Travelers at U.S. airports experiencing lengthy TSA lines have been taking to social media to complain and draw awareness to the ongoing problem.
Wait times at airports across the U.S. have increasingly been a problem since the partial government shutdown began in mid-February. TSA agents are not being paid during the shutdown, which has led to staffing issues as struggling workers call out or quit, leaving fewer TSA workers to continue screening travelers at security.
"If this continues, it’s not hyperbole to suggest that we may have to quite literally shut down airports, particularly smaller ones, if call-out rates go up," TSA acting deputy administrator Adam Stahl said earlier this month.
How long are TSA wait lines?
Different airports are being impacted to different degrees, but there's no question that the shutdown is affecting travel throughout the whole of the U.S. The fact that regular travel is now overlapping with spring break is likely exacerbating things, leading to wait times lasting multiple hours just to get through security in some places.
I was two hours early to the airport and made my flight by one minute and a kind gate agent. Pay them people bro https://t.co/GrQKP61YVN
— Baby D ? (@Demaaaris) March 20, 2026
ATL’s Hartsfield International Airport at 3:30 am Monday morning. Totally insane and self-inflicted from a Congress busier creating problems than solving them. pic.twitter.com/h7BH59F99S
— Patricia Murphy (@MurphyAJC) March 23, 2026
If you have plans to fly from FLL Terminal 1 or 2, arrive at least 3-5 hours early or cancel your plans. The TSA lines are outside the building about a block long. It’s only 5am ?
— Fred Taylor (@FredTaylorMade) March 19, 2026
@lindsaychase28 Thank you to all of the hardworking employees who helped us make it from one destination to the other! #travel #tsaline #governmentshutdown #lga #laguardiaairport
♬ Dropando Nesse Grave - Cayin22
Why aren't TSA agents being paid?
The current partial government shutdown is due to a delay on funding for a single department, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). TSA agents fall under this realm, but so do Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
@chezchuck Just want to ensure we all understand what’s going on here #tsa
♬ original sound - Chuck
Republicans and Democrats in Congress have continued to butt heads over ICE and CBP, with Democrats demanding reforms related to accountability and transparency, including preventing ICE agents from wearing masks. Republicans—who control both the House of Representatives and the Senate—have pushed back against these requests.
They have also refused to sign any bills that seek to fund other sections of DHS while allowing the debate over ICE and CBP to continue separately.
The facts are Democrats have offered to fund the TSA, FEMA & Coast Guard (today) but Republicans said no. If Republicans really wanted the TSA back to work maybe they should stop blocking the clean funding bills that are already on the table... pic.twitter.com/leDRQaWkqH
— Mr. Townsend (@Fader_Bigavell) March 20, 2026
Chaotic travel adds ICE
Because TSA staffing issues are affecting various airports disproportionately, and due to the unpredictability of how much they will be affected on any given day, travelers have been struggling to make informed choices amidst the chaos.
ok so all the websites say the average TSA wait time at o'hare is 13 minutes while twitter says every airport is currently experiencing the apocalypse
— traurigsten Muthes (@mcmansionhell) March 22, 2026
it took 10 whole minutes to even walk to the back of the line, I can’t imagine I’m making my flight
— Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) March 22, 2026
TSA situation at JFK Airport (JetBlue Terminal) is fucking mental. Having flown from LAX and getting through in minutes to the pure chaos of today is whiplash pic.twitter.com/nNL2KEQ3pu
— Will Landman ? (@WillTheLandMan) March 22, 2026
The chaos is now being compounded after President Donald Trump deployed ICE agents to "help" the TSA. It isn't immediately clear how ICE is expected to actually be of any help, or whether they will simply create more chaos and unease.
I am concerned about ICE presence at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
— Gerald A. Griggs (@AttorneyGriggs) March 23, 2026
Let’s be clear: TSA has a specific job — airport security. ICE is not trained or tasked to do that.
Blurring those lines doesn’t make anyone safer. It creates confusion and raises real…
Paying ICE to come to the Atlanta airport, which includes housing them, instead of just paying the TSA employees is actually another reason why this is a very unserious place.
— Certified Hoodie Thief ? Ms 1/11 ? (@KryssyLaReina) March 23, 2026
Instead of sending ICE agents to harass travelers at airports, why don’t Republicans get their act together and agree to pay TSA workers like we’ve asked them to SEVEN TIMES now?
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) March 22, 2026
Well, ICE has arrived.
— Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline) March 23, 2026
Excuse me, but how are ICE agents roaming the airports and standing around helping with the long line situation? Watch this… pic.twitter.com/NAJndf8Q9Z
If you have air travel plans coming up, make sure to plan for it to take an obscene amount of time to get through security. Or better yet, put that trip off until this whole thing is finally resolved.
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