This past week, a US Senate vote to reopen the Department of Homeland Security failed as lawmakers continue to tussle over its funding. Amid the congressional standoff, the lock on the department funding is entering its second month, even as travellers face hours-long lines and missed flights at airports across the United States.

As flyer chaos rages on, the situation has only worsened, with hundreds of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers throwing in the towel. According to a CBS News report citing internal TSA statistics, more than 300 TSA officers have quit over the budget battle since the DHS shutdown began on February 14.

A slew of others have also taken unscheduled absences. In light of the developing situation, the Donald Trump administration’s DHS continues to blame it all on Democrats. On Sunday (US time), the federal agency published a series of posts depicting how the shutdown is impacting US airports and passengers. Videos shed light on “SHOCKINGLY long lines” at several airports as TSA officers still at the location continue to work without pay.

ALSO READ

Hundreds of TSA officers quits amid DHS shutdown

While more than 300 have reportedly left their TSA posts to look for other jobs, many others have continued to call in sick or simply given in to unscheduled absences. The data cited by CBS indicated that the agency recorded 305 employees parting ways with TSA between February 14 and March 9. Amid the already chaotic scenes at airports, it is believed that it could take months to replace those agents, especially since months-long training periods are also required before onboarding.

According to TSA’s figures obtained by CBS News, TSA officer call-out rates have soared to double-digit percentages at some airports. At Houston’s Hobby Airport, 53% of officers called out on March 8, with 47% calling out the following day. This resulted in nearly half of the scheduled officers not reporting to work during the two-day period.

Over at the John F Kennedy International Airport, TSA officers’ absence rate averaged at 21%, accounting for the highest among major US airports during the shutdown, as per CBS. Other severely impacted locations are: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (19%), William P. Hobby Airport in Houston (18%), Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (14%) and Pittsburgh International Airport (13%).

As per a report by the Federal News Network, tens of thousands of DHS employees missed their first full paychecks on Friday. Meanwhile, about 90% have continued to work without pay, including employees at TSA and other branches of the agency.

At a time like this, TSA employees are inevitably feeling the strain of the missed salaries. “A lot of employees that I’ve talked to don’t have any money in their bank account,” Johnny Jones, secretary-treasurer of American Federation of Government Employees Council 100, which represents TSA workers, told the Federal News Network. “They’ve already missed half a check, so they don’t know what bill to pay.”

He added, “TSA employees are still going in every day — they’re going to work. And if they can’t go to work, it’s because they don’t have any funds. It’s been very stressful.”

DHS releases shocking US Airport videos amid air travel crisis

Not only the DHS, but even passengers have flooded social media with photos and videos of long waits at various airports in the US. And so, the agency has chosen to further amplify those tweets by re-sharing and consistently dragging Democrats for the shutdown.

The official X handle of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport posted multiple photos depicting the mayhem at the scene on Sunday. “Here is your 6AM Departures Hall check-in!” the airport said. “We are seeing very long lines for TSA screening and airline bag check. We encourage you to get here 2.5 hours before your domestic flight, 3 for international.”

ALSO READ

DHS re-posted and wrote sardonically on X: “Thank a Democrat.”

Sharing another post of the sort, DHS plugged a clip from a local news broadcast shedding light on the “SHOCKINGLY long lines at Fort Lauderdale International Airport.” The agency added, “Security lines in Fort Lauderdale stretched out the DOOR this morning as Democrats continue to force our patriotic TSA officers to work without pay — for the THIRD time in nearly six months.”

As similar pictures from the Atlanta Airport made it to X, DHS wrote further, “Airports coast to coast are seeing major delays, HOURS-long security lines, and missed flights because of the Democrats’ DHS shutdown. SAVE SPRING BREAK. REOPEN DHS NOW.”

On the same side of the conversation, a traveller issued a stark warning for others headed for Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. Posting a photo of the mind-numbingly long queues at the airport, she said on X, “Don’t go to ohare unless your life depends on it (mine does because I have to escape the cold).”

A US reporter captured similar scenes at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport early Sunday morning.

What prompted the DHS shutdown?

The DHS continues to experience a partial shutdown and funding deadline, as Democrats have long demanded reform of immigration policy amid the heated debate over how federal immigration agencies operate. This was especially prompted by the killings of two US citizens in Minneapolis at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Republicans and other federal authorities have persistently dragged out the political agreement by taking endless swipes at Democratic lawmakers. Even this month, the White House put out an official news release saying, “As Radical Left Democrats drag the Department of Homeland Security shutdown into its 24th day, everyday Americans are paying the price.”

Donald Trump’s White House has further accused Democrats of prioritising immigrants over Americans. “Democrats negotiated a bipartisan, full-year DHS funding bill — then walked away from the table, choosing illegal aliens over public safety and forcing these essential workers to serve without pay yet again,” the White House said in the March 9 news release.