The Democrats’ block on funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is creating airport delays and long lines for spring break travelers.
The funding shutdown has hit the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), making it difficult for passengers to get through airport security checks. In a post on X, DHS stated that Americans were “missing their flights” due to the shutdown of DHS, which is “forcing patriotic TSA officers to work without pay.”
“Americans are now missing their flights because of the Democrats shutdown of DHS,” the agency wrote. “Their political stunt is forcing patriotic TSA officers to work without pay — leading to financial hardship, absences, and crippling staffing shortages.”
“Enough is enough,” the agency added. “Democrats must fund DHS NOW.”
The post from DHS comes as several leaders in the travel and aviation industries are calling on Congress to fund DHS, as TSA employees are still “showing up,” though they are not being paid, NPR reported.
“They’re showing up. They’re doing their job, and they’re not getting paid,” CEO of the U.S. Travel Association Geoff Freeman said at a press conference. “It’s not just unfair. It’s reckless. You can’t run an industry with $3 trillion in economic impact on IOUs.”
Todd Hauptli, who serves as “the head of the American Association of Airport Executives,” predicted that as the DHS funding shutdown stretches into March and April, when more people travel, there would be “sick outs” and people who are “going to be forced to look for other jobs.”
“TSA is going to do their very best to try and keep those lines moving, but they’re not going to sacrifice safety,” Hauptli explained. “And that means people should be prepared as this drags out for longer lines.”
In a post on X, TSA responded to DHS’s post stating that “enough is enough.”
“Enough is enough,” TSA. “The Democrat shutdown of DHS must end!”
Airports such as the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport were reported to be experiencing longer lines, with “more than 2,000 people” in line “at peak times,” according to WDSU News:
The line has spanned all the way from the parking garage, across the main level airline ticket counter area, and then down to the second-floor TSA check-in.
Airport leaders say this is due to impacts from the partial government shutdown.
The DHS shutdown comes after funding for the agency “lapsed on Feb. 14,” after Democrat lawmakers “blocked funding” for DHS, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
As a result of the DHS shutdown, TSA agents at the Philadelphia International Airport are facing “declining morale” as they are working without pay, according to the outlet.
Airports such as the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and the William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, Texas, advised that passengers should arrive at the airport “at least 3 hours” or “4-5 hours” before their flights.
“Passengers may experience longer wait times at TSA checkpoints today due to residual impacts from two ground stops issued Friday and TSA staffing constraints,” the Atlanta airport said in a post on X.
The Hobby Airport advised that passengers “should arrive 4-5 hours before their flight” due to the DHS government shutdown.
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