TSA Officers Are Quitting in Droves

Airport security is quietly bleeding staff as Washington's latest funding fight drags on. More than 1,110 TSA officers have left their jobs since the partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown began Feb. 14, a TSA spokesperson tells Politico, marking a sharp increase from the 830 departures reported at the start of last week and matching the 1,110 departures reported during last fall's 43-day federal shutdown. With roughly 50,000 officers on the rolls as of late March, the exits raise questions about staffing ahead of the June start of the FIFA World Cup; new hires need four to six months of training before they can fully work airport checkpoints.

DHS has been relying on emergency funding President Trump authorized from last year's GOP spending package, but Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin says that money could run out in early May, potentially reviving the long lines seen earlier in the shutdown. A union official representing TSA workers tells CNN there's a good chance payments could end after the first week of May. Any quick fix looks unlikely: House Speaker Mike Johnson signaled Monday that the House will demand changes to the Senate-passed DHS funding bill, likely prolonging the partial closure.