Unlike the 43-day government shutdown in 2025, the current lapse in funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is unlikely to halt air travel outright. However, if it drags on, it could gradually trigger longer security lines, increased delays, and scattered cancellations.
Congress’s failure to pass legislation funding DHS operations resulted in a partial government shutdown that took effect Saturday, Feb. 14, at 12:01 a.m.
According to Courthouse News, a statement released Friday, Feb. 13, by several industry groups — including Airlines for America, U.S. Travel Association, and the American Hotel & Lodging Association — warned that the shutdown threatens to disrupt air travel ahead of the busy spring break season.
“Travelers and the U.S. economy cannot afford to have essential TSA personnel working without pay, which increases the risk of unscheduled absences and call outs, and ultimately can lead to higher wait times and missed or delayed flights,” the statement said.
Air traffic control operations remain funded
The 2025 shutdown, which ran from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12, forced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to reduce air traffic by 10% at 40 major airports, reports Gate Access. The outlet noted that increased workloads for air traffic controllers, including mandatory six-day workweeks without pay, led to mass call-outs and warnings that officials could not guarantee the safety of the national airspace.
This shutdown follows a different trajectory for air traffic controllers. The FAA operates under the Department of Transportation (DOT), which has been funded through Sept. 30. As a result, controllers will continue to receive scheduled paychecks and maintain normal operations.
Air traffic controllers and key FAA safety personnel are deemed “essential,” requiring them to work even when other parts of the federal government lose funding.
TSA workers face financial strain
While planes will continue taking off, the people and processes behind the scenes are under mounting pressure.
During the funding lapse, the vast majority of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees, who fall under DHS, are required to report to work without pay until an agreement is reached. Approximately 61,000 TSA employees must continue working at more than 430 commercial airports nationwide.
Pay disruptions could begin affecting agents as early as March if the shutdown persists, with fully unpaid work coming later in the month. That financial strain is likely to manifest at security checkpoints as longer lines, closed lanes, and longer wait times. For passengers, arriving at the airport on time may no longer guarantee clearing security before departure.
The ripple effects extend beyond the checkpoint. When security lines swell, airlines face more late-arriving passengers, missed flights, and crowded gate areas — disruptions that can compound throughout the day. While airlines can adjust staffing and scheduling to soften the impact, they have limited control over government-run security and air traffic services. A prolonged shutdown can gradually erode the reliability that frequent travelers expect.
During last fall’s shutdown, several airlines were forced to close checkpoints. Major U.S. carriers, including Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, along with regional partners such as SkyWest Airlines, Republic Airways, Envoy Air, Endeavor Air, and PSA Airlines, cut flights and routes following a 10% reduction in air traffic at 40 major airports.
Immigration dispute at center of funding impasse
The funding stalemate stems from a dispute between Congress and the current administration over immigration enforcement policies within DHS, particularly involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Democrats have refused to support the Homeland Security spending bill unless it includes new limits and oversight provisions for ICE and CBP. Tensions escalated following the January killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti during raids in the Minneapolis area.
“I will NOT support the DHS bill as it stands,” top appropriator Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said, after previously backing the legislation. “Federal agents cannot murder people in broad daylight and face zero consequences,” she wrote in a January social post on X.
Republicans argue the proposed reforms would weaken immigration enforcement and undermine former President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda. As a result, they have rejected most of the Democrats’ conditions.
The proposed provisions include requiring court warrants to enter private property, requiring agents to wear visible identification and badge numbers, limiting face coverings, expanding body-camera use, stricter use-of-force standards, and independent investigations of shootings.
Under Senate rules, 60 votes are required to advance the funding bill. Democrats have voted as a bloc to block the Republican-backed version that excludes their proposed guardrails, preventing it from moving forward.