As seen in data sporadically released by the Department of Homeland Security, unplanned absences of Traffic and Security Administration employees remain elevated at U.S. airports, which continues to make wait times more lengthy for travelers. TSA officers received back pay in late March and early April after going without their salaries due to a partial government shutdown since February. However, there have been reports of incomplete payments and a new DHS memo suggests that paychecks could stop again going forward as an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on March 27 to restore pay is on a shaky legal footing. As long as the shutdown is continuing, funds to pay employees are frozen and its is unclear if Trump's workaround of using "reasonable" funds will stand.
In week six of the shutdown, callouts of TSA employees had reaches historic highs in the U.S., with unplanned absences at 11-12 percent overall between March 23 and March 28, compared to a usual baseline of 2 percent. Some airports were affected even more severely, leading to hour-long waits, missed flights and general chaos. At Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson airport, 37 percent did not report to work on March 23, compared to 34 percent at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, 28 percent at Pittsburgh International Airport and 20 percent at Philadelphia International Airport.
As of April 5, these numbers were down to 14-25 percent. Overall, 8 percent of TSA employees were still absent unplanned on this date, showing that normalcy has not returned to U.S. airports yet.
