March 23, 2026
Chaos. That’s the only way to describe what Senate Democrats have done to American air travel. We are on the 37th day of the Department of Homeland Security shutdown and there is no end in sight.
For the third time this year, TSA workers have been forced to work without paychecks—equating to 43% of the fiscal year that they have been working under these conditions. That’s just plain cruel.
And it’s having a devastating effect on the system. More than 300 have been forced to resign from a job they’ve committed their lives to. Morale is in the gutter and forget trying to hire. Can you imagine the job listing?
“Come work for us—you’ll be forced to show up for work where you’ll be tasked with screening millions of passengers who will be frustrated with hours-long wait times and you are responsible for keeping things moving but also keeping us safe from terrorism—and you must be willing to work under these conditions without pay until politicians face enough pressure to stop using you as a political bargaining chip. No date certain.”
It would be laughable if it weren’t true.
My heart goes out to the hardworking men and women of the TSA and their families who are suffering greatly right now. It’s unconscionable, and that’s why I have been working to find a solution to this crisis that would ensure our TSA workers are never again forced to be pawns in Washington’s political games.
This week, I introduced the “Pay TSA Act of 2026” that would take an existing 9/11 security fee that every passenger pays when they purchase a ticket and allow it to go to keeping TSA workers paid in the event of a government shutdown. It’s a nominal fee–$5.60 for a one-way ticket, $11.20 for roundtrip, that is already attached to the purchase of every ticket, but instead of allowing those funds to be diverted as they currently are, it would help keep TSA operations running smoothly during shutdowns, which is vital to our national security.
Every day that this shutdown continues is a national security crisis waiting to happen. We need our TSA agents to be right 100% of the time and we cannot be naïve about our adversaries’ desire to harm America, particularly during times of global conflict. That means giving the department and the workers the resources they need to do their jobs safely, effectively, and efficiently.
We are less than two weeks away from the Easter holiday and spring break, which will see an influx of millions more Americans relying on air travel. The House did its job and passed funding to reopen DHS and its way past time for the Senate Democrats to stop the filibuster games and do the same.
Sincerely,
Rep. Nicholas A. Langworthy
Member of Congress
