Democrats are feeling the heat as <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/12/tsa-dhs-shutdown-airports-donations" target="_blank">federal workers miss paychecks</a> and DHS <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/03/17/spring-break-under-siege-democrats-reckless-dhs-shutdown-forcing-tsa-officers-work" target="_blank">warns of airport closures</a>. They hope their planned discharge petition will, at the very least, deflect blame onto Republicans.</p><hr><ul><li>Many lawmakers also question whether keeping the agency shut down is meaningfully incentivizing the White House to negotiate in good faith on immigration enf...

Kash Patel admits under oath FBI is buying location data on Americans
<p>Admission came during questioning at Senate intelligence committee worldwide threats hearing</p><p>The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/fbi">Federal Bureau of Investigation</a> has started buying location data on Americans, FBI director Kash Patel said under oath at the Senate intelligence committee worldwide threats hearing on Wednesday.</p><p>Patel’s admission came in response to a question from the senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwiUVUJmGjs&t=105s">a longtime opponent</a> of the warrantless surveillance of Americans. Wyden told Patel that his predecessor, Christopher Wray, testified in 2023 that the FBI did not at that time purchase location data derived from internet advertising, although he acknowledged that it had done so in the past.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/18/kash-patel-fbi-location-data">Continue reading...</a>
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