The idea of ”government airport closures” is no longer just a theory. Federal officials now warn that smaller airports across the country could close as a lack of funding pushes TSA staff to the limit.
Caught in the middle of government dysfunction are tens of thousands of Transportation Security Officers, still showing up for work, still protecting the traveling public, and still doing so without pay.
A warning the industry cannot ignore
It was not raised as a possibility. It was raised as a reality that may be rapidly approaching.
In a March 17 interview in fox and friendsTSA Acting Deputy Administrator Adam Stahl issued one of the most direct warnings yet about the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) current underfunding.
“As the weeks go by, if this continues, it’s not a stretch to suggest that we could literally have to close airports, particularly smaller ones, if call rates increase,” Stahl said. “A lot of those agents can’t afford to come.”
It is not an exaggeration to suggest that we may have to literally close airports.
Adam Stahl | TSA Acting Deputy Administrator
To understand the severity of that warning, it’s helpful to step back and look at the bigger picture.
The partial government shutdown began on Feb. 14, 2026, after DHS funding expired amid a stalemate in Congress over immigration policy and broader funding for the agency. More than 260,000 federal workers have been affected. Some 50,000 TSA agents, considered essential, have been required to keep working without salary for more than a month.
They received only a partial paycheck on February 28th and did not receive a full paycheck on March 14th.
This is the third time in less than a year that TSA workers have gone without pay due to a shutdown.
And the consequences are no longer theoretical.
Tension is evident at checkpoints throughout the country
For years, TSA staffing has been a careful balancing act. Now, that balance is breaking down.
Normally, absenteeism rates are below 2%, but during lockdown they have risen to more than 10% across the country. At large airports such as Atlanta, New York JFK and Houston, call rates have remained around 20% since mid-February. Recently, Houston saw rates above 50%, and New Orleans and Atlanta exceeded 30%.
Meanwhile, between 300 and 366 TSA agents have left the agency since the shutdown began, according to DHS and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Anyone who has been in an airport lately can see the impact. Security lines stretch for hours. Passengers are told to arrive four or even five hours early. Some checkpoints are closed because there are not enough staff. Airports are doing everything they can to make everything work.
The TSA attempted to ease the tension by sending additional officers from its National Deployment Force to the hardest-hit airports. But now that backup has been used up.
“We’re doing absolutely everything we can,” Stahl said. “We have a national deployment office force and we’ve completely depleted it. So at this point, we’re stretched thin and, frankly, there’s not much more we can do.”
The system has reached its limit and is running out of options.
And the smallest airports, often operating with minimal staffing, are the most vulnerable. Without enough officers to safely screen passengers, the closure is not a dramatic scenario. It becomes the only option left.
The human cost behind the crisis
It’s easy to focus on the numbers, but it’s much harder to ignore what those numbers mean to real people.
Union leaders have warned that many TSA officials have exhausted all available financial options. Reports have emerged of agents facing eviction notices, vehicle repossessions, empty refrigerators and overdrawn bank accounts. Some have taken extreme measures just to stay afloat, including selling blood plasma. Others have been forced to sleep in their cars or struggle to pay for child care.
These are the people responsible for protecting the country’s airports.
They show up to work without pay. They are at checkpoints, scanning bags and keeping an eye on the traveling public while their own financial stability collapses.
And yes, some are shouting it. Some leave.
This should not surprise us. It should be expected.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth the aviation industry now faces.
In what world is this acceptable?
Airport security is not optional. It is not a secondary function that can be paused or stretched indefinitely. It is a fundamental layer of the entire aviation system. Without it, nothing moves.
Airlines have already started sounding the alarm. With spring break travel underway and a screening 171 million passengers Expected to fly in the coming weeks, executives warn that the system is approaching a breaking point. House Speaker Mike Johnson acknowledged that airports are “reaching breaking point,” while airline CEOs have called for immediate action to get TSA workers paid.
And yet, the stalemate continues as both sides of the aisle frustratingly play politics with the lives of those they have been elected to represent.
Democrats have pushed for partial funding measures that would exclude certain components of DHS without policy changes. Republicans have pushed for passage of a full appropriations bill. The negotiations remain unresolved.
Meanwhile, the people who hold the system together work for free.
Where does this go next?
So far, no airports have been closed due to TSA staff shortages.
But the warning has been issued. Clearly. In public. Unambiguous.
“It’s not hyperbole.”
That is not the language the aviation world frequently hears from senior officials. And it should not be taken lightly.
If absenteeism rates continue to rise, if more officers leave, if relief doesn’t come soon, the idea of small airport closures will go from a warning to a reality.
And when that happens, it won’t just be a TSA problem. It will be an aviation problem. A national problem.
Because once you start shutting down parts of the system, the ripple effects are not small.
They never do.
That’s enough.
