NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n As the partial government shutdown continues to drag on, Transportation Security Administration officers are not getting their paychecks due to the lapse in funding at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).<\/p>\n Over the weekend, airports across the country faced long security delays, with TSA officers calling out of work.<\/p>\n There was a national callout rate of 10.19% on Sunday, a TSA spokesperson told Fox News Digital \u2014 that’s the highest rate the agency has seen.<\/p>\n AIRPORT SECURITY STRAIN DURING SHUTDOWN GROWS AS UNPAID TSA OFFICERS WARN, \u2018WE\u2019RE HURTING\u2019<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Videos circulating of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport<\/a> in Texas show passengers standing in long lines outside.\u00a0<\/p>\n The airport itself posted video on its X account on Saturday showing travelers lined up at 4:30 a.m.<\/p>\n Good morning, travelers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Here is a 4:30 am view of the general security line for Checkpoint 1.<\/p>\n We\u2019re expecting a record-breaking volume of people \u2014 there are about 38k of you flying out today. Please arrive at least 2.5 hours prior to your flight\u2019s departure for domestic.\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/4BSomFYRXz<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (@AustinAirport)\u00a0March 16, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “We\u2019re expecting a record-breaking volume of people \u2014 there are about 38K of you flying out today,” the caption said.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Please arrive at least 2.5 hours prior to your flight\u2019s departure for domestic.”<\/p>\n Passengers were waiting<\/a> for 80 minutes on Sunday and just over an hour on Saturday.<\/p>\n The highest peak wait times seen in Austin were on March 13 at 90 minutes.<\/p>\n The national callout rate for TSA officers was 10.19% this past Sunday.<\/span> (Mark Felix\/Bloomberg via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n On Sunday, LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York City<\/a> faced wait times of nearly three hours, with callout rates of 25.84%, a TSA spokesperson told Fox News.<\/p>\n Not far away, John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) had a 28.2% callout rate, while Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey had a 13.83% callout rate.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Callouts during the shutdown through Sunday averaged 10.24% at EWR, 21.40% at JFK and 12.68% at LGA.<\/p>\n Over 300 airport security officers have left TSA since the start of the DHS shutdown, with unscheduled absences, a TSA official confirmed to Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n Over 300 airport security officers have left TSA since the start of the DHS shutdown.<\/span> (Mark Felix\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n American travel website The Points Guy posted a video of Austin airport lines and captioned the post: “It\u2019s the TSA Hunger Games at many airports across the country.”<\/p>\n The post continued, “Never settle for a long line,” adding a few tips it felt travelers should know<\/a>.<\/p>\n “There are multiple entry points and sometimes CLEAR or PreCheck can be long. I got through Touchless TSA PreCheck in 2 minutes,” the group suggested. “You can opt in to Touchless ID ASAP in your airline loyalty app.”<\/p>\n CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The Points Guy’s account also suggested passengers ask an employee in a red vest to point out the shortest line.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Explain if you\u2019re TSA Pre\/CLEAR\/Touchless. They are helpful, especially if you have kids, and they have lines for those with children or accommodations,” the post continued.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s the TSA Hunger Games at many airports across the country,” said one travel account about what’s going on right now.\u00a0<\/span> (Peter Zay\/Anadolu via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Finally, passengers were advised to “be nice! Everyone is stressed, and TSA agents have missed a paycheck. Even if you have to wait, don\u2019t take it out on frontline officers.”<\/p>\n Fox News Digital reached out to The Points Guy for further comment.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Deondre White, a TSA officer at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in D.C., told Fox News Digital last week that officers are “financially trying to do the best that they can.”<\/p>\n White said that thanks to the financial support of his own family,<\/a> he’s been able “to show up” for his job.\u00a0<\/p>\n TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n “I’m thankful for my family to be able to come to work and be able to provide gas [to travel to work] because the gas prices have been rising,” he said. “However, there are a lot of officers here who do not have those resources or family commitments from others [to help them out].”<\/p>\n He added, “When we’re here, we will do our best as always. We have a crucial mission<\/a>. We do take that very seriously.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
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