DHS Shutdown Hits 40 Days: TSA Wait Times Exceed Four Hours as Spring Break Travel Surges

The Department of Homeland Security shutdown has entered its 40th day with no resolution in sight, and the impact on American travelers has reached crisis levels. TSA agents are working without pay, wait times at some airports have exceeded four and a half hours, and a funding deal that appeared close to completion has stalled on Capitol Hill.

The Current Situation

Federal employees handling airport security, disaster response, and cybersecurity have gone without paychecks for more than five weeks. The TSA has already lost more than 480 transportation security officers during this shutdown, and at some airports, 40 to 50 percent of the workforce is calling out of work on certain days, according to DHS press releases.

“This has led to the highest wait times in TSA history, with some wait times greater than four and a half hours,” TSA officials reported. The timing could not be worse—spring break travel is at its peak, with millions of families heading to airports expecting the normal 30-to-45-minute security process.

How We Got Here

The shutdown began on February 14, 2026, when Congress failed to reach agreement on Homeland Security Department funding. The dispute traces back to a series of events involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to Wikipedia’s summary of the 2026 shutdowns.

The core disagreement centers on ICE funding and reform. Democrats have refused to fund the agency without significant reforms to rein in the tactics of immigration officers, while Republicans and the White House insist on maintaining current enforcement authority. According to CNN, the talks have sputtered as anxiety in both parties spikes over the political fallout.

An additional complication: President Trump has linked any deal to the SAVE America Act, an overhaul of federal election procedures unrelated to DHS funding, according to NPR. This additional demand has made an already difficult negotiation even more complex.

The Failed Deal

A bipartisan Senate deal appeared close to fruition earlier this week. Senate Republicans and the White House were nearing an agreement that would fund most of DHS while carving out ICE’s enforcement and removal operations for separate negotiation, according to CNBC.

However, the deal failed to clear an initial procedural vote on Wednesday. Most Democrats said they were unwilling to approve any additional ICE funding without significant reforms, and some Republicans balked at what they viewed as an incomplete solution, according to CBS News.

Both parties have framed the other as responsible for the chaos. Democrats point to ICE conduct as the underlying issue that must be addressed. Republicans accuse Democrats of holding TSA workers and travelers hostage over an unrelated policy dispute. The political blame game continues while the practical consequences worsen daily.

Impact Beyond Airports

While TSA delays grab headlines, the DHS shutdown affects agencies far beyond airport security. FEMA operations are affected during what meteorologists warn could be an active hurricane season. Coast Guard personnel are working without pay. Cybersecurity operations through CISA—the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency—are operating at reduced capacity at a time when cyber threats remain elevated.

Secret Service agents protecting federal officials continue to work without compensation. Immigration courts, already facing a backlog of millions of cases, have paused many proceedings. E-Verify, the system employers use to confirm work authorization, experienced intermittent outages.

What Happens Next

The Senate is expected to hold another test vote on a modified funding bill in the coming days. However, without resolution of the core ICE funding dispute, any bill faces uncertain prospects in both chambers.

Some lawmakers have proposed a “clean” continuing resolution that would fund DHS at previous levels without addressing the ICE controversy—essentially kicking the policy fight to a later date while getting employees paid. This approach has precedent from the first shutdown earlier this year, which ended after four days with a similar stopgap measure.

Pressure is building from both sides. Airline industry groups, business organizations, and bipartisan groups of governors have called for immediate action. Public polling shows declining approval for both parties’ handling of the situation, which may eventually create enough political pressure to force a compromise.

For travelers, the practical advice is blunt: arrive at the airport at least three hours before domestic flights and four hours before international departures. Check your airline’s app for real-time security wait time estimates. And consider TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, which use separate, faster screening lanes that have been less affected by the staffing shortage.

Sources

NPR — DHS Funding Deal on Shaky Ground — accessed March 26, 2026
CNBC — Senate Republicans, White House Nearing Deal to End DHS Shutdown — accessed March 26, 2026
CNN — Deal to Reopen DHS Sputters on Capitol Hill — accessed March 26, 2026
CBS News — DHS Shutdown Senate Funding Deal — accessed March 26, 2026