Overview
- Acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl said some smaller airports may have to shut down if rising callouts persist, describing the agency as fully stretched.
- Roughly 10% of TSA officers did not report for duty on Sunday, March 15, and at least 366 officers have quit since mid-February, according to DHS figures.
- Hotspots reported extreme shortages, including more than 50% callouts at Houston’s Hobby over the weekend and 30% to 36% in Atlanta on Tuesday, contributing to hours-long lines and checkpoint consolidations such as temporary closures at several Philadelphia terminals.
- Travel disruptions escalated with thousands of delays and cancellations reported Tuesday, while airports like Austin posted footage of lines stretching outside terminals and advised arrivals of up to three hours before flights.
- Airline CEOs pressed Congress to restore pay and end the standoff as Democrats pushed standalone TSA funding that Republicans rejected, with new proposals exchanged this week but no agreement reached.