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Travelers passing through U.S. airports were pleased on Monday to see much shorter security queues as Transportation Security Administration staffbegan receiving backpayfor their efforts during a limited government closure.

Checkpoint lines that stretched to four hoursThe security screening process at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport over the weekend took 10 minutes or less, while in other significant areas such as Baltimore-Washington International Airport and Atlanta, passengers were experiencing smooth passage through TSA checkpoints.

The significant enhancements occurred when TSA staff began receiving paychecks for the past few weeks of their work.

They have not received payment sinceCongressUnable to renew funding for the Department of Homeland Security on February 14, leading to approximately 61,000 TSA staff working without compensation since January 31.

Over 500 agents have subsequently left their positions, with thousands more taking time off work, during a school spring-break travel peak that saw a five percent increase in activity compared to last year.

Only on Friday, over a third of security personnel were absent from their posts at New York’s John F Kennedy Airport, Baltimore-Washington International Airport, and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Almost half of the TSA staff did not report for work on Friday at Houston’s two airports, with absenteeism reaching a peak of 12.4 percent of the total workforce, totaling 3,560 employees who skipped their shifts.

Amid a shortage of staff, Trump directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to offer security at 14 airports. He thensigned an executive actionto resume payments on Friday, as Congress took a two-week break.

By Monday, most TSA employees began receiving a retroactive payment that covered at least two full biweekly pay periods, the DHS stated.

The remaining funds are anticipated to arrive during the upcoming week, as stated by Johnny Jones, the secretary-treasurer of the TSA chapter within the American Federation of Government Employees.

Some employees have also mentioned receiving wrong backpay figures, including unpaid overtime, he pointed out.

However, for Andrea Connolly and her husband, both employed at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, the paycheck received on Monday was a ‘relief.’

She told 12 Newsit was a significant burden that had been removed from her family, following their difficulty in affording essential items, such as fuel for commuting to work, and concerns about managing their mortgage and providing food for themselves and their dogs.

Every time this occurs, there is a feeling of sadness,” Connolly stated, but now, “We are joyful and our dog children are joyful.

Nevertheless, some Transportation Security Administration officers still face challenges.

Jones, employed as a TSA officer at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, mentioned that a coworker informed him his bank account had reached ‘zero’ following expenses for his vehicle and living costs along with overdue charges.

The employees had only just started to regain their financial stability following the prolonged government shutdown last autumn, he mentioned.

Now, employees feel relieved that the funds have been received, yet they are concerned that it may vanish once more, according to Jones.

None of my coworkers feel as if they’ve been restored,” he stated. “Their financial situations are ruined.

The union stated that the TSA revised its furlough policy on Sunday, eliminating instructions that permitted officers to ask for a leave of absence if they were unable to come to work due to issues related to the shutdown, like no transportation or child care responsibilities.

“Working without compensation led over 500 officers to depart from TSA, with thousands needing to take time off,” said acting TSA Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis during the announcement of the postponed payment date.

The union accepted these figures, but mentioned that individuals who cannot afford to report for duty now face ‘disciplinary actions hanging over their heads.’

“Backpay alone cannot resolve these issues,” the union stated.

Still, it appeared to assist with security checkpoints, as travelers who arrived well ahead of their flights at airports throughout the country discovered they did not have to wait as long as they had anticipated.

“We were rushing out the door to get here,” Lynn Desrosiersinformed The New York Timesregarding her and Adam Coleman’s morning as they hurried to reach Baltimore-Washington International Airport four hours prior to their planned flight to Orlando, Florida.

It seems we’ll be spending a lot on sweets, perhaps have a couple of short rests.

At the same time, at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta, which is currently recognized as the world’s most congested airport, travelers were spending between three and five minutes getting through the security checkpoints, presenting their identification, and proceeding to baggage inspection on Monday morning.

Ron Woods arrived at the airport on Monday to observe the queues in an attempt to determine the best time to come for his scheduled trip to Houston, Texas on Wednesday, and was taken aback by the brief lines.

“What occurred to these lines? They have vanished,” he said to someone passing by.

At George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, travelers on Monday moved through a path of yellow warning tape and orange traffic cones, remnants of the lengthy queues that had continued just a few days prior.

Jeff Badders, aged 69, and Kerry Pruitt, 62, mentioned that they reached the airport over six hours ahead of their scheduled flight to Africa for a hunting expedition.

The two praised Trump for issuing the executive order that compensates TSA employees.

“If Congress is unable to accomplish what must be done, we are pleased that the president transcended political divisions to support those in need of a paycheck,” Badders stated.

His comments were made at a time when there were limited indications that Democrats and Republicans would agree on a deal to finance the Department of Homeland Security on Monday, as senators conducted a brief session without addressing a House bill to reinstate funding, before resuming their two-week break.

President Trump has also previously dismissed collaborative attempts to finance the TSA during discussions about ICE operations with Democrats, who have been unwilling to authorize additional funding unless there are limitations on Trump’s immigration enforcement and large-scale deportation initiatives following the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

They are calling for ICE officers to use body cameras, reveal their identities, and work without face coverings. They also advocate for judges to determine the issuance of warrants and for ICE operations to refrain from targeting schools, places of worship, or other vulnerable locations.

However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Monday that ‘there has not been a shift in policy.’

“It has consistently been the approach of this president and administration to remove the most dangerous illegal alien criminals,” she stated, while announcing that Trump proposed hosting an Easter dinner for members of Congress who come back to address the deadlock.

Leavitt also mentioned that Trump is urging Congress to resume sessions in Washington without delay to enact laws that completely finance the Department of Homeland Security.

In the meantime, ICE officers will keep verifying travelers’ identification documents, monitoring airports, and managing traffic flow until operations resume their usual state.

Regarding the ICE agents that Trump sent to certain airports a week ago to assist with security, White House border official Tom Homan stated that the duration of their assistance with ID checks, patrols, and traffic direction is contingent on how fast TSA staff come back to their roles.

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