Despite partial government shutdown affecting TSA workers, PHL airport operations continue to run smoothly

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As a partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security nears a month, Philadelphia International Airport is reporting minimal delays and cancellations.

The shutdown is a result of a series of disagreements between federal lawmakers and the White House on DHS funding and how immigration officers operate. Democratic congressional leaders want new restrictions placed after the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents in Minneapolis earlier this year.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol will remain funded during the shutdown because of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” Workers at other DHS agencies — including the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency — are expected to continue reporting to work, even without pay.

Over the weekend, long delays at multiple airports were reported, including William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, where at one point Sunday, wait times exceeded three hours. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport said a shortage of TSA agents led to “longer-than-average” lines.

PHL operating without major delays

TSA officers have been working without pay since mid-February, but terminals at PHL aren’t reporting any major delays, with wait times averaging at seven minutes as of Tuesday afternoon.

PHL was impacted during the record-setting 2025 government shutdown, when it had to close two security checkpoints, which mainly affected regional and international flights.