March 9 (UPI) -- Travelers are experiencing long lines at airport and land crossing TSA checkpoints as a partial government shutdown begins to take its toll right at Spring Break.
The Department of Homeland Security, which includes the Transportation Security Administration, is shut down because Congress couldn't agree on a funding package for the department. Democrats don't want to fund it until some guardrails are put on the agency, and Republicans haven't agreed to Democrats' demands.
As a result, TSA workers got a partial paycheck on Feb. 28 and will miss their first full check on March 14. Some workers have taken time off while not getting paid, which slows down the TSA lines at major airports.
On Feb. 21, DHS announced it would suspend TSA Precheck, the service that allows low-risk travelers to speed through the checkpoint, but reversed course after an outcry. Global entry, which allows American citizens to move through customs quickly, is closed.
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