TAMPA, Fla. — The partial government shutdown, which is impacting the Department of Homeland Security, is now going into week four, which means TSA workers will be missing their first full paycheck this week.
Travelers across the country are facing longer wait times at airport security checkpoints as the partial government shutdown creates TSA staffing shortages during the busy spring break travel season.
Tampa Bay 28 reporter Annette Gutierrez spoke with travelers at Tampa International Airport to see how the staffing shortages are affecting them locally.
Watch report from Annette Gutierrez
Tanisha Battle, a seasoned traveler who uses TSA PreCheck, said she missed a Monday morning flight to Colombia for work — not because of the TSA lines, but because of issues with a third-party booking.
When Gutierrez asked whether there were fewer workers, Battle responded saying, "here definitely was — there definitely was."
Battle acknowledged that her familiarity with TSA PreCheck may have given her a false sense of security when it came to timing.
"I thought I gave myself enough time, but I will confess I'm typically pretty spoiled going through TSA PreCheck, so I probably didn't give myself enough time as I needed," Battle said.
Spring breaker Noah Cercone, a student at the University of Arizona, traveled to Tampa for the weekend and was heading to Boston to visit family when he ran into problems at security.
"TSA has been tough. They said my flight wasn't updated, so I got kicked out of the TSA line. [When] I got out in Tucson, I got like secondary screened, which I didn't love," Cercone said.
DHS tweeted saying “Spring Break [is] Under Siege” and blamed democrats for holding travelers quote, “hostage for political points.”
SPRING BREAK UNDER SIEGE.
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) March 8, 2026
The Democrats’ DHS shutdown has led to HOURS long security lines at airports across the country, leading Americans to miss their spring break flights.
There is ZERO reason for spring break travel to be held hostage for political points — Democrats… pic.twitter.com/sp1vnzXJbb
Travel expert with Going.com, Katy Nastro, said travelers are now feeling the real impact of the partial government shutdown on airport security.
"This is the first pay period that TSA workers did not receive any compensation, yet they are still required to show up day in and day out, doing their job at 110%. So there is a real financial burden that is really starting to set in for these workers," Nastro said.
A Tampa International Airport spokesperson said the airport is experiencing higher passenger volume due to spring break, but so far there are no significant delays at their security checkpoints.
Battle advised other travelers to learn from her experience.
"Get to the airport early so you can plan for any issues," Battle said.
Officials at Tampa International Airport recommend travelers arrive two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before international travel. But experts said with higher spring break travel and ongoing TSA staffing shortages, it may be best to arrive even earlier.
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