As TSA Workers Get Paid, Airports Return to Business as Usual

Articles | March 30, 2026 | by Catholics for Catholics

Share

Normalcy is starting to replace chaos in major airports across the country.

By Catholics for Catholics

Major U.S. airports that underwent vast commotions for weeks after 50,000 ‌ Transportation Security Administration officers went without pay since mid-February, say operations are going back to their normal strides.

Airports that in recent weeks suffered gargantuan delays in cities like Dallas, Baltimore, Houston, New York and New Orleans, all reported short lines on Monday. The stalemate brought bedlam and in ​some cases security lines topping four hours, the longest in the TSA’s nearly 25-year history, according to a story by Newsmax.

After 50,000 Transportation Security Administration security officers went without pay since mid-February, big U.S. airports that underwent major disruptions for weeks now say operations are returning to normal.

On Friday, President Donald Trump signed an emergency directive ordering TSA workers to get paid, after a failure of Congress to end the 45-day-old partial government shutdown and Homeland Security Department.

Some workers reported on social media that paychecks arrived in their bank accounts early Monday.

TSA workers are now getting PAID and are starting to see money show up in their bank accounts thanks to President Trump’s executive order on Friday instructing DHS Secretary Mullin to pay TSA.

(nbcwashington on TT) pic.twitter.com/Tv9uCkHMXg

— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) March 30, 2026

More than a third of workers did not show up on Friday at New York JFK, Baltimore, Atlanta, and New Orleans and 45% of workers did not show up Friday at Houston’s two airports.

On Friday, absences reached a high since the shutdown started with about 12.4% of workers not showing up, or 3,560 and massive lines were reported at many major airports. More than 500 airport security officers have quit since February.

Democrats in Congress have held up funding for DHS while demanding changes in rules governing its immigration operations, after agents in Minneapolis shot and killed U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti.