More than 3,200 TSA officer “callouts” and over 450 resignations during the 38-day Department of Homeland Security shutdown strained airport screening operations, with Houston, Atlanta, and New Orleans among the hardest-hit hubs, Fox News reported.
- Timeframe: The disruptions occurred during the 38-day DHS shutdown that ended Jan. 25, 2019, according to Fox News’ reporting.
- Absences: TSA recorded more than 3,200 officer callouts nationwide during the shutdown period, Fox News reported, citing TSA data.
- Resignations: More than 450 TSA officers quit nationwide during the shutdown, Fox News reported.
- Most-affected airports: The highest concentration of callouts was reported at major hubs including Houston, Atlanta, and New Orleans, according to Fox News.
- Operational impact: The callouts and staffing losses contributed to screening delays and longer checkpoint lines at some airports, Fox News reported.
- Workforce pressure point: TSA officers were among the DHS employees required to work during the shutdown without pay until appropriations were restored, a dynamic that federal agencies have said can worsen attrition and absenteeism during funding lapses.
The shutdown—triggered by a lapse in appropriations for DHS—forced hundreds of thousands of federal employees into either furlough status or “excepted” status (working without pay). TSA’s screening workforce falls into the latter category, meaning officers continued staffing checkpoints even as paychecks stopped.
Fox News reported that the combination of callouts and resignations created acute staffing gaps at high-volume airports, complicating TSA’s ability to maintain normal screening throughput. While TSA has previously emphasized that security standards remain in place during disruptions, staffing volatility can still translate into longer waits and reassignments to cover critical posts.
For federal employees and service members who travel for duty, the episode underscores how shutdowns can quickly affect mission support functions that rely on continuous operations—especially at transportation nodes. For TSA employees, the report highlights the career risk of prolonged funding lapses: missed pay, increased workplace strain, and potential downstream effects on staffing levels after operations resume. (For broader shutdown mechanics and common misconceptions, see FedBrief: https://fedbrief.org/)
Source: Fox News Politics, “TSA callouts hit Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans hardest; 450 officers have quit nationwide” (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tsa-callouts-hit-houston-atlanta-new-orleans-hardest-450-officers-have-quit-nationwide)