Trump's TSA Pay Order Aims to Ease Airport Security Delays

The executive order instructs the Department of Homeland Security to immediately pay Transportation Security Administration officers, but the impact remains unclear.

Mar. 28, 2026 at 6:37pm

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday instructing the Department of Homeland Security to immediately pay Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers, in an effort to alleviate long security lines at major U.S. airports during the busy spring travel season. However, it's uncertain when the impact of this move will start to be felt, as TSA staffing issues have led to significant delays and some airports recommending passengers arrive up to four hours before their scheduled departure.

Why it matters

The TSA staffing crisis has caused major disruptions at airports across the country, with some locations experiencing daily call-out rates of 40% among TSA officers. This has led to clogged check-in areas, long security lines, and passengers showing up far too early for their flights. Trump's executive order aims to address this issue by ensuring TSA officers are paid, but it remains to be seen whether this will be enough to bring workers back and significantly improve the situation in the short term.

The details

Trump's executive order on Friday instructed the Department of Homeland Security to pay TSA officers immediately, although it's unclear when the impact of that move will start to be felt at airports. The signing came at a busy travel time of the year, with spring breaks at school districts and colleges and the upcoming Passover and Easter holidays. Some passengers reported little trouble getting through security on Saturday, but others said lines were growing exponentially longer by the hour at major airports.

  • On Friday, President Trump signed the executive order to pay TSA officers immediately.
  • On Saturday, some passengers reported little trouble getting through security, while others said lines were growing longer at major airports.

The players

Donald Trump

The President of the United States who signed the executive order to pay TSA officers immediately.

Markwayne Mullin

The Homeland Security Secretary who said TSA personnel could get paid as soon as Monday.

Caleb Harmon-Marshall

A former TSA officer who runs a travel newsletter called Gate Access and estimates longer lines could linger for another week or two.

Betty Mitchell

A passenger who arrived at Philadelphia International Airport at 12:30 a.m. Saturday for a 5 a.m. flight but waited nearly three hours to get through TSA and missed her flight.

Baltimore-Washington International Airport

An airport that recommended travelers arrive four hours before their scheduled departure time due to the long security lines.

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What they’re saying

“All at once it became a mad house. It was crazy long lines. Never have I seen it that long. If the airlines work with TSA in these trouble(d) times, maybe it would help the public.”

— Betty Mitchell, Passenger

“If it's only for a pay period, that's not enough to bring them back. It has to be an extended pay for them to come back or want to stay there.”

— Caleb Harmon-Marshall, Former TSA officer and travel newsletter publisher

“We have not previously experienced checkpoint wait times similar to what we are seeing this morning.”

— Baltimore-Washington International Airport

What’s next

It remains to be seen whether the promise of immediate pay for TSA officers will materialize on schedule and if it will bring an immediate end to the long security lines at airports. Airports will also need to decide whether to reopen checkpoints or expedite service lanes they had closed or consolidated due to inadequate staffing.

The takeaway

The TSA staffing crisis has caused major disruptions at airports across the country, with long security lines and passengers showing up far too early for their flights. While Trump's executive order to immediately pay TSA officers is a step in the right direction, it's unclear how quickly it will improve the situation, as workers will need to be confident that they won't face more skipped paychecks before returning to their posts.