TSA Absenteeism Doubles as Government Shutdown Leaves 50,000 Officers Without Pay, Internal Data Reveals

Internal Transportation Security Administration statistics obtained exclusively by CBS News reveal a dramatic surge in unscheduled officer absences since the Department of Homeland Security funding lapse began on February 14, with nationwide callout rates tripling from a pre-shutdown baseline of 2% to an average of 6%. On the worst single day — February 23 — absences reached 9% nationally, with weather compounding the crisis at major hubs: 77% of officers at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and 53% at Newark Liberty failed to report during a severe blizzard. At Houston's William P. Hobby Airport, absenteeism hit 53% on March 8 alone, forcing security wait times beyond three hours and prompting airline advisories urging passengers to arrive four to five hours early. JFK recorded the highest sustained absence rate among major airports at 21%, followed by Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson at 19% and New Orleans at 14%. The agency has also logged 305 employee separations since the shutdown began, a figure that carries long-term consequences given the four-to-six-month training period required before new officers can work independently. Nationwide, TSA tracked 87 operational hotspots in a single day on March 8, representing locations where staffing shortfalls threatened to halt checkpoint operations entirely. Former TSA Administrator John Pistole warned that adversaries could seek to exploit the perceived vulnerability, while also cautioning that repeated pay disruptions permanently damage recruitment and retention. With the first full missed paychecks expected Friday and spring break travel approaching, congressional negotiations remain deadlocked over disputed funding for immigration enforcement agencies, leaving tens of thousands of federal security officers in financial limbo and millions of travelers facing mounting airport delays.