Here's what to know about TSA lines this weekend amid shutdown
Here's what to know about TSA lines this weekend amid shutdown
Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY Sat, March 28, 2026 at 5:44 PM UTC
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President Donald Trump has signed an order to redirect funds to pay Transportation Security Administration personnel, but the administration said paychecks are still several days away, which could mean continued historic wait times at airports.
Trump signed the order on March 27, after weeks of a partial government shutdown that has left the TSA without funding and its employees working without pay. Hundreds of staff have quit and many have not shown up for work, leaving security lines stretching outside some terminals as passengers wait hours in some cases.
Signs of a possible funding deal have seemingly vanished once again, after efforts in Congress to come to an agreement were dashed over a split on money for immigration enforcement operations.
Interactive: Check the latest TSA wait times at major airports
Read more: TSA lines are breaking records. How to make it less stressful with kids, elderly or a disability
As the situation escalated at airports, Trump sent Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to supplement gaps in staffing. They have made appearances in recent days at some airports around the country, and Trump has also floated sending National Guard members.
Here's what we know about the latest updates on TSA funding and airport delays:
1 / 0ICE agents appear at airports as TSA delays snarl check-in
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents patrol at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City, March 23, 2026. Hundreds of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were ordered to deploy to airports to help fill TSA staffing gaps across the country.
Trump signs order to pay TSA staff
TSA officers and employees could see paychecks as early as March 30, instead of waiting for back pay when the shutdown ends, after Trump signed the order to reroute federal funds to pay them in a move without Congress.
Trump said an "unprecedented emergency situation" caused by the "Democrat-led DHS shutdown" warranted the action.
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Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin began the process of paying TSA workers as soon as Trump signed the memo. The agency said TSA employees should begin receiving paychecks as early as March 30.
More: If a deal is reached, when do airport lines go away?
Track wait times at the airport ahead of your trip
USA TODAY has created a tracker of TSA wait times at select major airports across the country to help travelers plan their weekend travel. It is every 10 minutes.
Is TSA funded yet? Where things stand in Congress
As of March 28, there is little sign that a deal is imminent to resolve the partial government shutdown that is fueling turmoil for travelers and unpaid TSA workers. That's despite what seemed like optimism earlier in the week that a deal could be reached.
On March 27, the House of Representatives passed a stopgap funding measure that Democrats called "dead on arrival" with virtually no chance of passing in the Senate because it didn't have Democrat support.
A bipartisan deal reached in the Senate the previous night, which would have funded all but ICE and Border Patrol, was dashed when House Republicans split with their Senate counterparts and refused to support it.
What happens next in the ongoing impasse is not clear.
Contributing: Zachary Schermele, Trevor Hughes, Bart Jansen
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is TSA funded yet? What we know about wait times, shutdown
Source: “AOL Breaking”
