Airport security personnel across the nation saw dramatically reduced paychecks on Friday as the current government shutdown continues, raising concerns that more officers may abandon their posts to seek alternative employment or leave the profession entirely.
The Transportation Security Administration lost its funding when Congress couldn’t agree on immigration policy changes that Democrats were seeking, leading to a lapse in Department of Homeland Security operations starting February 13.
While this shutdown affects fewer agencies than the historic 43-day closure from October through November, TSA workers are expressing frustration about facing financial hardship for the second time in just four months. The situation threatens to create staffing shortages and longer wait times at airports nationwide.
Philip Glover, who serves as national vice president of District 3 for the American Federation of Government Employees and represents TSA employees at 19 airports across Delaware and Pennsylvania, warned that morale will decline more rapidly this time around.
“People are going to get discouraged a lot quicker this time,” Glover stated.
Union representatives are bracing for an increase in resignations as workers, many still recovering financially from the previous shutdown, face mounting bills without steady income.
TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill informed lawmakers earlier this month that approximately 1,110 transportation security officers departed the agency during October and November 2025, representing more than a 25% jump compared to the same months in 2024.
McNeill described the desperate measures workers took during the last shutdown, saying, “We heard reports of officers sleeping in their cars at airports to save money on gas, selling their blood and plasma and taking on second jobs to make ends meet.” She added that the agency is preparing to increase staffing levels in March, April, and May to handle expected travel surges for spring break, summer vacations, and World Cup events.
A nine-year TSA veteran working at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, who requested anonymity, shared her growing doubts about continuing her career with the agency. The 34-year-old officer explained, “I want to keep this job at least for the medical benefits, but sometimes I think I would be better off to abandon ship to reinvest myself elsewhere.”
Union officials report that management is cracking down on absences even as some employees call in sick to work temporary jobs that will help them pay rent and buy gasoline.
Darrell English, who leads AFGE Local 777 representing TSA workers in Illinois and Wisconsin, observed that employees are seeking other options for financial stability. “Officers are looking at other alternatives just to maintain some kind of stability,” English said. “That’s the backlash that’s coming down the line from these continuous shutdowns.”
In Minnesota, Neal Gosman, treasurer of AFGE Local 899, noted that several experienced colleagues with significant tenure chose to retire shortly after this shutdown began.
“Maybe it’s just coincidence and these are older people who’ve been there a while, but somehow they decided to pull the trigger this week,” Gosman remarked.
