The ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, caused by a partial government shutdown, has significantly affected operations at several major airports across the United States.
On Sunday, airport security checkpoints across the United States saw long lines due to staff shortages at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which is part of DHS.
Most affected Houston, New Orleans
Airports in Houston and New Orleans were among the worst affected on Sunday, with William P. Hobby Airport experiencing delays of up to three hours.
A statement from Houston Airports, which includes Hobby and George Bush Intercontinental Airports as part of its system, said the shutdown “may impact security operations on a daily and shift basis.”
‘Longer than average lines’
Social media posts from New Orleans’ Louis Armstrong International Airport on Sunday said a lack of TSA agents at security was leading to “longer than average” lines.
The airport urged passengers to arrive at least three hours before departure and said waiting times could be up to two hours. She warned that similar delays could continue into next week.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Charlotte Douglas International and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston also reported longer than normal lines.
Outages before peak travel season
The disruption comes as airlines expect to carry 171 million passengers between March 1 and April 30. That’s nearly 4 percent more than the average of nearly 3 million passengers each day during the same period in 2025, according to Airlines for America.
U.S. Transportation Security Administration agents are expected to work without pay during the ongoing department shutdown that began Feb. 14.
What DHS said
“This chaos is a direct result of Democrats and their refusal to fund DHS,” DHS spokeswoman Lauren Bis said in a statement to CNN. “These frontline heroes were only partially paid earlier this month and now face their first full missed paycheck, leading to financial hardship, absenteeism and crippling understaffing.”
