Urgent warning for US travelers as TSA agents go unpaid due to another government shutdown

Traveling in the US for a vacation or on business soon? Before you pack your bags, there’s an important update you won’t want to miss.

With the busy spring travel season approaching, officials have issued fresh guidance that could affect your plans after the Department of Homeland Security shut down over the weekend.

The shutdown came after lawmakers were unable to meet a midnight Friday deadline to fund the agency; a workforce of more than 260,000 people.

The agency is in charge of screening passengers and luggage at airports across the nation, and so travelers are advised that you won’t want to run into any unexpected disruptions or unnecessary delays at the airport.

You may remember the major US federal government shutdown in late 2025 after Congress failed to agree on funding for the 2026 fiscal year - a standoff that lasted for 43 days, the longest in the nation’s history.

During that period, many federal services were paused, hundreds of thousands of workers were furloughed or worked without pay, and some airport and travel operations, such as flight delays and cancelations, caused disruption.

And now, industry groups representing the US travel sector, along with the nation’s leading airlines, are warning that if funding for the Department of Homeland Security continues to lapse, travelers could face increasingly long security lines at commercial airports across the country.

A funding lapse at the Department of Homeland Security took effect at midnight on February 14, 2026 after Congress failed to pass a spending bill, triggering a partial shutdown of the department, Bloomberg Law reports. All other federal agencies are operating under appropriations approved through the end of the fiscal year on September 30, leaving DHS as the lone major agency without long-term funding.

You'll want to avoid travel disruptions when going through security (Getty Stock)

Why is this shutdown different?

Air traffic controllers employed by the Federal Aviation Administration will continue receiving pay because the broader federal government remains funded through September 30, reducing the immediate risk of widespread flight cancelations.

Meanwhile, about 95 percent of Transportation Security Administration employees are deemed essential under the Department of Homeland Security’s contingency plan and must continue working without pay during the funding lapse.

The standoff over DHS funding focuses on immigration policy, with Democrats in both chambers seeking new limits on federal enforcement operations. Past shutdowns suggest that disruptions to air travel tend to intensify gradually rather than immediately. For example, in one instance last year, TSA temporarily closed two checkpoints at Philadelphia International Airport roughly a month into the shutdown.

Experts are warning about travel delays (Getty Stock)

How will this shutdown impact travel?

Travelers are being asked to allow for extra time at security checkpoints as there may be delays due to TSA absences. Predicting if, when, or where these delays could happen is challenging, however in the past, disruptions to air travel increased over time but this time around they could appear more quickly.

"It's still fresh in their minds and potentially their pocketbooks," John Rose said via PBS. Rose is chief risk officer for global travel management company Altour.

You may be able to check security line wait times on the airport’s website, but Rose warns against waiting until the last minute to check.

Passengers should also pay extra close attention to their luggage and avoid anything that could delay the screening process, such as ensuring your carry-on liquids are in the correct sizes. You can check the TSA website to see what is and isn’t allowed.