TSA Issues Warning Before Another Government Shutdown

During the fall, the longest full federal government shutdown in history occurred in the United States, causing delays and cancellations for travelers across the country amid a busy holiday travel season, as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and air traffic controllers dealt with staffing issues.

While that full federal government shutdown has now ended, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) could be impacted by a partial government shutdown if Congress does not pass funding for the agency by the end of Friday. This would also impact TSA, which is a branch of DHS.

Before this potential government shutdown, Acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill issued a warning about what it could mean for the agency and travelers.

Another Government Shutdown?

While the government reopened in November of 2025 after the lengthy government shutdown, it was opened as a temporary measure while more permanent funding plans were decided.

Over the past several months and weeks,  lawmakers have passed a series of spending bills to fund the federal government. DHS, however, is the last federal agency that is still lacking funding for the remainder of fiscal year 2026, which runs through September 30.

The most recent funding package for DHS was approved at the end of January, but it only funded DHS for two weeks. That deal is coming to an end on Friday, which could result in a DHS shutdown.

Shutdown Impacts TSA

While TSA employees are eventually paid following a government shutdown, they do typically have to work without pay until the government shutdown ends. Depending on the length of the shutdown and how many paychecks TSA agents miss, however, a shutdown may lead to staffing shortages and delays, as it did in the fall.

Speaking before the House Appropriations Committee this week, McNeill warned about what another shutdown could mean for the TSA.

"Many TSOs work paycheck to paycheck trying to support themselves and their families. During a shutdown, the ability to pay for rent, bills, groceries, childcare, and gas just to get to work becomes very challenging, leading to increased unscheduled absences (call outs) as a shutdown progresses. Higher call outs can result in longer wait times at checkpoints, leading to missed or delayed flights, which has a cascading negative impact on the American economy," McNeill warned.

"During the recent 43-day shutdown, the TSA frontline workforce valiantly reported to work and kept our operations running smoothly, ensuring millions of passengers arrived at their destinations safely and securely. At the same time, they all felt the financial strain and stress of not knowing when paychecks were coming. Many in our workforce were subject to late fees and penalties for missed bill payments, eviction notices, loss of long-term childcare arrangements, and more. Some are just now recovering from the financial impact of the 43-day shutdown, while many are still reeling from it. We cannot put them through another such experience."

More Lasting Impacts

While a short DHS shutdown might not be immediately felt by travelers until TSA agents begin missing paychecks, McNeill claimed that there will be long-lasting impacts of a shutdown, too.

McNeill says that another government shutdown would make it harder for TSA to recruit and retain employees, and would impact the agency's technology deployment timelines as it tries to roll out new technology to make travel more efficient.

"Additionally, shutdown and funding uncertainties have real and measurable impacts on recruitment, retention, and employee morale. Around 1,110 TSOs separated from TSA in October and November 2025, a more than 25% increase in TSO separations from the same time period in 2024. Many TSOs that left attributed their separation due to the uncertainty, stress, missed paychecks, and financial hardships of the government shutdown. Right now, the Agency is focused on surge staffing in March, April, and May, to be prepared for Spring Break, summer, and World Cup travel. Another shutdown would severely impact TSA’s ability to meet these personnel needs," McNeill said.

"Furthermore, a shutdown would impact TSA’s technology deployment timelines. A shutdown would delay technology improvements and deployments, preventing us from giving our workforce the tools they need to do their jobs and carry out this mission, and our ability to handle year over year passenger volume growth, in addition to preparing for large world events. Without budget certainty, we are at risk of critical technology deployments being pushed even further out."

Needless to say, it sounds like travelers might need to be prepared for another shutdown.