Overview
- More than 100,000 Department of Homeland Security employees, including TSA staff, received no pay Friday after earlier partial checks, with about 61,000 TSA officers still required to work.
- Unscheduled absences have roughly doubled during the shutdown and more than 300 TSA officers have left since Feb. 14, intensifying checkpoint strain during peak spring travel.
- The Senate failed to advance DHS funding in a 51–46 vote after Republicans blocked narrower efforts to reopen select components, leaving negotiations at a standstill.
- Airport impacts remain uneven, with multi-hour waits reported at hubs such as Houston Hobby, New Orleans, Atlanta, Charlotte, and JFK, while Phoenix and San Antonio have seen relatively smooth operations.
- Airports and industry groups are organizing gift-card drives and food pantries and urging pay protections, even as passengers continue paying federal aviation security fees.