The DHS Shutdown Is Over, But Its Impact on the TSA—and Air Travel—May Persist

The partial government shutdown that left the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unfunded for 75 days ended on Thursday. But the toll it has taken on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) may still be felt for months to come, experts have warned.The most visible impact of the shutdown occurred at airports, where staffing shortages among TSA employees caused lengthy delays for passengers. TSA agents are required to work during a lapse in appropriations even if they’re not receiving their paychecks because they’re considered to be essential workers. But many agency staffers called out of work to take on other paying jobs, leaving airports across the country understaffed and travelers waiting in security lines for hours. Last month, President Donald Trump ordered DHS and the Office of Management and Budget to use existing funds to pay TSA staffers, and in the days after officers began receiving their paychecks, security wait times appeared to ease at several airports.But many TSA agents left their jobs entirely during the shutdown. On Thursday, a TSA spokesperson told TIME that more than 1,110 officers have quit since the shutdown began on Feb. 14. And the spokesperson stressed that replacing those staffers would take time, since new