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Eviction notices. Repossessed vehicles. Empty refrigerators and overdrawn bank accounts. These are no longer isolated hardships, but a growing reality for thousands of Transportation Security Administration officers caught in the crosscurrents of Washington’s latest funding impasse.
As the U.S. government endures yet another shutdown — the third in less than six months — TSA agents, deemed essential to national security, are once again required to report for duty without pay. The result is a mounting financial and emotional toll on a workforce already grappling with historically low morale and high turnover.
Union leaders and federal officials warn that the consequences are now spilling beyond the workforce and into the passenger experience. Across major airports, travelers are encountering extended wait times as officers call out, seek supplemental income, or leave the agency altogether. Since the shutdown began on Valentine’s Day, at least 376 TSA employees have resigned, according to the Department of Homeland Security — a figure that underscores deepening instability within the agency.
For many officers, the strain is becoming unbearable. “It’s just exhausting. Every day it just feels like this weight gets heavier and heavier on us,” said Cameron Cochems, a TSA union leader based in Boise, Idaho. His sentiment reflects a broader reality: airport screeners have spent nearly half of the past 170 days without consistent pay, enduring 43 days during last fall’s historic shutdown, a brief lapse earlier this year, and now more than a month in the current funding crisis.
Despite being required to continue working, many officers are reaching a breaking point. Cochems, who has served with the TSA for over four years, believes the current resignation numbers only scratch the surface. In a stronger labor market, he suggests, far more officers would have already walked away. “I think more people are staying with the TSA that don’t want to be here,” he said.
The challenges facing the TSA are not new. A 2024 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office highlighted longstanding issues within the agency, including low pay, inconsistent management, and poor work-life balance. While recent salary increases have provided some relief, dissatisfaction remains widespread. Entry-level TSA officers earn approximately $34,500 annually, with average salaries ranging between $46,000 and $55,000 — figures that many argue fall short of the demands and pressures of the role.
The GAO cautioned that without meaningful structural improvements, attrition would continue to undermine the agency’s stability. The current shutdown, however, has accelerated that risk. Acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl recently warned that the long-term consequences could be severe, noting a 25% increase in attrition following last year’s shutdown. Without swift funding restoration, he suggested, the situation is likely to deteriorate further.
For officers like Cochems, the crisis is deeply personal. Already supplementing his income with a seasonal side job screening college sports teams, he now finds himself struggling to cover basic household expenses after his wife was unexpectedly laid off. “Every day I come to the airport and I look at the food drive, see what things I can get for my family,” he said, referring to donation efforts organized at airports nationwide to support unpaid TSA workers.
Meanwhile, the political stalemate shows little sign of immediate resolution. Congressional schedules and ongoing policy disputes — particularly surrounding federal immigration enforcement — continue to delay funding negotiations, leaving TSA employees in prolonged uncertainty.
The ripple effects are increasingly visible to the traveling public. In cities such as Houston, Atlanta, and New Orleans, security lines have stretched to multiple hours, with some passengers missing flights entirely. Absenteeism among TSA officers has surged, with certain airports reporting absence rates far above national averages. In Houston, more than half of scheduled staff were absent on a recent Sunday, while Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport saw nearly 40% of its workforce miss shifts midweek.
The strain has also forced operational adjustments, including checkpoint closures and erratic wait times that fluctuate dramatically throughout the day. At times, passengers have faced delays exceeding two hours, only for lines to temporarily ease before surging again — a reflection of an overstretched system struggling to maintain equilibrium.
Behind the statistics are deeply human stories. “I’ve heard from officers who cannot afford copayments for cancer treatments or office visits for their sick children,” said Aaron Barker, a TSA union leader in Atlanta, highlighting the profound impact on workers’ lives.
Nationwide, approximately 50,000 TSA employees are expected to continue working during the shutdown. Yet even a 10% absentee rate — significantly higher in key airports — is enough to disrupt operations across the country’s aviation network.
The agency has already exhausted contingency measures, including deploying emergency personnel, to keep security checkpoints functional. But former TSA Administrator John Pistole has pointed to precedent: during last year’s shutdown, roughly 1,100 officers left the agency, a trend that may repeat or intensify if the current crisis persists.
As the shutdown drags on, the TSA finds itself at a critical juncture — balancing its mandate to safeguard national security with the growing reality of a workforce pushed to its limits. Until funding is restored, the question is no longer just about operational efficiency, but about how long the system — and the people behind it — can endure.
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