TSA: Shutdown Forces Some Employees to Donate Blood to Pay for Gasoline

TSA Agents Resort to Selling Blood Plasma as Government Shutdown Enters 38th Day

Transportation Security Administration employees are facing dire financial circumstances as the Department of Homeland Security shutdown stretches into its 38th day, with some agents selling their blood plasma just to afford transportation to their unpaid jobs.

“We got folks sleeping in cars,” Adam Stahl, acting Deputy TSA Administrator, told reporters during a press conference at Washington’s Reagan National Airport on Tuesday. “I talked to a single mother recently who has a three-year-old child with special needs and can’t afford to pay for childcare for that three-year-old child.”

The situation has become so desperate that Stahl reported some agents are “having blood drawn to afford gas to come to work.” More than 50,000 TSA personnel will miss their second full paycheck this Friday if lawmakers fail to reach an agreement to end the funding lapse.

The extended shutdown is causing significant operational challenges at airports nationwide. Major travel hubs are experiencing hours-long wait times at security checkpoints due to staffing shortages, a problem that could worsen during the busy spring break travel season.

More than 400 TSA agents have resigned since the shutdown began on February 14, further straining the agency’s ability to maintain security operations. “The longer our folks don’t get paid, the more they’re going to not be able to come into work and the more they’re going to quit altogether,” Stahl warned.

Beyond immediate travel disruptions, the staffing crisis threatens to undermine the agency’s preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup later this summer, when millions of international visitors will enter the United States.

This marks the second major shutdown affecting TSA in recent years, following a record-breaking 43-day funding lapse in fall 2025, when agents were similarly forced to work without compensation.

The current impasse centers on partisan disagreements over immigration policy. Republican lawmakers have criticized Democrats for withholding support for a comprehensive DHS funding bill while pushing for reforms to immigration enforcement. Democrats, meanwhile, have proposed funding the TSA and other DHS components separately from immigration enforcement functions, a solution Republicans have rejected.

“The men and women who work for TSA agents are American heroes,” said Rep. Mark Alford (R-Mo.) during Tuesday’s airport press conference. “Would you still be at your job if you were facing a third paycheck of not getting paid?”

President Donald Trump weighed in on the crisis Tuesday, placing blame squarely on Democrats: “They’ll do anything to hurt our country so they can try and win the midterms.”

The shutdown’s impact extends beyond TSA to thousands of other DHS employees across various sub-agencies who continue working without pay or have been furloughed. Essential personnel must report to work despite not receiving compensation, while still facing their regular financial obligations including mortgages, childcare costs, and medical expenses.

While recent reports indicate negotiations to end the shutdown have intensified over the past 24 hours, no concrete resolution has emerged. Financial analysts warn that the economic consequences will continue to mount as federal workers struggle to make ends meet and airport operations face growing disruption.

For travelers, the shutdown’s most visible impact has been longer security lines and increasing flight delays, raising concerns about both passenger convenience and the overall resilience of the nation’s air transportation system amid prolonged funding uncertainty.