Airports nationwide are teetering on the brink of closure as the wave of absences among TSA agents continues, compounded by the ongoing government shutdown.

Security wait times have ballooned to nearly two hours across the U.S., a direct result of TSA employees missing paychecks. Adam Stahl, the acting deputy administrator of the TSA, has warned that this situation might escalate to the point where entire airports, especially smaller ones, could cease operations.

“It’s not an exaggeration to suggest that we might actually have to shut down airports if the number of call-outs increases,” Stahl remarked.

The Senate’s failure to advance a bill to finance the Department of Homeland Security has brought Stahl’s warning closer to becoming a reality.

“We evaluate these situations on an airport-by-airport basis,” Stahl explained to CNN on Wednesday.

Although they lack the authority to directly close airports, TSA agents are crucial for maintaining operations, as their security checks are essential for flights to proceed safely.

‘As the weeks continue, our TSA officers, as long as they don’t get paid, they’re going to continue to call out, they can’t afford to come in, and they’re going to quit altogether.’ 

The potential for closure is likely to only affect smaller airports due to having less foot traffic, as TSA can send volunteer screeners to high demand airports that are low on staff but they have been entirely used up. 

Airports across the country could be on the verge of shutting down as TSA agents continue mass callouts with the agency still shut down

A traveler shows a chronometer on their phone, running from the time they got in line to when they reached the security checkpoint, as passengers wait in long TSA lines during a partial government shutdown at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta

‘The reality of the situation is this is going to get worse before it gets better, if we don’t see any sort of action,’ Stahl said. 

The vast majority of employees at TSA are considered essential and continue to work during the government funding lapse, but they are doing so without pay. 

Call-out rates have started to increase at some airports, leading to longer screening times for many passengers. 

About 50,000 TSA workers have been working without pay since February 14 because the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is shutdown. 

At least 366 agents nationwide have quit their jobs, the DHS said.

Airports have already descended into chaos amid massive security lines caused by the ongoing government shutdown.

Wait times to pass security have stretched to around two hours nationwide after TSA workers’ pay was stopped.

At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport the lines are so long that they have spilled beyond screening checkpoints and into the baggage claim area.

Wait times to pass security have already stretched to around two hours nationwide after TSA workers’ pay was stopped but now TSA’s acting deputy administrator, Adam Stahl (pictured), said that entire airports may come to a halt

While they cannot close down airports through any specific action, TSA agents essentially keep airports running, as the pre-flight checks are a requirement for planes to take off

In Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, the TSA line stretched down an escalator with waits reaching 180 minutes.

New York’s LaGuardia Airport saw long queues as early as 4.50am, with travelers spilling into the parking lot as they waited.

In Houston, the Bush Intercontinental Airport has been forced to reduce TSA and pre-check service due to to the shortage of agents.

Call-outs at the Houston airport reached nearly 41 percent earlier this week, according to CBS.

Throughout the week, disruptions have also been reported in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Orlando, Philadelphia and other airports on both coasts. 

The delays come as TSA staffing has been thinned by the shutdown, for which there is no immediate end in sight.

Agents have missed paychecks as a result, prompting a mass wave of callouts and even resignations that threaten to paralyze travel in the US.

As of this afternoon, 793 cancellations and more than 5,000 delays had been reported nationwide, per FlightAware.

A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent walks past air passengers waiting in long security screening lines to pass through a TSA checkpoint

About 50,000 TSA workers have been working without pay since February 14 because the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is shutdown

Democrats declined to provide the support needed to move the funding measure toward final passage. 

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he would offer an alternative measure Saturday to fund just the Transportation Security Administration, which screens passengers and luggage for hazardous items. 

That too is likely to fail as lawmakers hold a rare weekend session.

Behind the scenes, work toward resolving the standoff intensified Friday as White House border czar Tom Homan was set to meet for the second consecutive day with a bipartisan group of senators. 

Democrats are demanding changes to immigration enforcement practices by federal agents following the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis. 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said that he sees ‘deal space’ coming out of the discussions with the White House. 

But he also questioned whether Democrats were serious about reaching any agreement that would provide more money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

‘This is a pox on everybody’s house,’ Thune said. 

‘You’ve got people standing in lines at the airports. This needs to be fixed. It needs to get resolved and there are good-faith efforts being made finally on all the relevant issues.’

On the Senate floor, Schumer said he agreed that TSA needs to be reopened as quickly as possible — but not under the terms Republicans are offering, which is to fund the entire Homeland Security department. 

Democrats are looking to fund TSA while continuing negotiations on Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

‘Tomorrow, America will see the matter crystal clear: which senators want to open up TSA, pay TSA workers, and end the chaos at our airports, and which senators are going to block TSA funding yet again,’ Schumer said.

Democrats have demanded an array of policy changes as part of a funding bill that include requiring ICE agents to get a warrant from a judge before forcefully entering homes. 

They also are looking to require agents to wear identifying information on their uniforms and ban the use of masks.

‘The American people have had enough of this rogue agency. We need to rein it in. And we are negotiating right now over how to do that,’ said Senator Patty Murray, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The Trump administration says it has agreed to several changes already, including expanded use of body-worn cameras, with an exception for undercover operations, and limited civil enforcement activities at certain sensitive locations, such as hospitals, schools and places of worship. 

Republicans also note that Trump has fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and put Homan in charge of operations in Minneapolis, actions they say show the administration’s intent to make changes in ICE’s operations.

Congress is scheduled to go on an extended break near the end of the month for a two-week Easter recess. 

Thune has threatened to keep senators in Washington if the impasse is not resolved.

‘I can’t see us taking a break if the government is still shut down,’ Thune said.

The Daily Mail has reached out to the US Department of Transportation for comment on the delays and the shutdown.