TSA chief warns staffing problems could close airports, threaten World Cup

The top official at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) warned Congress on Wednesday that staffing shortages tied to the partial government shutdown could force the agency to close small airports and undermine the country’s readiness for this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

In testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee, Ha Nguyen McNeill, the senior TSA official performing the duties of the administrator, said 460 TSA officers have quit since the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ran out of funding on Feb. 14. More than 1,100 officers left during the 2025 shutdown. 

Coupled with rising call-out rates, attrition among officers has driven what McNeill described as “the highest wait times in TSA history,” which she said could compel the agency to make tough decisions, including closing some airports.

“We are being forced to consolidate lanes and may have to close smaller airports if we do not have enough officers,” she said in her opening remarks. “It is a fluid, challenging and unpredictable situation.”

Later in the hearing, McNeill was asked if smaller airports are at risk of closing temporarily or operating at reduced capacity.

“As the shutdown drags on and we see increases in call-out rates, we’ll have to make real-time decisions on how we operate,” McNeill responded. “For example, we have many small airports that operate one or two lanes, and a few call-outs could really severely impact our ability to run the operations. 

“In those scenarios, we would not be able to open the checkpoint at the airport,” she continued. 

The TSA chief also warned that high attrition among staff will have “dire” consequences for the country’s ability to prepare for the World Cup, scheduled from June 11 to July 19 across 16 North American cities, including 11 in the United States. 

McNeill said TSA is expecting the World Cup to bring in between 6 million and 10 million additional air travelers this summer. She expressed concern that the agency will lack trained officers to handle the influx, noting there isn’t enough time to start training new recruits. 

“As the shutdown drags on, we fear we will continue to lose talented and experienced employees to other jobs that can provide a steady paycheck,” McNeill said. “Not only is the shutdown decreasing the number of interested candidates, for those we are able to hire, they are required to complete four to six months of training before they are certified to work at checkpoints.”

“At this point, newly hired officers will not be able to work on the checkpoint until well after the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” she continued. 

“This is a dire situation,” the TSA chief added. “We are facing a potential perfect storm of severe staffing shortages and an influx of millions of passengers at our airports for the World Cup games in less than 80 days.”

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