As if flying couldn’t get any worse, travelers in the U.S. are now facing the longest airport security lines in the 24-year history of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and they could get even longer.
TSA Deputy Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill told the House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday that wait times at some major airports have exceeded four hours, NPR reported.
“This level of disruption is unprecedented, and unacceptable, and significantly undermines the security of U.S. transportation systems,” McNeil said.
The historic delays are being driven by a partial government shutdown that has left the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the agency that oversees the TSA, without funding. Lawmakers have yet to reach a deal, as Democrats, the White House, and Republicans continue to negotiate over immigration enforcement policies.
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing unnamed sources, that several Senate Republicans are urging the White House to declare a national emergency to tap unspent government funds to pay TSA workers if a deal isn’t reached soon.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the news outlet in a statement that the White House is discussing a “number of ideas” to address the crisis, but “no preparations or plans are currently underway.”
“The best and easiest way to pay TSA Agents is to fund DHS,” Leavitt said.
In the meantime, TSA workers are continuing to work without pay, leading to massive staffing shortages. McNeill said callout rates have reached 40% to 50% at some airports. As of Friday, TSA workers will have missed nearly $1 billion in pay since the beginning of the shutdown.
McNeill said the financial strain is already taking a toll. Some workers are struggling to pay rent and bills, with some reportedly sleeping in their cars. About 480 employees have already quit, and she warned that the situation could make it even harder to recruit new workers in the future.
And even if they eventually hire new staff, it won’t be an immediate fix. McNeill noted that it takes four to six months to train TSA agents. That means new hires may not be ready for an uptick in air travel when the U.S. hosts some matches for the FIFA World Cup this June.
President Donald Trump has sent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to some airports to help manage crowds. According to The New York Times, some ICE agents are now assisting with checking travelers’ IDs at certain airports. But it’s unclear whether that will meaningfully reduce wait times.
Still, things could worsen as spring break travel ramps up this weekend.
George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston has been among the hardest hit.
“While passenger volumes briefly declined on Wednesday, resulting in shorter wait times, significantly higher passenger traffic is expected on Thursday and Friday,” the Houston Airports system said in a news update.
The airport is bracing for additional crowds tied to the energy conference CERAWeek and the start of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Other major hubs are also seeing major backups. CNN reported long lines in cities including New York and Atlanta. At LaGuardia Airport, general security wait times reached nearly two hours Thursday morning. At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the TSA PreCheck line stretched outside the terminal.
