TSA Workers Haven't Seen a Real Paycheck, and Staffing is Starting to Show It

TSA officers across the country are working without receiving meaningful pay, and some are walking off the job. The Department of Homeland Security has been without full funding since mid-February, as Senate Democrats and Republicans continue to fight over the 2026 budget, leaving thousands of security officers in limbo.

Martina Santana, a TSA officer at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, says the paychecks that have come through are nearly worthless. "People are saying they got a $4.25 paycheck, a $13 paycheck, a $70 paycheck," she said. The situation is made worse by the fact that this is the second shutdown in less than a year, following a 43-day lapse last fall. Many workers at Sky Harbor are still fighting for backpay corrections from that last stretch.

Union representative Jovan Petkovic says the effects are already showing up on the floor. In just the first two weeks of the current shutdown, Sky Harbor lost eight officers. "Being basically backstabbed, being abandoned basically by our leaders," he said. Absences and resignations are climbing.

The timing is especially painful. Spring break travel is surging, and airports in Houston and New Orleans saw hours-long security lines this week, forcing some passengers to rebook flights. Sky Harbor hasn't seen that same extreme, and Santana credits the experience of its workforce. "Phoenix is different," she said. "We have a lot of old timers that have been here 22, 23 years and they work their 40 hours, they work their 80 plus extra overtime hours." Petkovic warns that loyalty only goes so far, though. "Eventually people are going to get exhausted," he said.

Closer to home, travelers flying out of Palm Springs International Airport are currently not facing the same backups. Airport officials say the average wait time through security is about 15 minutes. Still, PSP recommends arriving an hour and a half to two hours before your flight. You can check live TSA wait times at flypsp.com.