Acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl warns that TSA wait times will only worsen, potentially leading to the closure of small airports if Congress does not quickly provide funding to the Department of Homeland Security for ‘Varney & Co.’
Airport security delays amid partial government shutdown have created travel nightmares, with massive TSA lines choking terminals across the country, unpaid agents calling in ever-increasing numbers, and President Donald Trump promising to send U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to airports to try to stem the tide of American fear.
“This is crazy,” says one frustrated person passenger told CNN at Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta, considered the busiest airport in the world. “We didn’t think it would be this bad.”
“It’s pandemonium out there,” another added in videos posted to social media over the weekend.
“We shouldn’t have to deal with this just to get on a plane,” An says X poster raged — a complaint that now reflects the mood at airports across the country as travelers deal with the fallout from Washington’s funding battle.
TSA official warns smaller airports could be closed amid DHS funding crisis
The world’s famously busiest airport in Atlanta was dogged by long TSA security lines due to the government shutdown and staff shortages. (Megan Varner/Getty Images/Getty Images)
The chaos is being fueled by a wider shortage of TSA staff during one of the busiest travel times of the season due to spring breaks for schools and colleges. Officers are working without pay during the shutdown, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has warned that absenteeism, layoffs and delays are likely to worsen if the standoff continues.
More than 400 TSA employees have quit since the shutdown began on February 14, according to DHS.
However, the immediate concern for travelers is much more fundamental: passing the checkpoint before their flight departs.
DHS Shutdown Forces Airports to Tell Travelers to Arrive Four Hours Early Amid Massive Delays
One of the most notable wait times and scenes on the airport line reported this weekend:
Atlanta (ATL): Reported waiting time of 153 minutes early Sunday, with lines described as wrapping around the baggage carousel.
New Orleans (MSY): Security line reported extended into the parking garage.
Houston (IAH/HOU): Some passengers reportedly had to wait two to three hours, with Hobby Airport in particular hit hard by staff shortages.
JFK (New York): Wait times climbed to 75 minutes on Sunday morning, after being much lower a day earlier.
Newark (EWR): Delays reached 44 minutes at points.
LaGuardia (LGA): Wait times increased to about 20 minutes, less than other major hubs, but still higher than the minimum wait times the previous day.
Cincinnati (CVG): Estimates from third-party trackers show the wait time is close to an hour.
San Juan (SJU): Estimates from third-party trackers also showed the wait time was almost an hour.
‘The Big Money Show’ discusses growing security risks amid the DHS shutdown, airport delays, TSA staff shortages and growing economic losses.
AIRPORT CHECKPOINT CLOSURES SPREAD AS TSA WARNS OF ‘THREAT’ TO SECURITY AND EVEN MORE TRAVEL DELAYS
The full national picture remains murky because official TSA tools are no longer reliably current.
That link shows that the data hasn’t been updated in over a month:
Airline CEOs are slamming lawmakers for turning air travel into a “political football.”
“This website was last updated on February 17, 2026 and will not be updated until funding has been determined. As such, the information on this website may not be current. Transactions submitted through this website may not be processed and we will not be able to respond to inquiries until after funding has been determined.”
VIDEO CAPTURES CRAZY AIRPORT CROWD AS PASSENGERS ENTER TERMINAL AFTER CLOSE OF SECURITY CHECKS
TSA union leader George Borek joins ‘Varney & Co. to discuss the challenges unpaid TSA agents face. He points to a 37% call rate in Atlanta and warns that the situation will worsen if DHS funding is not resolved.
DHS has said that more than 10% of TSA officers have been called out more than half of the past seven days, with absenteeism rates averaging nearly 20% at some airports. At Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport, the rate reportedly rose above 40% on certain days. These no-shows have led to lane closures, longer backups, and wild swings in wait times from one hour to the next.
For weeks, Republicans in Congress have been sharing the story — with photos and videos of TSA security delays — “thanks to a democrat.“
Trump even went so far as to call Democrats the “greatest enemy” Americans face as he continues to declare victory over Iran.
