TSA Callout Rate Hits Record 11.76% as DHS Shutdown Enters Sixth Week
Sunday set a new record with the highest TSA officer callout rate since the DHS partial shutdown began on February 14, reaching 11.76%. Over 400 TSA officers have quit since the shutdown started, with 50,000 remaining officers classified as essential and working without pay. TSA agents missed their first full paychecks last week, triggering accelerating callout rates: over half of Houston TSA staff called out sick, with nearly a third doing so in Atlanta and New Orleans. Philadelphia closed three security checkpoints entirely. The attrition forced DHS to deploy ICE agents to 14 airports for crowd management, an unprecedented use of immigration enforcement personnel in transportation security roles. No resolution pathway is visible as the DHS funding standoff continues.
The prior IC brief tracked TSA peak wait times at 200 minutes (Houston IAH Terminal E). Today's callout rate data (11.76%) quantifies the workforce hemorrhage driving those waits. The 400+ resignation figure represents a 35% acceleration from the 300+ reported last week. Each departing TSO requires 4-6 months of training to replace, meaning even an immediate funding resolution would leave capacity gaps through summer.