TSA airport chaos continues nationwide amid partial government shutdown

Security lines for air travelers remain unpredictable as some airports see high levels of call outs by Transportation Security Administration officers who are working without pay amid a partial government shutdown. 

In Atlanta, travelers were warned about two-hour wait times Friday morning. For travelers needing special assistance, long wait times create a bigger challenge.

“I have MS. How are you going to expect me to stand up and push my own self in a wheelchair?” air traveler Ambria Britt said. “I had to pay a stranger $100 to push me and get me through the TSA line.”

Passengers also endured long security lines in Houston that exceeded three hours. Other airports, including those in Denver, Charlotte, and Detroit, security lines were a breeze.

TSA workers recently missed their first full paycheck since the partial government shutdown began in mid-February after funding for the Department of Homeland Security lapsed.

On Capitol Hill, the impasse shows no sign of breaking anytime soon.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says if Congress can’t come to an agreement on funding DHS, air travel will only become more difficult.

“This is going to look like child’s play what’s happening right now,” Duffy said. “You’re going to see small airports, I believe, shut down. You’re going to see extensive lines, and air travel is going to almost come to a stop.”