US airports face potential closures due to a growing shortage of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening staff. This warning comes as over 30% of TSA personnel were absent from some airports nationwide last week. The situation is a direct result of staff working without pay for the past month, following the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) not receiving operational budget approval from Congress. Adam Stahl, acting deputy director of the TSA, stated in an interview on 17/3, "We may be forced to close some airports, especially smaller airfields, if security personnel absenteeism continues to rise."

The underlying cause is the partial shutdown of DHS operations. DHS partially ceased operations last month after Congress failed to approve its budget. This has forced 50,000 TSA employees, designated as "essential workers," to continue working without pay. The problem of screening staff at airports taking leave or calling in sick is worsening.

TSA officials have clarified the specific conditions under which closures would occur. Following Stahl's statement, TSA spokesperson Nick Dyer clarified that airports would only close if the number of TSA staff reporting for duty was "too low to adequately staff a full security checkpoint." Dyer did not specify which airports might be affected, stating that decisions would be made "on a case-by-case basis."

Acting Deputy Director of the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Adam Stahl. *Photo: FOX News*

The staff shortage has already led to significant disruptions at major airports. The shortage of TSA screening staff has caused security check wait times to extend for hours at many US airports, both large and small. On 16/3, over 37% of TSA staff at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest, did not report for work. On the same day, absenteeism at Kennedy Airport in New York surpassed 30%, and at LaGuardia Airport, it was over 20%.

The highest single-day absenteeism was recorded on 14/3 at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, with 55% of TSA staff absent.

The outlook for the immediate future remains challenging. Stahl warned that the coming period would be "extremely difficult," predicting that passengers could continue to face hours-long waits. "The situation will get worse before it gets better."

US passengers queue for security checks, spilling out of the Austin-Bergstrom Airport terminal, Texas, on 13/3. *Video: X/Tom Miller*

By Duc Trung (FOX News, WSJ, AP)