You might not think it possible, but waiting in line at airport security is somehow getting worse.
Thousands of travelers in the US waited up to three hours at security checkpoints on Sunday as the ongoing partial government shutdown caused staff shortages at the Transportation Security Administration.
Some stalled travelers shared photos of the winding lines and crowds on social media. A video shared on X by Aubry Killion, an anchor at WDSU, the primary NBC affiliate in New Orleans, showed a line of passengers stretching all the way out into the parking garage.
A photo shared to Reddit showed a massive crowd at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia, where wait times have reached an hour. The airport is also encouraging travelers to arrive early for their flights.
“The delays are the result of residual impacts from two ground stops issued on Friday, which created a temporary backlog in passenger volumes, combined with current TSA staffing constraints,” a Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport spokesperson told Business Insider.
Houston Airports, which operates the William P. Hobby and George Bush Intercontinental airports in Texas, warned travelers that the wait times could be hours long.
“As a result of the partial federal government shutdown, passengers at William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) should arrive at least 4 to 5 hours before their flight to allow extra time for TSA screening,” the operator said in a press release. “At times, TSA wait times at HOU may extend beyond 180 minutes.”
Houston Airports said TSA PreCheck may be unavailable at William P. Hobby Airport due to limited staffing. At George Bush Intercontinental Airport, travelers were told to allow extra time for security screening.
The Department of Homeland Security last month said it was suspending TSA Precheck and Global Entry due to the government shutdown, but later backtracked, leaving it up to individual airports.
Lauren Bis, deputy assistant secretary for public affairs at DHS, said TSA agents “received only partial paychecks earlier this month and now face their first full missed paycheck, leading to financial hardship, absences, and crippling staffing shortages.”
TSA agents are federal workers under DHS, which means they are directly affected by the partial shutdown that began in January. During the earlier 43-day government shutdown last year, TSA agents went weeks without pay. A shortage of air traffic controllers at airports in 2025 played a significant role in forcing the government to reach an agreement.
The US Congress failed to reach an agreement to fund DHS in February, in part because Democrats demanded changes to how the department enforces immigration law.
The long waits affected several major airports across the United States. The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Louisiana also told travelers to arrive early.
“Due to impacts from the federal government’s partial shutdown, the TSA is experiencing a shortage of workers at the security checkpoint, which is causing longer-than-average lines,” the airport wrote on X. “Passengers with travel scheduled today are advised to arrive at least 3 hours before their scheduled departure to allow plenty of time to undergo security screening.”
Security checkpoints at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina are about a 50-minute wait.
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