DHS Shutdown Leaves TSA Workers Unpaid, Flights Delayed

Air travel across the U.S. faced mounting disruptions over the weekend as a funding lapse at the Department of Homeland Security left thousands of Transportation Security Administration employees working without pay and prompted warnings of longer security lines and cascading economic impacts, The Hill reported Sunday.

Funding for DHS expired early Saturday, triggering a partial shutdown that affects agencies housed within the department, including TSA.

Under DHS' shutdown contingency plan published in September, more than 95% of TSA employees are considered essential and are required to continue working during a lapse in appropriations. The remaining workers — 2,933 out of 64,130 — are furloughed.

DHS had not publicly confirmed as of Sunday whether that contingency plan was being implemented in full during the funding lapse or whether nonexempt employees had been placed on furlough.

Unlike during some previous shutdowns, air traffic controllers are continuing to receive pay because they fall under the Federal Aviation Administration, which is part of the Department of Transportation rather than DHS.

Still, TSA leadership warned last week that the shutdown could strain airport security operations as unpaid officers struggle with personal financial pressures.

"Many [TSA officers] work paycheck to paycheck trying to support themselves and their families," acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. "During a shutdown, the ability to pay for rent, bills, groceries, child care, and gas just to get to work becomes very challenging, leading to increased unscheduled absences as a shutdown progresses."

She added that "higher callouts can result in longer wait times at checkpoints, leading to missed or delayed flights, which has a cascading negative impact on the American economy."

Flight tracking data reflected widespread disruptions over the weekend. According to FlightAware, more than 5,100 flights within, into, or out of the country were delayed Saturday, with nearly 460 canceled.

By Sunday afternoon, nearly 4,700 flights had been delayed, with more than 240 canceled.

The figures do not differentiate between delays caused by TSA staffing shortages and those resulting from weather, maintenance, or other operational issues.

On Friday, before the funding lapse began, more than 5,500 U.S. flights were delayed and more than 120 were canceled, according to the same data.

Industry groups warned that prolonged uncertainty could compound disruptions and inflict broader economic damage.

In a joint statement Friday, the U.S. Travel Association, Airlines for America, and American Hotel & Lodging Association said that last fall's 43-day government shutdown cost the economy $6 billion and disrupted travel for more than 6 million people.

"Funding uncertainties create lasting damage to the entire travel ecosystem, especially the airlines, hotels and thousands of small businesses the travel industry supports," the groups wrote. "It also stifles recruitment, retention, preparedness and modernization efforts."

TSA officials have also cautioned that a shutdown affects nonimmediate services, including recruitment and technology upgrades aimed at modernizing airport screening.

TSA Chief of Staff Adam Stahl said Thursday on X that the agency would "suspend nonessential services" during the shutdown.

McNeill told lawmakers that the agency is already grappling with staffing challenges. Roughly 1,110 officers left TSA in October and November, she said — an increase of more than 25% compared with the same period a year earlier.

"A shutdown and funding uncertainties have real and measurable impacts on recruitment, retention, and employee morale," McNeill said.