Wait times at U.S. airports shorten as TSA workers get paid

After weeks of disruptions at airports across the U.S., wait times have returned to normal on Monday, 30 March 2026. All 50,000 ‌Transportation Security Administration security officers who had not been paid since mid-February have been receiving retroactive pay following an emergency directive.

On Friday, 27 March 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an emergency directive, demanding that TSA workers get paid, despite a failure of Congress. The order thus effectively put an end to the partial government shutdown. According to the Homeland Security Department, workers would start getting paid on Monday, 30 March, receiving at least two full two-week paychecks. According to White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, the president only signed the emergency directive when he did because of the “existential crisis” at many airports.

For the first time in weeks, wait times at many U.S. airports have gone back to normal following the initiative. Many of the 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers reportedly received part of their salaries in retroactive pay; however, according to CNN, others were still waiting for their paycheck or had only received a partial payment.

That being said, on Monday, 30 March 2026, the result of the emergency directive could be felt at hubs such as New York’s John F Kennedy (JFK) International Airport, Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Baltimore’s Thurgood Marshall Airport, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Wait times dropped to mere minutes at most airports across the U.S., and call-out numbers are expected to have decreased significantly.

TSA crisis

Since 14 February 2026, when the U.S. experienced a partial government shutdown, some 50,000 TSA employees have been left without pay. As their jobs are considered essential, TSA officers are required to continue working in such a situation, even when their salaries are suspended.

However, with the government shutdown going on for over a month, the salary suspension led to financial problems for many TSA employees, some of whom were obliged to take out expensive loans and max out their credit cards to be able to afford basic necessities.

Thanks to the Democrats’ reckless shutdown of DHS, travelers in TSA security lines are experiencing the highest wait times IN HISTORY.

Enough is enough. Democrats must end this shutdown and stop holding American travel hostage. pic.twitter.com/cnwOIIRhv5

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) March 25, 2026

Moreover, as call-out numbers rose steeply and with some 500 officers having left the agency over the past six weeks, wait times at some of the biggest airports in the U.S. – including Baltimore, Houston, New York, New Orleans, and Dallas – increased to several hours instead of the usual minutes. According to news agency Reuters, the TSA recorded the longest waiting times in its 25-year history.