More than 300 TSA workers have quit since the DHS shutdown began, according to reports.
TSA officer call-out rates have also rocketed into double-digit percentages at some airports, straining operations and throwing millions of Americans’ travel plans into chaos.
A review of internal Transportation Security Administration statistics by CBS News found that the number of so-called “employee separations” had reached 305.
The data also suggested that 50,000 employees would be required to work without pay until the shutdown, which began on February 14, ends.
Former TSA Administrator John Pistole told the network that nearly 1,100 security officers resigned after the 2025 shutdown. If the current departmental closure drags on, he believes more staff could leave.
The shutdown could even make it harder to recruit new officers, Pistole added. He says applicants could question taking a job where they work without pay.
However, Democratic lawmakers have refused to commit to DHS funding until restrictions are placed on federal immigration operations.
Amid the ongoing shutdown, absence rates have exceeded ten percent at some of the U.S.’s major airports.
At the William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, 53 percent of officers were absent on March 8, and 47 percent were absent on the following day.
John F. Kennedy International Airport recorded an average TSA officer call-out rate of 21 percent, while Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport recorded a 19 percent absence rate.
The staff shortages have led to chaos at airports across the country, with KHOU 11 reporting that passengers faced delays of over three hours at Houston’s Hobby Airport on Sunday.
That same day, jetsetters at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport were warned on X that wait times could exceed three hours.
Marcos Crespo, the vice president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 1260, told 8 News Now that he believes that the shutdown could get even worse.
“This paycheck coming up, we’re going to miss completely. So it’s going to really start affecting people come this weekend,” Crespo said. “It’s definitely going to start getting worse and worse.”
Kevin Smith, the president of the AFGE Local 618, told WISH-TV that several TSA agents have already quit their jobs at Indianapolis International Airport.
“It’s more annoying at this point than anything,” Smith said. “We’re used to it every year.
“But this is the third one since November and so it’s very frustrating, and for those who just started and didn’t know about this or didn’t prepare for this, it’s really bad for them.”
A TSA officer working at Harry Reid International Airport told 8 News Now that the cost of gas has “skyrocketed” recently, adding to the financial stress on DHS employees.
Michael A. Pierce, the vice president of AFGE Local 555, told Fox 17 that both he and his wife are employed by the TSA. That means they are a “zero-income household” during the shutdown.
“Being so close on the heels of the last one makes this one a little more difficult,” Pierce added. “We had to dig deep last time into savings that some had, and some didn’t.”
Workers are typically paid retroactively once a shutdown ends.
The Independent has contacted the TSA for comment.
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