Acting TSA Head Highlights Record Airport Wait Times Amid DHS Shutdown
On Wednesday, Ha Nguyen McNeill, the acting head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), testified before a House homeland security committee regarding escalating airport wait times during the ongoing partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), now in its sixth week. McNeill stated that airports nationwide are experiencing the "highest wait times in TSA history" as the shutdown continues.
At the hearing, McNeill explained that the TSA has been without funding for 50% of the current fiscal year, a period that includes last year’s unprecedented 43-day lapse in federal funding. She informed lawmakers that by Friday, TSA employees will have missed $1 billion in paychecks due to the shutdown.
“Many in our workforce have missed bill payments, received eviction notices, had their cars repossessed and utilities shut off, lost their childcare, defaulted on loans, damaged their credit line, and drained their retirement savings,”
“Some are sleeping in their cars, selling their blood and plasma, and taking on second jobs to make ends meet.”
McNeill noted that prior to the shutdown, the TSA’s absence rate was approximately 4%. Currently, she reported that between 40% and 50% of staff are calling out because they cannot afford to work without pay.
Concerns Over Staffing and World Cup Passenger Surge
McNeill also warned about the lengthy training period required for transportation security officers (TSOs), which takes four to six months. She emphasized that any new hires will not be prepared to staff checkpoints before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scheduled to begin in less than 80 days.
“This is a dire situation,” McNeill said. “We are facing a potential perfect storm of severe staffing shortages and an influx of millions of passengers at our airports for the World Cup games in less than 80 days.”
Political Disputes Over Funding and ICE Agent Deployment
During the committee hearing, partisan disagreements were evident. Republicans continued to blame Democrats for the funding impasse, while Democrats questioned the deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to several U.S. airports to assist TSA operations.
Bennie Thompson, the committee’s ranking member, criticized the use of ICE agents, stating:
“These agents cannot do TSA’s job, nor should they, and they aren’t trained to do it,”
“So we see images of ICE agents standing around or walking through terminals, doing nothing to reduce the lines at security checkpoints, while TSA personnel continue to do their jobs without pay because Republicans refuse to vote for legislation to fund TSA. It’s ridiculous and maddening, but not surprising.”
Despite highlighting the extensive training required for TSOs, McNeill maintained that ICE agents assigned to airports are performing “non-specialized screening functions” and have been “incredibly helpful to alleviate the burden on our workforce.”
Stalled Negotiations on DHS Funding
Negotiations on Capitol Hill remain at an impasse after Democrats rejected the latest Republican proposal to fund most of the DHS—including the TSA, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Coast Guard, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)—while excluding ICE and placing its funding in a separate budget bill intended for reconciliation.
The Republican plan also excludes immigration enforcement reforms demanded by Democrats following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis earlier this year.
“ICE needs to act like every other law enforcement agency, with warrants, with badge numbers, with standards of conduct,”
said Democratic congressman Seth Magaziner during Wednesday’s hearing.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stated that Democrats presented a “reasonable, good faith” counteroffer on Wednesday, which Republicans quickly rejected.
<“They’re asking for things that have already been turned down. So it just seems like they’re going in circles,”
said Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
Since ICE received $7.5 billion through Trump’s comprehensive policy bill last year, it has largely been insulated from the funding lapse affecting other DHS agencies.
Testimonies from Other DHS Officials
Alongside McNeill, Thomas Allan, the Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard; Nicholas Andersen, the Acting Director of CISA; and Victoria Barton, an Associate Administrator at FEMA, also testified before the House committee.
Barton noted that while some FEMA staff can continue working due to the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), the fund currently has only $3.6 billion remaining. She warned that if another major storm occurs, the DRF could be depleted “pretty rapidly.”
