More than 400 TSA officers have quit since shutdown began

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NBC News

March 21, 2026, 6:15 PM EDT / Updated March 21, 2026, 6:25 PM EDT


More than 400 Transportation Security Administration workers have quit since a partial government shutdown that began on Feb. 14 has left them working without pay, the Department of Homeland Security said.

Funding was shut off to DHS over demands by Democrats for reforms at Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection following alleged abuses and the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis earlier this year.

There has also been a national callout rate of 10% at TSA on more than half the days of the last week, Lauren Bis, acting assistant secretary for public affairs at DHS, said Saturday in response to questions.

TSA, which is under DHS, has around 65,000 employees. Of that number, 50,000 are front-line officers who are is responsible for security at the nation’s airports. Of the TSA officers who quit during the shutdown, almost half have over three years of experience and a third have over five years, the agency said.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/400-tsa-officers-quit-shutdown-rcna264581

[pfitz59]

1. GOP demands Gestapo funding

no matter the national disruption

[iluvtennis]

2. Reduce funding for ICE and fund the TSA. Don't fold demorats. n/t

[Vinca]

3. Who can blame them? I think Congress needs to pass a law that when no one gets paid because of the

shutdown, it includes them and anyone else in administration who is now managing to get a paycheck. No health coverage either. It might spur them to act a little faster.

[jfz9580m]

4. Jeez - shutdown 2.nt

[IronLionZion]

5. Defund ICE and use that money to pay TSA workers

[D_Master81]

6. Honestly don't know why you'd stay

The way thr government is shutting down all the time now why stay in a job to work with no pay? Sure you get all your money eventually but how many can go without pay for a month?

[cmmngrnd]

7. This appears to be normal, not the result of lack of pay.

The NBC news article is reporting something normal and implying it is unusual. The focus should have been on the 10% callout rate.

tldr: TSA normally experiences an 11% attrition rate, which is about 460 front line workers a month. It has been a little over a month since lack of pay started (Feb 14, 2026).

Under Biden the TSA worker's received a significant pay increase. TSA pay was below the norm for similar federal worker positions, but beginning in Fall 2023 TSA pay was brought up to par. Some worker experiences as much as a 31% pay increase. According to Congressional testimony of David P. Pekoske, Biden's Secretary of Transportation, this brought attrition rates down from 20% to 11%. From the testimony -

"t has been my number one priority to bring TSA’s workforce compensation levels commensurate with those of our federal government counterparts, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it is already paying dividends in ways that will have a measurable impact on our mission performance. This compensation system now matches the minimum compensation levels with the General Schedule (GS) pay scale and as reflected in TSA’s 2023 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey scores, its implementation has already improved TSA’s morale and overall employee satisfaction. TSA’s attrition has dropped from nearly 20 percent to roughly 11 percent today, and there has also been a rise in recruiting, hiring, and retention."

As the OP source article notes, there are about 65,000 TSA employees, of which 50,000 are front line. Applying an 11% attrition rate to just the 50,000 gives an annual attrition rate of 5,500, or just under 460 per month.

It is a credit to Pekoske and the Biden administration that they've made the TSA a desirable enough workplace that people staying. It is a credit to the TSA workers that they are effectively protesting the current situation through work slowdowns and no-shows. Federal employees, especially those involved with safety and security, have few options and they are taking advantage of the ones they have. Some of us old timers remember when Reagan fired the striking federal air traffic controllers.

[FakeNoose]

8. I think we should be more focused on what's the next step

Since TSA isn't getting the job done, the ICE agents will be at US airports doing TSA's job starting tomorrow.

THAT scares the shit out of me!

It's going to be a rolling disaster if the ICE agents continue to behave in the same manner as they were in Minneapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles, and elsewhere.

[Martin68]

10. If ICE agents pull a Minneapolis in airports, there will be hell to pay. It would affect citizens over the entire

country, and Americans would have to stop ignoring the problem and arrest Trump and his lackeys.

[FakeNoose]

11. I totally get it, and it scares me

I'm not in Minnesota but if I were there, I'd definitely be among the protesters.

Hopefully the use of ICE is going to be discretionary according to the wishes of the state governors. Not all governors will allow the ICE agents, while others will welcome them. Or at least they believe it won't be a problem.

[Martin68]

9. This is great news. America has to suffer before she wakes up and vomits Trump and his lackeys out of

the political system and society.