TSA workers lose their first full paycheck due to partial government shutdown

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers will miss their first full paycheck this Friday since the start of the partial federal government shutdown, as Congress continues to fail to reach a agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The shutdown, now stretching nearly four weeks, has Democrats and Republicans at an impasse over the DHS budget. Democrats claim they are willing to fund several agencies in the department, including TSA, but refuse to approve funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) without significant reforms to their operations.

Republicans, on the other hand, call those demands unworkable and accuse Democrats of blocking negotiations.

TSA agents continue to work without pay

Meanwhile, TSA agents continue to work without pay at airports across the country, a situation that is already generating long lines at security checkpoints, flight delays and concern about a potential staffing shortage. Two weeks ago, employees received about 30% of their salary, but now face the loss of their first full paycheck.

According to internal agency data, more than 300 TSA employees have resigned since the shutdown began and unscheduled absences have more than doubled. Images of long lines at security checkpoints went viral last weekend, prompting some airports to advise passengers to arrive up to five hours before their flight.

TSA workers: From sleeping in their cars to cutting back on basic expenses

Travel industry and labor representatives warn that the situation could worsen if the political stalemate continues. Erik Hansen, head of government relations for the U.S. Travel Association, pointed out that many agents face economic hardship, from sleeping in their cars to cutting back on basic expenses in order to keep working.

Todd Hauptli, president of the American Association of Airport Executives, warned that TSA employees have already worked without pay for nearly half of the workdays in fiscal year 2026 due to various government shutdowns.

The current shutdown comes after Congress passed 11 of 12 federal spending bills, leaving only the Department Homeland Security pending. Negotiations stalled after two fatal shootings in Minnesota involving federal immigration agents, prompting Democrats to demand reforms at ICE and CBP before approving funding.