WASHINGTON (March 26): Nearly 500 airport security officers have quit since the start of a partial government shutdown in February and long lines ​continued to snarl airport traffic around the country, the Homeland Security Department said on ‌Thursday. More than 11% of TSA officers, or 3,120 agents, did ⁠not show up for work on Wednesday. Senate Republicans and Democrats continue to debate a proposal ‌that ⁠would allow funding to resume for TSA and other Department of Homeland Security agencies. Republicans have rejected Democratic proposals ​to fund TSA ⁠while negotiating over reforms for how Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents operate. Hundreds of U.S. immigration agents and Homeland Security Investigations officers began deploying at 14 U.S. airports on Monday to aid security screening.

Source: The Edge Markets March 26, 2026 16:40 UTC