More than 300 TSA workers have quit since the latest Department of Homeland Security shutdown began, according to internal statistics reviewed by CBS News. The data shows that employee separations have reached 305, with 50,000 staff required to work without pay until the shutdown, which started on February 14, ends.
Absence rates have exceeded ten percent at several major US airports. At William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, 53 percent of officers were absent on March 8, and 47 percent on March 9. John F. Kennedy International Airport recorded an average call-out rate of 21 percent, while Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport saw 19 percent.
The staff shortages have caused chaos for travellers. Passengers at Houston’s Hobby Airport faced delays of over three hours on Sunday, and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport warned wait times could exceed three hours. Former TSA Administrator John Pistole noted that nearly 1,100 officers resigned after the 2025 shutdown, and further departures are likely if the current closure drags on.
Union representatives expressed growing frustration. Marcos Crespo, vice president of AFGE Local 1260, said missing the next paycheck will severely affect staff. Kevin Smith, president of AFGE Local 618, reported that several TSA agents have already quit at Indianapolis International Airport, describing the situation as “more annoying at this point than anything.” Michael A. Pierce, vice president of AFGE Local 555, noted that both he and his wife work for TSA, making their household a “zero-income household” during the shutdown.
Democratic lawmakers have refused to commit to DHS funding until restrictions are placed on federal immigration operations, prolonging the impasse. Workers are typically paid retroactively once a shutdown ends, but the financial strain is mounting, with rising fuel costs adding to the burden.
