Lawmakers Make the Skies Less Friendly for Millions of Travelers

Millions of traveling Americans are paying the price for Congress’ failure to do its job. According to a recent CBS News report, “The line at George Bush Intercontinental Airport snaked underground, across terminals and even outside as 36% of TSA officers there called out of work amid a partial government shutdown that has frozen their paychecks.” Congress appears poised to finally end the partial government shutdown, which began in February.

Even as both sides blame each other for the mess and President Trump is eager to usurp lawmakers’ powers and pay TSA workers through the executive branch, the truth is that it is Congress’ job to ensure that funding doesn’t lapse and Americans can access the travel services that they’ve paid for. Travelers should not pay the price for the failures of their elected leaders in Washington, D.C.

Americans who purchase airline tickets rely on a basic expectation: that the federal government will uphold its end of the bargain by maintaining essential services that make air travel possible. Chief among those is airport security, a function travelers cannot opt out of and that is entirely (and excessively) controlled by the government. When lawmakers fail to resolve budget disputes and trigger partial or complete shutdowns, they are directly undermining a service that millions of people have already paid to rely on. Travelers who carefully plan trips, spend hundreds or thousands of dollars, and arrange their schedules accordingly are left exposed to delays, missed flights, and unnecessary stress through no fault of their own.

This dynamic is particularly unfair because many airline passengers have no meaningful alternative. Unlike other services disrupted by a shutdown, travelers cannot simply choose a different provider for security screening or bypass the system altogether. They are captive to the consequences of congressional dysfunction. When TSA staffing is strained or inconsistent due to funding lapses, the ripple effects are immediate: longer lines, slower processing times, and heightened uncertainty. For families traveling with children, workers on tight schedules, or individuals facing urgent circumstances, these disruptions can carry real financial and personal costs.

According to a 2026 analysis by the flight-related app AirHelp, “delays [and cancellations] carry significant financial consequences. Seventy-three percent of U.S. passengers said they lost money as a result of a flight disruption, and 52 percent said they had to spend additional money to cover expenses during the disruption. Among some of the non‑refundable losses faced by U.S. travelers were lost earnings, averaging $484.19, and accommodation costs, averaging $311.87. Passengers also reported paying out of pocket for everyday necessities when travel plans unraveled. On average, travelers spent $114.58 on food and drink, $93.72 on essential clothing and toiletries, and $221.33 on local transportation during disruptions.”

Fortunately, Congressional proposals would ensure that future shutdowns do not disrupt travel plans. Introduced in the House by Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.), along with Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), House Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Troy Nehls (R-Tex.), and Representative Andre Carson (D-Ind.), the Aviation Funding Solvency Act (H.R. 6086) would ensure this fiasco does not happen again. As summarized by the American Action Forum, the legislation would “fund the activities of two FAA accounts – Operations, and Facilities and Equipment – using funding from the Aviation Insurance Revolving Fund. This fund usually covers war risk insurance claims by airlines and currently has a balance of about $2.6 billion. The bill would allow use of the fund until there was a minimum of $1 billion left and, if it wasn’t sufficient for everything, would prioritize paying salaries over other uses of the fund.” Similar Senate legislation— the Aviation Funding Stability Act (S. 1045)—would achieve a similar end but using the $20 billion Airport and Airway Trust Fund.

These bills improve the sorry status quo and allow Americans who have already paid for their flights to take to the skies. It’s time for lawmakers to stop playing games and make life easier for their constituents.