Funding is due to expire Sept. 30, and Congress had not passed all FY2026 spending bills by mid-September; trackers said a shutdown was increasingly likely. It would be FY2026's third lapse; controllers and TSA officers would work unpaid, risking delays during peak fall travel.
During the 43-day shutdown last October and November, unscheduled TSA call-outs rose from around 2% to an average of 6% nationwide; rates reached nearly 50% at Houston Hobby, 76% at JFK during a blizzard and 53% at Newark. More than 300 TSA officers quit, and the FAA instructed airlines to reduce domestic schedules because too few controllers were available to safely manage traffic.
A shutdown beginning Oct. 1 would coincide with peak fall travel, when holiday and leaf-peeping demand leaves airports near capacity. During February's separate DHS shutdown, Global Entry was suspended for enrolled travelers, sending them to standard screening lines; TSA PreCheck was initially at risk but remained available after the agency reversed course. The U.S. Travel Association warned that absenteeism and longer lines become more noticeable in weeks three and four, after workers miss a full paycheck.
