Overview
- The executive order, issued Friday, directs the Department of Homeland Security to start paying Transportation Security Administration employees using existing funds.
- Homeland Security leaders say officers could see pay as early as Monday, though union officials caution they may not see deposits that quickly.
- Houston’s Bush Intercontinental reported waits under an hour across the weekend, while LaGuardia and Baltimore still saw security lines that stretched for hours.
- Nearly 500 officers have quit and call‑outs have reached about 40% at some airports, leading to lane closures and stopgap help from TSA deployment teams and ICE staff for non-screening tasks.
- With Congress at an impasse and some wait‑time tools unreliable, travelers are arriving much earlier or hiring line sitters and concierge escorts, and experts warn workforce recovery could take weeks even after pay resumes.