Major airports grapple with hourslong security wait times and TSA staffing shortages amid partial government shutdown [View all]

Source: NBC News

March 8, 2026, 7:19 PM EDT


Travel at major U.S. airports turned into a nightmare Sunday, with up to three-hour security wait times and a shortage of TSA workers at the start of spring break travel amid the partial government shutdown.

Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Lauren Bis said travelers are facing missed flights and massive delays. She blamed the chaos on congressional Democrats' refusal to fund DHS, which led to the partial shutdown.

“These political stunts force patriotic TSA officers, who protect our skies from serious threats, to work without pay,” she said in a statement. “These frontline heroes received only partial paychecks earlier this month and now face their first full missed paycheck, leading to financial hardship, absences, and crippling staffing shortages.”

DHS funding expired Feb. 13, with lawmakers locking horns over ICE and Customs and Border Protection policies after federal agents killed two Americans in Minneapolis. Democrats are seeking reforms to rein in those agencies, but Republicans have argued that changes were already made in response to the killings.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/major-airports-grapple-hourslong-security-wait-tsa-staffing-shortages-rcna262344