Airport security lines across the U.S. keep getting worse, as the partial government shutdown has forced TSA officers to work for free, and about 10% of workers are now calling out. Experts say air travelers should arrive early, but that doesn’t guarantee that they’ll make their flight. In fact, some people in Atlanta who arrived at the airport three hours early on Friday still missed their flights.
“Y’all… I’ve NEVER seen Hartsfield Jackson this bad. This is what security looks like this morning (Friday). We’ve talked to people that got to the airport at 3am that missed their 6am flight,” tweeted Ella Dorsey, a meteorologist with local TV station Atlanta News First.
Y’all… I’ve NEVER seen Hartsfield Jackson this bad. This is what security looks like this morning (Friday). We’ve talked to people that got to the airport at 3am that missed their 6am flight. @ATLNewsFirst @GAFollowers pic.twitter.com/xsF5h1N1XG
— Ella Dorsey (@Ella__Dorsey) March 20, 2026
Hartsfield-Jackson International is one of the busiest airports in the world, handling over 100 million passengers each year. The callout rate for TSA workers in Atlanta reached nearly 40% this week.
But it’s not just passengers in Atlanta who are struggling. George Bush Intercontinental Airport has also seen three-hour wait times this week, according to the Houston Chronicle. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is advising passengers to arrive at least two hours early for domestic flights and three hours for international flights.
This week, callout rates for TSA officers at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport hit 41%, while New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport hit 30%, and Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans hit 36%, according to CBS News.
The battle over ICE and TSA
The problem is that funding for DHS has been held up since Feb. 22, when the Democrats said they would not support a bill unless it included modest reforms to the way that ICE conducts operations, including a ban on masks. ICE’s conduct in Minnesota and the shooting deaths of two people, Alex Pretti and Renee Goode, drew national outrage.
Congressional Republicans have refused to make any reforms to ICE, which is housed inside DHS along with other agencies like FEMA, TSA, and Border Patrol. Republicans rejected a bill from Democrats this week that would have carved out funding for just the TSA and FEMA while holding up funding for departments like ICE and CBP. And so TSA workers are going without pay while still being required to show up for work.
Obviously, most Americans can’t live very long without a paycheck, as bills pile up. At least 366 TSA officers have quit their jobs, according to the latest figures released by the Department of Homeland Security on March 17. DHS points out that new TSA officers take 4-6 months of training, which could pose longer-term problems as more officers decide to quit.
CNN has created an online tracker that lists some of the estimated wait times for airports around the U.S., though it’s not a comprehensive account. George Bush Intercontinental Airport’s wait time is currently listed at 150 minutes, with Hartsfield-Jackson listed as a 67-minute wait. Those wait times tend to be much worse first thing in the morning.
Duffy seems confused
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has appeared on numerous TV shows this week to warn that if this continues, some small airports may have to shut down. And he says that more TSA officers will quit as they continue to work without pay.
“As we get into next week and they’re about to miss another payment, this is going to look like child’s play, what’s happening right now,” Duffy told CNBC on Thursday.
Duffy repeatedly misspoke while talking to CNBC, insisting that Democrats “want TSA agents to take their masks off,” a demand that has not been made of TSA workers. Democrats want ICE agents to take their masks off.
“They want them to take their masks off so they can dox the TSA agents and not just go after the agent, but go after their spouses, go after their kids, and put political pressure, protest outside their homes,” said Duffy. “And that’s untenable for a law enforcement agent who’s just trying to do the good work of the American people, getting folks who broke our laws out of the country.”
The Iran War is making things worse
President Donald Trump launched a new war in Iran on Feb. 28, which has forced the partial government shutdown and ICE’s tactics out of the front-page headlines. But those stories also intersect with how airports are operating. The shutdown of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on oil and gas facilities in the Middle East have spooked the entire energy industry.
The price of Brent crude oil has soared to $109, and the average price for a gallon of gas in the U.S. is up to $3.91, according to AAA. Experts warn that prices could continue to climb as the Iran War drags on, and the International Energy Agency is now calling on people to cut oil demand by flying less and driving more slowly.
Airline executives have warned that prices for airline tickets will rise considerably as the price of jet fuel climbs higher as well. A gallon of jet fuel has gone from $2.50 just before the start of the war to about $4.26 today.
How will the average American react?
The rhetoric from Republicans in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election was often about how Trump would keep the U.S. out of foreign entanglements, and President Deals would deliver a higher standard of living. Those promises feel like little more than a punchline in March 2026, and it’ll certainly be interesting to see how those same voters feel six months from now if the Iran War continues.
One 35-year-old woman in Millersburg, Pennsylvania, told NBC News this week that she voted for Trump three times and now says “that was my bad,” insisting, “apparently I’m an idiot.”
“If you could say something to President Trump and he was going to hear you right now, what would it be?” the reporter asked.
The woman, filling up her car and clearly upset about gas prices, responded, “You are a worthless pile of shit.”
