Leading airline CEOs urge Congress to restore DHS funding and compensate airport workers. ‘Once again, air travel is the political football’

The CEOs of the nation’s leading airline companies—including American, Delta, Southwest, and JetBlue—are urging Congress to reinstate funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and adopt a bipartisan approach to compensate federal aviation employees, such as airport security officers, during the partial government shutdown.

“Once again, air travel is the political football amid another government shutdown,” the executives stated in an open letter to Congress, which was published online and in The Washington Post on Sunday.

The letter—also signed by CEOs of cargo firms UPS, FedEx, and Atlas Air—calls on Congress to pass the Aviation Funding Solvency Act and Aviation Funding Stability Act (which guarantee air traffic controllers receive pay regardless of the government’s funding status) as well as the Keep America Flying Act. This measure would extend the same pay protections to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers, who are tasked with providing security and screening all travelers.

“It’s difficult, if not impossible, to put food on the table, put gas in the car and pay rent when you are not getting paid,” the letter said.

The ongoing partial shutdown impacts only DHS, which includes the TSA. Congressional Democrats have declined to fund the department due to their opposition to its immigration enforcement tactics. This funding lapse marks the third shutdown in less than a year that has left TSA workers temporarily without pay—and once the government reopens, they will have to wait for back pay.

Democratic legislators have indicated that DHS will not receive funding until new restrictions are placed on federal immigration operations, following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis earlier this year.

The CEOs noted that with spring break in full swing, the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaching, and celebrations for America’s 250th birthday taking place throughout the year, the stakes are high. The letter added that U.S. airlines expect 171 million passengers this spring season.

As the latest partial shutdown drags on, longer security lines have been reported at an increasing number of U.S. airports.

Both the TSA and DHS have consistently blamed Democrats for the long security lines.

Last week, DHS posted on its X account that more than 300 TSA agents have resigned since the start of the shutdown.