On March 12, the U.S. Senate remained deadlocked over emergency funding for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as partisan disagreement continued over whether to approve money for the entire Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Democrats sought to approve a standalone funding measure for the TSA on Thursday, but the effort was blocked as Republicans demanded that any appropriation include the full DHS. Later in the day the Senate scheduled a procedural vote on a Republican plan to fund all of Homeland Security. That measure is expected to fail, mirroring earlier unsuccessful attempts, after Republican Senator Bernie Moreno raised an objection to the Democratic proposal to fund the TSA separately.
Absent a resolution, the dispute has already produced operational consequences at U.S. airports. TSA officials report that more than 300 officers have quit since the DHS funding lapse began, out of roughly 50,000 TSA employees at U.S. airports. Those absences have contributed to longer security lines at multiple airports over the past week and prompted at least one airport to close a checkpoint.
TSA personnel are facing immediate financial strain: TSA workers will miss their first full paycheck on Friday. The staffing shortfalls have alarmed carriers as they prepare for what industry forecasts expect to be a record-breaking spring travel period.
Airlines and airports face heightened pressure ahead of the busy season. Carriers are projecting 171 million passengers will fly over the upcoming two-month spring travel window, a figure that is 4% higher than the same period last year. In response to staffing shortages, Philadelphia Airport said on Thursday it closed a terminal checkpoint. Earlier in the week, airports including Houston Hobby and New Orleans reported security lines that exceeded two hours as TSA absences rose.
Political leaders traded blame over the impasse. Democrats accused Republicans of taking TSA funding hostage, while Republicans countered that Democrats were grandstanding and unwilling to fund the full Department of Homeland Security.
Funding for the Department of Homeland Security lapsed on February 13 after Congress failed to agree on immigration enforcement reforms that Democrats had demanded. With funding still unresolved and a key procedural vote expected to fail, uncertainty remains about when a comprehensive funding solution will be approved and how long operational strains on airport security will continue.