More than 450 TSA agents have quit in the nearly six weeks since the partial government shutdown began, according to a top Department of Homeland Security official who testified before a House committee Wednesday. The resignations, combined with widespread worker absences, are creating what officials describe as the "highest wait times in history" at airports nationwide.
The departures represent a small fraction of TSA's approximately 50,000 screening agents, but the impact is amplified by high absence rates. At major airports including JFK International, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International, Houston's George Bush International, and New Orleans' Louis Armstrong International, more than one-third of staff has been absent. Overall, 11.7% of TSA agents were absent Sunday, marking the highest percentage of the shutdown.
DHS officials warn that even if the shutdown ends soon, staffing impacts will persist well into the busy summer travel season. Senior TSA official Ha Nguyen McNeill told lawmakers that new hires cannot be deployed in time for the World Cup, which begins June 11 with the U.S. co-hosting 78 matches across 11 cities. McNeill noted that TSA has been affected by shutdowns for roughly half the fiscal year.
TSA union leaders say many agents simply cannot afford to work without pay, despite their dedication to the job. "They love this job. They're quitting because they have no choice," said Hydrick Thomas, TSA Council 100 President and a JFK Airport agent, referring to workers' financial constraints during the unpaid shutdown period.