Travelers heading to the airport shouldn’t worry about Transportation Security Administration disruptions as a result of the government shutdown – at least, not yet.
TSA officers are considered essential employees during the shutdown, which means they have to work even though their paychecks may be delayed. Essential employees who work during the shutdown typically receive back pay once the government funding starts flowing again.
“Approximately 61,000 of the agency’s 64,000 employees are considered excepted or exempt and TSA will continue operations to keep the travelling (sic) public safe. The remaining employees will be temporarily furloughed,” the agency said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Still, experts have warned and previous experience shows that the longer a shutdown drags on, the more likely it is for travel disruptions to occur.
“When federal employees who manage air traffic, inspect aircraft and secure our nation’s aviation system are furloughed or working without pay, the entire industry and millions of Americans feel the strain,” Airlines for America, a trade group that represents most major carriers, said in a statement.
The TSA similarly warned that an extended shutdown could lead to headaches for travelers.
“While TSA is prepared to continue screening about 2.5M passengers a day, an extended shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports. We kindly ask for our passengers’ patience during this time,” another social media post from the agency said.
Rising numbers of absences among Federal Aviation Administration and TSA employees have been considered key factors in ending previous government shutdowns, as travelers at the nation’s airports started to feel the pain through longer security lines and delayed or canceled flights.
Still, for now, travelers should expect airlines and airports to operate fairly normally as the government shutdown kicks off, but it’s worth keeping an eye on flight status and security line updates if the funding freeze drags on.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.
