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Amid the partial government shutdown, at least 61,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents are going without pay<\/a>. Regardless, the employees, who are considered essential workers, have to continue showing up to work, despite not earning an income. And over 3,000 agents\u2014over 10% of the total agency\u2014aren\u2019t showing up to work at all<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The situation has caused major financial strain for agents who work in an already demanding job that doesn\u2019t seem to have a safety net. Now, they\u2019re caught in the middle of a political battle that\u2019s caused historic chaos and dysfunction in airports across the country: terminals are standing room only, with security lines snaking their way through multiple floors of the building, with passengers waiting for hours.<\/p>\n When essential workers get pushed to the brink\u2014supermarket staff during the pandemic, service staff facing abuse during the holiday season, and many more\u2014it exacerbates the challenges they already face, between low pay and difficult working conditions. These jobs are hard to begin with. Now, the system is being stretched, and it\u2019s a complete disaster\u2014harming both the workers and the rest of us, too.<\/p>\n Most TSA agents work paycheck to paycheck. According to a 2026 TSA Pay Scale fact sheet<\/a>, some entry-level positions start at $34,454 a year before bonuses or locality adjustments. The average salary for agents noted on the site is $46,000 to $55,000 with adjustments based on location. That means most TSA agents earn well below the national average salary of $66,622.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It\u2019s an unfortunate reality that affects many essential workers, who are also historically overworked and underpaid. As bills pile up, some agents are relying on food banks and donations\u2014a third of TSA workers in Indiana have done so<\/a>.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the first time in recent months that agents have gone without pay. TSA paychecks were held up for 43 days last fall during the longest government shutdown<\/a> in history, as well as for several days<\/a> earlier this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n At present, at least 400 agents<\/a> have been forced to turn in their resignations amid the shutdown. Call-out rates have doubled, and at some airports, like Baltimore\/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, soared to over 11%<\/a>. The missing TSA employees have hardly gone unnoticed. As airport lines have led to missed flights, chaotic scenes, one tragic accident which led to two deaths<\/a>, and growing concerns about public safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\nFinancial nightmare for agents<\/h2>\n