Travel industry pushes Congress to end DHS shutdown and pay federal security workers

National Travel industry pushes Congress to end DHS shutdown and pay federal security workers March 5, 2026 3:31 PM ET Joel Rose Passengers wait in line at a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint while traveling at Los Angeles International Airport in November 2025. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images WASHINGTON — With the busy spring break travel season looming, travel and aviation industry leaders urged Congress to end the stalemate over funding for the Department of Homeland Security before federal workers at airports miss a full paycheck. Politics What to know about the partial government shutdown "They're showing up. They're doing their job, and they're not getting paid," said Geoff Freeman, the CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, during a press conference Thursday. "It's not just unfair. It's reckless. You can't run an industry with $3 trillion in economic impact on IOUs." DHS has been shut down for nearly three weeks after lawmakers failed to negotiate a budget deal to fund the agency or agree on changes to how immigration officers operate. Many of the Transportation Security Administration's roughly 64,000 employees are considered " essential " workers and have to stay on the job anyway. In past shutdowns, TSA officers stayed home from work in greater numbers when they started missing paychecks, citing " financial limitations ." Travel and aviation industry leaders worry that could happen again just as travel volume picks up in March and April. "We're going to see sick outs. We're going to see screeners who love their jobs but are going to be forced to look for other jobs," said Todd Hauptli, the head of the American Association of Airport Executives. "TSA is going to do their very best to try and keep those lines moving, but they're not going to sacrifice safety. And that means people should be prepared as this drags out for longer lines." Politics Trump fires Kristi Noem as D...