LOCKOUT LEADS TO FLIGHT CHAOS AS TSA LINES ENTER PARKING LOTS WITH WAITS OF 3 HOURS OR MORE
“Now with the death of Iran, the radical left, deeply incompetent, Democratic Party is the biggest enemy America has!” Trump wrote on Sunday morning about Truth Social.
Trump’s post came after his promise to send ICE agents to overwhelmed TSA security checkpoints at US airports. Coincidentally, Democrats forced the Senate GOP to shut down DHS funding due to alleged abuse of power by ICE agents in Democratic-run sanctuary cities and states.
But, as Trump and Republicans often remind their counterparts, ICE has already been fully funded since the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last summer, so cutting off DHS appropriations does not achieve its stated goals.
HOMELAND SECURITY REACTIVATES MAJOR GLOBAL TRAVELER ACCESS PROGRAM AGAINST CLOSURE
Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., discusses the ongoing partial government shutdown causing massive disruptions to airports across the country on “The Bottom Line.”
“On Monday, ICE will be going to airports to help our wonderful TSA agents who have stayed on the job despite the fact that the radical left Democrats, who are focused only on protecting hardline criminals who have entered our country illegally, are endangering the US by withholding the money agreed to long ago with signed and sealed contracts and all that.” Trump wrote on Truth Social: He hails border czar Tom Homan as the fixer the TSA chaos desperately needs.
“But look, no matter how well ICE does, the Lunatics lead the incompetent Democrats will be very critical of their work. THEY WILL DO A FANTASTIC JOB. The great Tom Homan is in charge!!!”
Democrats rejected the idea, with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., calling it “yet another reckless, lawless threat to abuse ICE agents,” and Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., accusing Trump of “causing chaos at airports for political power.”
TRUMP SAYS ICE WILL RUN TO AIRPORTS ON MONDAY TO HELP TSA AGAINST FUNDING STANDOFF
Secretary of Transport Sean Duffy has warned the mess could get much worse, as the current delays could look like “child’s play” if TSA workers miss another paycheck. Officials have even suggested that some airports could face deeper disruptions – or possible closures – if the staffing crisis continues to worsen.
For now, airports are urging travelers to arrive at least three hours early, even for domestic flights. But for passengers staring down the marathon lines, the advice is more of a warning than a reassurance: The shutdown is no longer just a fight in Washington — it’s now a checkpoint crisis playing out in real time at airports across America.
“The current unpredictability is driven by unpredictable staffing levels, essentially how many TSA officers show up for work on any given day,” said Sheldon H. Jacobson, the founding professor of engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an expert in aviation security and airport security research. told Business Insider.
THUNE REVEALS REASON DEMOCRATS ARE ‘SCARED’ TO REOPEN DHS
“TSA agents have traditionally been trained to perform many different tasks, so the number that shows up is the most important factor,” Jacobson said.
ICE agents are not specifically trained for airport security, the domain of TSA, which has 65,000 employees, including 50,000 airport security officers. ICE has played a central role in the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
“He seems to have no idea what the limits are for ICE, and I think America would be absolutely shocked to see ICE agents roaming through airports just as they’ve been breaking down doors in homes,” Blumenthal told reporters in Washington.
Former Trump official Katie Miller joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to discuss the DHS shutdown, TSA disruptions and the political fight over border security, election integrity and the SAVE Act.
SCHUMER GAMBIT FAILED AS DHS Shutdown Lasts 36 DAYS AND AIRPORT LINES GROW
Elon Muskthe world’s richest person, offered Saturday to cover TSA payroll payments “during this funding impasse that is negatively impacting the lives of so many Americans at airports across the country.”
Homeland Security has historically shifted resources to different agencies during staffing shortages, said Stewart Baker, DHS policy officer in President George W. Bush’s administration. Keeping TSA running without paying staff poses “serious problems” for the agency, Baker said.
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Using ICE agents for airport security “may be slower than using trained people, but it would be better than having none,” he added.
Reuters contributed to this report.
