US-POLITICS-TSA-SHUTDOWN

Travellers wait to check in for their flights at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, on March 18, 2026. US airport security officers missed their first full paycheck on March 13 as a partial funding shutdown of the government approached the one-month mark, with no breakthrough in a congressional standoff that is beginning to disrupt travel across the country. The lapse in funding is forcing thousands of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staff to work without pay as spring travel picks up, raising fears of staffing shortages, longer security lines and flight delays. (Photo by kena betancur / AFP via Getty Images)