Private airport screeners kept getting paid during the 2026 shutdown while federal TSA officers didn't

During the 2026 government shutdown, federal TSA officers faced pay disruptions. The 20 airports in the TSA's Screening Partnership Program — which uses privately contracted screeners under TSA oversight — did not, because their employers are private firms, not the federal government. The program, established in 2004, has since drawn interest as a hedge against congressional budget dysfunction.