SYRACUSE, N.Y. —Travelers at Syracuse Hancock International Airport say they’re bracing for delays as a federal government shutdown forces TSA officers nationwide to work without guaranteed pay. As we go into the fifth week of the partial government shutdown, are choosing to stay home leaving travelers to face significant delays at major airports nationwide.
Travelers passing through Syracuse Hancock International Airport say they are already feeling the ripple effects, even if local wait times have remained manageable. Robin Asciuti, was making her way back home from Orlando and described enduring a 90-minute security line at Orlando International Airport, a sign of what many flyers are now navigating at busier hubs around the country.
While travel continues throughout the country, many travelers agree that it is an unfair situation for TSA agents. ©Jordan Booker, 2026
But travelers like Asciuti and Charlene Debright who was making her way to Houston, feel sympathy for these agents and said those who continue to report to work and screen passengers without pay deserve better from their government.
“I don’t think it’s fair,” Debright said. “The government, as well as Homeland Security, should come together and be united and pay these TSA workers because they’re working hard without pay. And that’s a tremendous amount of pressure.”
Asciuti echoed that sentiment, noting that the situation hits close to home. “We actually feel horrible for those TSA employees,” she said. “I have some friends that are employees and it’s not fair what’s happening. They truly need to be paid.”
The Department of Homeland Security has been without funding since Feb. 14, when Congress failed to pass a new DHS appropriations bill. The impasse stems from a broader political standoff over immigration enforcement policy.
Democrats refused to support DHS funding unless changes were made to immigration enforcement policies, including requirements for agents to clearly identify themselves and prohibitions on racial profiling, demands that followed a federal immigration crackdown in Minneapolis that left two U.S. citizens dead. Republicans rejected those demands, and negotiations have stalled ever since.
For travelers flying out of Syracuse Hancock, the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority is offering some reassurance amid the nationwide chaos.
“We are pleased to share that SYR has not encountered similar operational impacts at this time. The SRAA is deeply grateful for the Syracuse community and their continued support during this difficult period,” said the SYRAA Communications Team.
As of now, the political stalemate shows no immediate signs of resolution, and it is everyday travelers and federal workers who are bearing the cost.