Are TSA agents being paid amid shutdown? Staffing prompts long lines.

Wait times at airports don't seem to be trending downward anytime soon.

Air travelers are enduring hours-long security lines at major airports across the United States as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) contends with a partial government shutdown that began in mid-February after Congress failed to pass funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

As Senate Democrats and Republicans fight over spending on immigration enforcement, passengers and TSA workers alike are grappling with the consequences. Staffing issues could worsen in the coming days as absenteeism grows among agents and spring break travelers continue to flood airports.

Here's what to know about TSA during the shutdown.

How does the DHS shutdown impact air travel?

Air travel has been hit especially hard by the partial shutdown, as staffing issues bring passenger processing to a near-standstill in some cases. At several major airports, passengers have reported waiting hours to get through checkpoints, with some missing flights as security lines stretched into terminals and even parking areas.

Does TSA get paid during the shutdown?

No, TSA officers do not receive full pay during a government shutdown, including during the ongoing partial shutdown of DHS. Roughly 50,000 TSA officers are continuing to work without regular pay during the funding lapse, Reuters reported on March 9.

Fewer agents are showing up to work as a result, with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying in a March 11 social media post that "300 (TSA) officers quit," citing CBS News reporting. The rates of officers calling out have more than doubled since the shutdown began, the same CBS report found, with some airports facing the absence of more than 50% of their frontline TSA workforce on some days.

Friday, March 13, will be the first time TSA workers miss their full paychecks.

"Today, travelers are facing TSA lines of up to nearly 3 hours long at some major airports, causing missed flights and massive delays during peak travel," TSA previously told USA TODAY in a statement. "These frontline heroes received only partial paychecks earlier this month and now face their first full missed paycheck, leading to financial hardship, absences, and crippling staffing shortages."

How to get through TSA more easily during partial shutdown

Arguably, the most important rule for air travelers as the shutdown drags on: Give yourself ample buffer room before your flight. The typical "two hours early" adage doesn't apply here, as TSA lines alone are taking up to three hours.

Officials at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport, for example, advised passengers to arrive three to four hours before departure to avoid missing flights.

Travelers who are worried about long security lines can usually check real-time wait estimates before heading to the airport via the MyTSA mobile app and on the agency’s website, but some information on the platforms is no longer being updated. You can still check your local airport's website or social media for important updates.

A boon to many, TSA PreCheck remains operational, as does its TSA PreCheck Touchless ID feature. This allows enrolled travelers to move through dedicated lanes more quickly. DHS also announced that Global Entry lines, a program that gives pre-approved travelers expedited clearance when entering the United States, would reopen on March 11.

If you are already enrolled in these programs, be sure to take advantage of them once you've arrived at the airport.

Contributing: Zach Wichter, USA TODAY