Airports May Close If DHS Shutdown Continues: TSA Official

The Transportation Security Administration has been unfunded for half of the current calendar year.

Travelers wait in line at a TSA security checkpoint at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston on March 20, 2026. Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) told Congress on March 25 that airports might close if the partial government shutdown continues.

“At this point, we have to look at all options on the table. We don’t have the luxury of picking and choosing how we maintain our operations,” TSA acting Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill told House Homeland Security Committee lawmakers on March 25.