Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said the ongoing government shutdown is "getting harder and harder to justify" warning that deteriorating conditions at U.S. airports are becoming increasingly visible to travelers.
In an interview with independent journalist Nicholas Ballasy, Fetterman pointed to growing chaos at airport security checkpoints as staffing shortages at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) worsen amid the prolonged funding lapse.
The shutdown, now stretching into its sixth week, has left many TSA workers operating without pay, contributing to absenteeism and thinner staffing at major airports.
The result has been longer lines, delays, and mounting frustration for passengers nationwide.
Fetterman highlighted the urgency of the situation with a major international travel surge looming, noting that the U.S. is just weeks away from hosting millions of visitors for the World Cup.
“There’s millions of people coming from abroad and millions of Americans traveling too,” he said. “If you’ve seen the kinds of chaos at the airports, I can’t even imagine what happens when that ramps up.”
In response to the strain, the Trump administration has deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to assist TSA operations at airports.
While ICE officers are not traditionally responsible for passenger screening, the move is intended to stabilize throughput at security checkpoints.
Fetterman acknowledged the effort appears to be helping in some cases. “It seems that it has enhanced some kinds of performance,” he said.
Still, the reliance on stopgap measures underscores the broader impact of the shutdown on critical infrastructure. With the disruption now approaching 40 days, pressure is mounting on lawmakers to reach a resolution before conditions worsen further, particularly as international travel demand accelerates.
Fetterman maintained that the situation was avoidable from the outset and warned that continued inaction risks compounding problems for both travelers and federal workers alike.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.