The Airport Meltdown

What It Covers

NYT reporters Karoun Demirjian and Michael Gold examine how the ongoing DHS shutdown has produced record-breaking TSA wait times at U.S. airports, with callout rates exceeding 40% at Houston and 30% at JFK, and how congressional negotiations to end the crisis remain unresolved.

Key Questions Answered

• •Shutdown lag effect: TSA workers, earning roughly $50,000 annually, began missing shifts approximately six weeks into the DHS shutdown once personal savings depleted. High cost-of-living cities like Houston and New York saw callout rates exceed 40% and 30% respectively, as workers sought alternative income to cover rent, food, and transportation costs.
• •ICE deployment limitations: The Trump administration deployed ICE agents to airports to offset TSA staffing shortfalls, but ICE personnel lack TSA screening training and cannot operate security equipment. Their primary role has been distributing water. Meanwhile, ICE continues receiving pay from a separate multi-billion-dollar funding pool established in last year's domestic policy bill.
• •Training pipeline risk: Since the shutdown began, 480 TSA officers have resigned permanently. Replacing each officer requires four to six months of training, meaning any resignations today cannot produce functional screeners before the FIFA World Cup this summer, when international traveler volume is projected to surge significantly at U.S. airports.
• •Republican compromise offer: Senate Republicans proposed funding all DHS agencies except ICE immigration enforcement and deportation operations — a significant concession to Democratic demands. President Trump rejected the proposal and added a new condition: any deal must be paired with passage of the Save America Act, which mandates voter ID requirements and has no connection to DHS.
• •Democratic leverage calculation: Democrats face a strategic dilemma — accepting a deal that defunds ICE without codifying specific reforms (warrant requirements, agent identification, no masks) risks losing all enforcement leverage permanently, since Republicans would have no remaining incentive to negotiate ICE restrictions once TSA workers receive back pay.