The hourslong security lines at a handful of U.S. airports this week highlight the potential problems when a government shutdown coincides with the busy spring break travel season. Houston’s Hobby airport lines consistently lasted more than three hours for much of Sunday and Monday.
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Coconut custard meets pineapple upside-down toppingPope names veteran Vatican diplomat as ambassador to the US to manage relations with TrumpSuecia investiga un carguero que habría transportado grano robado con tripulación rusaLIVE Coconut custard meets pineapple upside-down toppingPope names veteran Vatican diplomat as ambassador to the US to manage relations with TrumpSuecia investiga un carguero que habría transportado grano robado con tripulación rusaU.S. News Airline passengers wait in long lines outside the terminal to get through the TSA security screening at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, Sunday, March 8, 2026. Houston’s secondary airport weathered the worst problems, with lines consistently lasting over three hours for much of Sunday and Monday. Passengers also had to wait more than an hour to get through security at several other airports, including in New Orleans and Atlanta. The surge of millions of travelers as schools take spring breaks would put pressure on even a fully staffed airport system. With the staffing problems that tend to accompany a government shutdown, some airports are are beginning to feel more pressure. Still, most airports have not experienced significantly long security lines., the more likely it is that some will miss work as they take on second jobs to pay for necessities like gas and child care and their other bills. Many may still be rebuilding finances after the 43-day shutdown last fall, the longest in history.Johnny Jones, secretary-treasurer of the TSA union’s bargaining unit, said workers will miss their first full paychecks this weekend since the shutdown began Feb. 14. He said morale among the workforce “has taken a severe hit.” “Over the last 15 months, TSA officers have went through three government shutdowns,” he told The Associated Press. Jones, who also works as a TSA agent, said it took months for him to financially recover from the 43-day shutdown. “I refilled my water buckets and now I’m starting to empty them again. Some people were not so fortunate to be able to refill their water buckets,” he said.has only affected the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats in Congress refused to fund the department because they objected to its immigration enforcement tactics. Democratic lawmakers have said DHS won’t get funded until new restrictions are placed on federal immigration operations following the fatal shootings of The TSA and the Airlines for America trade group quickly blamed Democrats for the long security lines. “This chaos is a direct result of Democrats and their refusal to fund DHS. These political stunts force patriotic TSA officers, who protect our skies from serious threats, to work without pay,” said Lauren Bis, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Department of Homeland Security. “These frontline heroes received only partial paychecks earlier this month and now face their first full missed paycheck, leading to financial hardship, absences, and crippling staffing shortages.” Chris Sununu, president and CEO of the airlines trade group, reiterated his plea for Congress to end the shutdown. “More than 2.7 million people cleared through TSA yesterday, but too many had to wait in extraordinarily long—and painfully slow—lines at checkpoints,” Sununu said in a written statement Monday. “It’s unacceptable to have wait times of 2 or 3 hours. And it’s unacceptable that TSA officers will have $0 in their paychecks this week.” But Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee rejected the notion that they were to blame for TSA officers going unpaid. “FACTS: Democrats introduced a clean bill to fully fund TSA with no conditions. Republicans blocked it,” the Homeland Democrats groupThe country’s longest security lines have been reported at the William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, with wait times topping three hours. Video from New Orleans on Sunday showed the security line stretching out of the terminal and across a parking garage as the wait there peaked at 77 minutes. The lines at both those airports had eased by Monday afternoon, but Hobby airport was still reporting a two-hour wait for security and officials were urging travelers to get to the airport at least three or four hours ahead of their flights. The wait time in New Orleans was reported at 10 minutes in the late afternoon.Neither the Houston airport authority nor TSA would answer questions Monday about why Hobby airport is so prone to long delays during the shutdown. Hobby is smaller than George Bush Intercontinental Airport, which handles roughly three-quarters of all the passengers passing through Houston. But Hobby still handled nearly 15 million passengers in 2024.Funk is an Associated Press reporter who covers transportation including aviation safety and airlines along with all the major freight railroads. Funk also covers Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, the impact of the ongoing bird flu outbreak, agriculture and other news out of the Midwest.Yamat is a national business reporter for The Associated Press. Based in Las Vegas, she covers airlines, travel and tourism.
Chris Sununu Aerospace And Defense Industry Houston Transportation Security Administration Airport Security U.S. Democratic Party GA State Wire Texas TX State Wire Georgia Lauren Bis Renee Good U.S. Government Shutdown Alex Pretti U.S. Department Of Homeland Security Business Johnny Jones Politics U.S. News U.S. News
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