Acting TSA head: Budget instability is undermining transportation security

WASHINGTON — The acting head of the Transportation Security Administration warned lawmakers Wednesday that the ongoing Department of Homeland Security funding lapse is straining the TSA workforce, driving up absenteeism and attrition, and contributing to long airport security lines during the spring travel surge.

Ha Nguyen McNeill, the senior official serving as the acting TSA administrator, told the House Homeland Security Committee that TSA was created after the Sept. 11 attacks and is approaching its 25th anniversary later this year. But she said the agency has entered every fiscal year under a continuing resolution and, in fiscal 2026, has been shut down for about half the year even as passenger volumes reach record levels and the transportation sector remains a prime target for terrorists and other threats.

McNeill said TSA screens about 3 million passengers on peak days and that roughly 95% of its workforce — more than 61,000 employees — is considered essential and must keep working during a shutdown even when pay is delayed. She said TSA employees have already worked 87 days without timely pay this fiscal year and that, by March 27, unpaid payroll will approach $1 billion.

She said many Transportation Security Officers live paycheck to paycheck and that missed paychecks are creating hardships that ripple beyond individual families. McNeill told lawmakers the agency has received reports of airports asking the public to donate small gift cards for groceries and gasoline to help officers get by, and reports of some officers sleeping in their cars at airports to save money. She said officers have taken on extra jobs to cover basic expenses and have faced eviction notices, lost child care, damaged credit and late fees.

McNeill said the funding uncertainty is having measurable effects on staffing and morale. She said that during a 43-day shutdown in October and November 2025, about 1,110 TSOs separated from TSA, a 25% increase over the same period in 2024. Since funding lapsed again in February, she said TSA had lost about 460 officers as of March 24.

At the same time, McNeill said daily callout rates at checkpoints have jumped from 4% before the shutdown to 11% nationwide, with some airports reporting callout rates above 40% and 50%. She said TSA is facing about 5% higher travel volume than last year during spring break and that staffing losses are reducing operational capacity, contributing to reported waits of more than 4 1/2 hours at some airports.

McNeill also warned that the runway to major events is short. She said the FIFA World Cup begins on June 11, and that even if TSA were able to hire once funding is restored, the four- to six-month onboarding and training process would mean new officers would not be ready to staff checkpoints until after the tournament ends.

McNeill urged Congress to pass a full-year DHS budget, saying budget instability is undermining transportation security and the workforce responsible for it.