Partial Government Shutdown Results in the Resignation of over 500 TSA Agents
On February 14, 2026, funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lapsed as Congress failed to agree on a funding bill, leading to the DHS being shut down. As of April 1, 2026, the DHS remains shut down as disagreements in Congress continue. Under the DHS are agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Transportation Security Agency (TSA), and many others. The shutdown means that many of these agencies are not being funded, and for the agents, it means they are going without pay. While workers considered “non-essential” have been furloughed, 92% of DHS’s 272,000 employees are still continuing to work despite the shutdown.
Of all agencies affected by the shutdown, by far the most noticed and documented is the TSA. Pictures of incredibly long lines at airports have gone viral on the internet. These long lines and excruciating wait times are caused by the shortage of TSA agents at screening stations. Since the beginning of the shutdown, over 500 agents have quit the TSA and a peak of 3,500 called out in a single day. With the shortage of TSA agents, we have seen ICE agents deployed to assist them and fill the gaps in security that are forming. ICE officials have indicated that ICE agents will remain in airports until the shutdown ends, and with Congress being in recess until April 14, it is unlikely that we will see the shutdown end before then.
On March 27, President Donald Trump issued an executive order requiring TSA agents to be paid and receive back pay. As of March 30, TSA agents started receiving their paychecks and the long lines at airports are beginning to ease. There are questions about how long this pay will last and if it is even legal to appropriate money that was not approved by Congress.
The consequences of this shutdown may have long-lasting consequences. In two months, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup will be hosted in the US, causing a massive surge in tourism as fans, professionals, celebrities, and politicians come from across the world to attend the competition. Although lines in airports have begun to ease, there is still a major gap in available agents after the resignation of over 500 agents. It takes four to six months to train a new TSA agent, meaning those agents will not be replaced in time for the World Cup.
