Why It Matters
TSA officers across the country, including those serving New Hampshire travelers, are working without full pay as a partial government shutdown stretches into its second month. The funding lapse is triggering security slowdowns at airports nationwide, with wait times at some facilities exceeding four hours — a direct disruption to air travel that affects passengers, airlines, and local economies.
The standoff has put more than 44,000 Transportation Security Administration officers in financial distress, with union leaders warning that the situation has moved beyond hardship into a genuine crisis for working families.
What Happened
Officials from the American Federation of Government Employees held a virtual press conference Tuesday, March 24, 2026, calling on Congress and the Trump administration to immediately resolve the partial government shutdown that began February 14. TSA officers are now approaching their second consecutive missed full paycheck since the funding lapse began.
Union representatives described members who can no longer afford groceries, rent, auto insurance, and other basic necessities. Mac Johnson, who represents TSA workers in North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, said some officers have resorted to selling plasma to cover daily expenses.
“It’s not that these employees, their families, are hungry,” Johnson said at the press conference. “They’re beginning to starve, literally starve, because they do not have the funds to provide food for their families.”
AFGE President Everett Kelly issued a direct warning to lawmakers, stating that vague assurances of progress are no longer sufficient. “We’ve been hearing about optimism and progress for weeks,” Kelly said. “Our members cannot eat optimism or pay rent with progress.”
The shutdown itself stems from a political dispute rooted in immigration enforcement policy. Following two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis in January 2026, Democratic lawmakers demanded reforms to immigration enforcement as a condition for funding the Department of Homeland Security, the agency that oversees both TSA and the majority of federal immigration operations.
Negotiations have stalled as both sides struggle to separate immigration enforcement funding from essential security agency operations. Some senators have indicated they may be close to a deal that would fund non-immigration functions of TSA separately, but union officials say that timeline is unacceptable given the current conditions facing their members.
By the Numbers
44,000+ — TSA officers represented by the American Federation of Government Employees who have been working without full pay since the shutdown began.
400+ — TSA workers who have resigned since the shutdown started on February 14, 2026, compounding staffing shortages at airports nationwide.
4+ hours — Wait times reported at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Monday, March 23, as immigration officers were brought in to assist with airport security amid staffing shortfalls.
6 weeks — Approximate length of the partial government shutdown as of the press conference, with officers approaching their second missed complete paycheck.
2 — Fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis in January 2026, which triggered the political conditions leading to the current funding impasse.
Zoom Out
The strain on TSA is not an isolated problem. Partial government shutdowns in the United States have historically triggered cascading workforce and security consequences, particularly in agencies classified as essential services where employees must continue reporting to work regardless of pay status.
The 2018–2019 government shutdown, which lasted 35 days, resulted in significant TSA absenteeism and similar union pressure. The current shutdown, now in its sixth week, is already producing comparable staffing erosion, with hundreds of resignations marking a longer-term threat to the agency’s workforce pipeline.
Airports in New Hampshire and across New England are served by TSA officers who fall under the same union umbrella and face the same financial pressures as those in larger hub cities. As officers leave the profession and absenteeism rises, travelers at regional airports may increasingly experience delayed screening times and reduced service reliability.
What’s Next
Senate negotiators are reportedly working toward a deal that would fund non-immigration components of the Department of Homeland Security, which could restore pay for TSA officers without resolving the broader immigration enforcement dispute. However, no formal agreement has been announced as of Tuesday.
Union officials are pressing for an immediate legislative solution rather than a phased approach, arguing that any further delay will accelerate officer resignations and worsen security conditions at airports nationwide. The AFGE has indicated it will continue public pressure campaigns directed at both Congress and the White House until a funding resolution is passed and back pay is issued to affected workers.