6 weeks, 3 missed paychecks and hourslong lines: Here’s what the shutdown has looked like for agents and passengers
By Graham Hurley, CNN
(CNN) — A partial government shutdown restricting funding to the Department of Homeland Security has caused a ripple effect for airports across the country, worsening airport lines amid an incredibly busy spring break travel season.
The shutdown began February 14 and fueled chaos at airports. Transportation Security Administration employees, including airport security screeners, are required to work but will not be paid until after funding is restored. Union leaders say many are not coming to work, as they cannot afford gas to get there or child care for their children.
Air travelers are paying the price of the shutdown with unpredictable, snaking TSA lines at airports across the country, jeopardizing their chances to pass through security on time for their flights. An end to the shutdown will not immediately alleviate these painful security lines, as it may take days, if not weeks for TSA to return to full staffing levels, union officials said.
CNN compiled a list of milestones since the shutdown began to illustrate the deluge of consequences for both passengers and agents.
February 14
The partial government shutdown begins due to a deadlock between Senate Democrats and Republicans over funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency that is part of the DHS.
February 22
The Department of Homeland Security initially suspends both Global Entry and TSA PreCheck but reverses course on the TSA PreCheck suspension hours later.
TSA suspends escorts for members of Congress at airports amid the funding lapse, with DHS saying they “put increased strain on our officers.” TSA later noted some airports continued to have “non-DHS entities” providing escorts.
February 27
TSA workers receive only a portion of their paycheck due to the partial government shutdown. This paycheck only includes pay for the second week of February, as government funding for the agency lapsed on February 14.
March 5
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is fired by President Donald Trump following mounting frustrations from White House officials and GOP lawmakers. Noem oversaw agencies under DHS, including TSA, the Coast Guard, ICE, FEMA and more.
March 9
Security lines at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport surge to more than three hours due to a shortage of TSA workers. The airport advises travelers to arrive four to five hours before their scheduled flight to ensure they have enough time to pass through security.
Roughly three weeks into the partial government shutdown, travelers face hourslong security lines at airports across the country, including Houston’s Hobby Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
Here’s what those lines looked like:
March 11
The Global Entry program is reactivated after it was halted roughly a week into the ongoing partial shutdown.
March 13
More than 300 TSA workers have resigned about a month into the partial government shutdown, DHS says, as employees miss their first full paycheck and callout rates swell.
March 21
The number of TSA agents leaving rises from 300 to more than 400, DHS says, as President Trump contemplates sending ICE agents to airports to assist TSA agents amid intense airport security lines across the country.
March 22
TSA lines exceed several hours at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport with lines wrapping around baggage claim and extending outside of the terminal.
As passengers face mounting TSA lines, at least four of the country’s leading airports are unable to provide estimated wait times.
March 23
ICE agents are deployed to 14 airports across the country to address TSA agent shortages, says White House border czar Tom Homan. Those airports include Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
March 24
Delta suspends some specialty services, including airport escorts, for members of Congress due to the impact of the partial government shutdown disrupting US air travel.
March 26
Nearly 500 TSA workers have quit since this started, and thousands continue to call out as the partial government shutdown continues into its sixth week.
A record number of TSA agents call out of work with a callout rate of 11.83%, marking the highest reported rate during the ongoing government shutdown, the agency reports.
March 27
In a rare overnight session, the Senate votes unanimously to fund most of the DHS except for ICE. Hours later, the House rejects the Senate-approved plan, leaving the shutdown unresolved into the weekend.
Despite the action, long security lines persist, with some travelers at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport waiting up to three hours.
Just minutes after the House speaker rejects the Senate-approved plan, the White House releases a memo directing the DHS to pay TSA agents despite the ongoing partial shutdown.
March 30
Many TSA employees received at least part of their overdue pay Monday morning. The two full missed paychecks hit their bank accounts, but according to the workers’ union, the deposits did not include the balance of the partial paycheck from the end of February.
CNN’s Aaron Cooper, Samantha Waldenberg, Lauren Chadwick, Alexandra Skores, Tami Luhby and Clare Foran contributed to this report.
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