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OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
4:30 PM – Wednesday, March 11, 2026
More than 300 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel have reportedly quit since the Department of Homeland Security’s partial shutdown, which began in February.
A review of internal TSA statistics by CBS News found that the number of “employee separations had reached 305 since the shutdown began on February 14th,” when Democrats blocked legislation to fund the department in the Senate.
Internal reports indicate that roughly 50,000 TSA employees are still working without pay as the DHS partial shutdown enters its fourth week. The financial strain has also triggered a massive spike in “call-outs,” with absence rates exceeding 10% at several major hubs.
The impact has been particularly acute at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport, where a 53% absence rate triggered flight delays of over three hours this past Sunday.
Similar disruptions prompted Louis Armstrong New Orleans International to warn passengers of three-hour wait times, while major hubs like JFK and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta struggled with call-out rates of 21% and 19%, respectively. As the operational crisis deepens, the political blame game from both sides of the political aisle has intensified.
Republicans have consistently opposed the shutdown and are pushing to end it through full-year funding for DHS without separating out ICE or Border Patrol components. GOP leaders argue that the ongoing conflict in Iran has elevated domestic threats, as noted by FBI warnings, making it “dangerous” to keep DHS shuttered.
They emphasize the need for fully operational counterterrorism, cybersecurity, and border security efforts during this time.
Republicans also highlight disruptions like longer TSA lines at airports, slowed FEMA disaster responses, and weakened protections against trafficking or child exploitation, maintaining that Democrats are prioritizing social politics over American safety. Republicans reject Democrat proposals to isolate or cut ICE funding, viewing it as a return to “defund the police” policies and essential for maintaining border security.
Additionally, some Republicans have warned that the shutdown could jeopardize security planning for major events, such as the upcoming FIFA World Cup hosted in U.S. cities.
On the flip side, Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) reiterated that his party would support a funding bill for the DHS if it excluded immigration enforcement, referencing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
“We are in a deep disagreement, but an ongoing negotiation about ICE and CBP,” Schatz said. “So, let’s narrow it to just that and fund the rest of the government.”
“They should walk onto the floor and offer unanimous consent to open the Coast Guard, to open TSA, to fund FEMA, to fund CISA,” he added. “I guarantee you there will not be a Democratic objector.”
Last year, TSA workers continued working for 43 days without pay during the full government shutdown, which ended in November, marking the longest lapse in government funding in U.S. history.
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