Airport Alert: More Than 100 Airport Leaders Call for the Immediate End to DHS Shutdown

March 23, 2026

This afternoon, more than 100 airport leaders and the heads of AAAE and ACI-NA wrote to congressional leaders urging an immediate end to the DHS shutdown, which has been going on for 37 days. With Congress scheduled to leave at the end of this week for a two-week recess, the airport leaders argued that immediate action is imperative to avoid further disruptions to the aviation system and to ensure that hard-working federal employees are paid for the important work they are doing currently without pay.

The current impasse is having a growing impact on operations at airports across the country and imposing a significant burden on the tens of thousands of dedicated federal employees who ensure the security and safety of the traveling public without pay. This situation has resulted in a growing number of absences or vacancies across the country, as Transportation Security Officers, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck, are forced to contemplate other jobs. TSA recently reported that more than 400 employees have left the agency since this shutdown began and several airports are experiencing call-out rates above 50 percent, resulting in very long lines at security checkpoints. Starting today, the administration has begun deploying federal immigration agents to airports that are the most impacted by staffing shortages.

In addition to calling for an immediate end to the shutdown, airport leaders are urging enactment of legislation to provide pay for TSOs and other critical federal aviation workers during any future shutdown so that they never miss a paycheck again.