Long Airport Lines Persist Despite Trump's TSA Pay Memo

Airports in major cities advise travelers to arrive 4 hours early as government shutdown continues

Mar. 28, 2026 at 6:55pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Several major U.S. airports, including those in Atlanta, Baltimore, and Houston, are warning travelers to arrive at least 4 hours before their flights due to long security lines, even after President Trump signed a memo directing the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to pay its workers. The partial government shutdown, which has left many TSA employees working without pay, is the root cause of the airport delays, with no clear end in sight as Congress remains at an impasse.

Why it matters

The ongoing government shutdown is causing significant disruptions at airports across the country, with TSA staffing shortages leading to extremely long security lines that are frustrating travelers and threatening to disrupt air travel. The president's memo attempting to pay TSA workers has not yet resolved the issue, underscoring the broader political dysfunction in Washington.

The details

Despite President Trump's directive to pay TSA workers, airports in major cities are still advising travelers to arrive 4 hours early due to persistent security line delays. The shutdown began when Congress failed to agree on a spending measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the TSA. House Republicans rejected a bipartisan Senate bill to end the shutdown, instead passing a short-term funding measure that Democrats have vowed to block. Trump's memo aims to tap funds from his 2025 tax and spending bill to provide back pay and ongoing paychecks for TSA employees, but it remains unclear if he has the legal authority to do so without Congressional approval.

  • On March 28, 2026, President Trump signed a memo directing the TSA to pay its workers.
  • On March 29, 2026, airports in Atlanta, Baltimore, and Houston warned travelers to arrive 4 hours early due to long security lines.

The players

Donald Trump

The 45th President of the United States, who signed a memo directing the TSA to pay its workers during the ongoing government shutdown.

Chuck Schumer

The Democratic leader in the U.S. Senate, who has stated that the House Republicans' short-term funding measure is 'dead on arrival' without new policies to restrict Trump's immigration crackdown.

Jill DeJanovich

A TSA worker and the Nevada union representative, who expressed skepticism about how much the president's memo will actually help TSA employees who have been working without pay.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“We're supposed to get our back pay, only nothing continuing on. While we are thankful and we're grateful that we will supposedly be getting that, it's really just a temporary Band-Aid, because we're not going to be paid from here on out. It's just our back pay. So essentially, we're just resetting the clock.”

— Jill DeJanovich, TSA worker and Nevada union representative

What’s next

The Senate is not scheduled to return from its two-week recess until after the current funding measure expires, leaving the government shutdown at a continued impasse with no clear resolution in sight.

The takeaway

The ongoing political stalemate in Washington is causing significant disruptions for air travelers, with the president's efforts to pay TSA workers not yet resolving the long security lines plaguing major airports. This highlights the broader dysfunction in the federal government and the need for a bipartisan solution to end the shutdown and provide stability for critical government services.