Hundreds of TSA Agents Have Quit Amid Hours-Long Security Lines

Travelers nationwide are dealing with lengthy security line backups at airports due to the partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and, in turn, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

As the shutdown continues, the TSA is increasingly facing staffing shortages that have led to long lines at airport security checkpoints. Unfortunately, it sounds like those staffing issues are only getting worse.

Airport Security Lines Are Hours Long

Though TSA workers receive back pay once a shutdown concludes, they must continue reporting to work without a paycheck until the standoff ends. The extended duration of the current partial shutdown has started to take a toll, however, as some employees have been compelled to seek additional work to cover their expenses, resulting in staffing shortfalls.

Those shortfalls have translated directly to extended waits at airport security checkpoints nationwide. Some airports have already seen lines stretching beyond three hours, sparking a warning from the DHS as travelers face the possibility of missed flights.

"Travelers are facing TSA lines of up to nearly three hours long at some major airports, causing missed flights and massive delays during peak travel," the DHS said in a statement.

Hundreds of TSA Workers Have Quit

These issues all stem from staffing issues within the TSA, as the agency is dealing with an increased number of call-outs from its employees as the government shutdown continues, and they miss paychecks.

Unfortunately, it sounds like those staffing issues are only getting worse.

According to a report from CBS News, hundreds of TSA workers have already quit since the latest shutdown began last month.

"Unscheduled absences among airport security officers have more than doubled during the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown, with more than 300 employees leaving the agency since the start of the DHS shutdown, according to internal TSA statistics obtained exclusively by CBS News," the outlet reported this week.

The latest shutdown, which comes just a few months after the longest full federal government shutdown in history, has led to concerns that more agents will leave and it will be difficult ot hire new ones.

"Behind the scenes, DHS officials worry that the longer the shutdown lasts, the greater the risk that more TSA employees will leave, worsening staffing shortages beyond the immediate crisis. Officials warn that repeated shutdowns interrupting pay continue to make the job less attractive, further undermining recruitment and retention efforts by the federal government over the long term," CBS wrote.

Obviously, this is a growing problem that won't be solved until lawmakers agree on funding for the agency.