Trending Now - TSA Workers Face Strain Amid DHS Shutdown and Travel Surge

WHO:

Approximately 60,000 TSA officers

Angela Grana, TSA officer at Durango-La Plata County Airport, Colorado

Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader

Jill DeJanovich, TSA officer at Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas

Robert Echeverria, lead TSA officer at Salt Lake City International Airport

George Borek, TSA union leader

Joseph Cerletti, TSA officer at Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport

WHAT:

TSA officers have been working without pay due to the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown.

TSA officers began receiving their first $0 paychecks on March 13th, 2026.

Nearly 2,700 TSA workers called out sick during the week of March 13th, 2026.

400 TSA agents have signaled that they are leaving the agency.

TSA has been under a hiring freeze since 2025.

Several airports have begun food pantries for TSA employees affected by the shutdown.

WHERE:

Durango-La Plata County Airport, Colorado

Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas

Salt Lake City International Airport

Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

WHEN:

The current partial shutdown began in February 2026 and is now in its second month.

The last federal government shutdown lasted 43 days in the fall of 2025.

The first day that TSA workers missed their checks was on March 13th, 2026.

The anticipated FIFA World Cup is scheduled for the summer of 2026.

WHY:

The shutdown is a result of a political standoff in Washington over funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

Senate Democrats are blocking funding for DHS until reforms are made to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

HOW:

TSA officers are taking on extra jobs or leaving the agency to make ends meet.

TSA workers require extra permission to take on side jobs like Uber Eats.

Airports are implementing food pantries to support employees facing financial difficulties.

(UPDATED March 20, 2026 11:11 UTC)

TSA officers across the country, including those at Durango-La Plata County Airport and Harry Reid International Airport, have been working without pay due to the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown, which began in February. Since the first missed paycheck on March 13, nearly 2,700 TSA workers have called out sick, and about 400 have indicated they are leaving the agency, prompting some airports to set up food pantries to assist affected employees. The political standoff in Washington over DHS funding continues, with Senate Democrats blocking financial support until reforms are made to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.