President Donald Trump told Transportation Security Administration workers on Saturday to keep showing up for duty, even after many missed their first full paycheck during the ongoing partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.
In a social media post, he thanked officers for going to work while “not being paid” and said, “Keep fighting for the USA. GO TO WORK! I promise I will never forget you!”
This message came after TSA officers were expected to miss their full paycheck. The funding pause for Homeland Security started on February 14, leaving about 50,000 transportation security officers required to work without pay, while negotiations in Washington stalled.
Trump used his post to blame political opponents for the deadlock, stating the “radical left” would not support a deal approved in Congress. His message reached TSA workers as airports across the country faced pressure from rising absences and resignations during one of the busiest travel times of the year.
“Everybody was thinking it wasn’t going to be a long one this time. They did it to us before, it can’t happen [again]. That’s what everybody’s thought was.”
“In the first two weeks, we lost 8 officers.”
Democrats have already caused so much suffering with their ridiculous and… pic.twitter.com/7uS8pnKLFW
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 12, 2026
CBS News reported that unscheduled absences among airport security officers have more than doubled since the shutdown began, and over 300 employees have left the agency. Department officials told CBS they worry that a longer shutdown could drive even more workers to quit, worsening the staffing gaps already visible at checkpoints nationwide.
One TSA officer told CBS News in Atlanta, “Our kids, our families, houses—everything is at stake at this moment. We are literally drowning in silence, and the world doesn’t even know it.”
The financial impact has become clearer in recent days. NPR reported that many TSA workers received no pay at all in their checks on Friday, even as airline passengers kept paying security fees that fund the agency. Former TSA Administrator John Pistole told NPR those fees have added up while workers still do not see that money in their bank accounts.
Some workers have reported even more serious struggles. Johnny Jones, a TSA worker based in Dallas and secretary-treasurer of AFGE TSA Council 100, told USA Today that some employees had bank accounts at zero or below, with no money for daycare or food.
Federal workers at TSA, the Coast Guard, & FEMA should not be furloughed or working without pay.
But Republicans are holding their paychecks hostage for another blank check for Trump’s lawless ICE & CBP operations. Unacceptable.
I’m calling them out: https://t.co/3b9gPaPiPA
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) March 11, 2026
He also mentioned some workers were sleeping in their cars to save gas and cut costs. People magazine, citing Jones and earlier CBS reporting, noted that these difficulties were occurring as staffing shortages and long lines affected multiple airports during spring break travel.
CBS reported long security lines at airports, including Houston Hobby and New Orleans, last weekend. The TSA also temporarily closed one checkpoint at Philadelphia International Airport on Thursday. Fox Business reported that security lines at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport stretched outside the terminal Friday morning as unpaid TSA workers continued to show up.
The shutdown represents another time of unpaid work for TSA staff following previous federal funding lapses. NPR noted that repeated shutdowns have made recruiting and keeping officers more difficult, with over 1,000 security officers resigning during October and November of last year.
As the standoff continued into mid-March, some airports and local groups in certain cities began collecting grocery and gas gift cards or opening food pantries for unpaid officers. With no funding agreement in place, TSA workers remained on the job Saturday, facing ongoing uncertainty about when their regular paychecks would resume.
