Government Shutdown Is Causing Hours-Long Lines at U.S. Airports

It has been a frustrating week for air travelers as a partial government shutdown drags on, resulting in security lines that stretch for hours in some of the nation's airports. Here is the latest on what is happening at U.S. airports, as well as when travelers might expect to see some type of relief.

Relief for Air Travelers Not Expected Anytime Soon

Chaos abounds across the country's airports as security lines snake for hours at some of the busiest hubs. A partial government shutdown has impacted funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), leaving Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers without a paycheck. Hundreds of TSA employees have called out sick as a result of the shutdown, leaving airports severely understaffed. A massive storm last week exacerbated the airline disruptions.

Unfortunately for tired travelers, the situation in the skies is not likely to improve any time soon. Both parties are refusing to budge, meaning that this current shutdown could last for weeks.

Democratic leaders are refusing to sign off on the DHS funding until the Republicans agree to an overhaul of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker said that the Democrats are going to stand firm in their demand for change, blaming the shutdown on the Trump administration.

ICE has been under the microscope over the last few months after two American citizens were shot and killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis. Since that time, Democrats have been pushing for the agency to ban agents from wearing masks and to increase the usage of body cams.

The disagreement among parties has left DHS without the funding that it needs to conduct business as usual. The stalemate on Capitol Hill is expected to persist for weeks, as Congress breaks for its two-week Easter and Passover recess.

Republicans believe that Democrats will eventually break and pass the funding bill. There are several Democratic incumbents facing tough elections in November. For instance, Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff is in a vulnerable position, now compounded by hours-long security waits at his hometown airport in Atlanta.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, recently accused the Democrats of holding DHS “hostage in order to protect criminal illegal aliens.” Johnson said that TSA is “reaching a breaking point." At least 50,000 TSA agents have now missed a full paycheck, prompting many of them to call out sick so that they can pick up side jobs elsewhere.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, is also blaming the Democrats for not accepting a proposal from the White House over three weeks ago. Thune claims that the compromise offered by the GOP included "significant gives" that should have appeased the Democrats enough to end the shutdown. The Democrats sent out a counteroffer earlier in the week; however, this did not seem to move the needle for the Republicans.

According to Thune, the offer by the Democrats was mostly the same as previous proposals. Thune said that the White House had offered as much as $100 million to buy body cams, as well as the inclusion of inspector general audits and reviews for noncompliance issues.

White House officials confirmed that their offer would have limited the ability of the federal government to conduct enforcement operations at hospitals and schools. The GOP offer also added the requirement that most ICE agents identify themselves when conducting enforcement activities.

However, the proposal out of the Trump administration did not address the Democrats' demand that ICE agents drop the use of masks. This stipulation is proving to be a sticking point for both parties.

President Donald Trump has been mostly absent from the nitty-gritty aspects of the negotiations. A senior White House official said that the parties are too far apart in their demands at this point to warrant involving the president in the signing of a deal.

Latest Impacts on the Nation's Airports

The shutdown has created travel chaos in dozens of airports in the U.S. Some airports have been forced to close some of their security checkpoints due to a lack of staff. For example, Philadelphia International Airport announced that it has temporarily closed three of its checkpoints in an effort to "help optimize operations across other checkpoints." This means that the major airport now only has three checkpoints in operation.

According to Acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl, at least 366 TSA officers have already quit during the shutdown. Stahl warns that the agency is in danger of losing more officers as the shutdown lingers.

Looking at some of the hardest-hit airports, LaGuardia Airport in New York City has seen wait times of nearly three hours at times. Similar wait times have been reported at William P. Hobby in Houston. Wait times at security checkpoints at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International have stretched for over two hours.

DHS has also warned that some of the nation's smaller airports may be forced to close temporarily should the situation not be resolved quickly. Airport officials are urging passengers to arrive up to three hours prior to domestic flights and four hours for international travel until the shutdown is lifted.

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