Beginning Saturday, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees began working without pay during a Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
The agency estimated that 95% of its employees were exempt and would continue to work, without pay, during the shutdown. A similar situation began Oct. 1, 2025.
TSA estimated approximately 3,000 of its over 64,000 employees were furloughed during the last shutdown. Ha Nguyen McNeill, the acting TSA administrator, told a House committee last week that the shutdown could lead to higher-than-usual employee call-offs.
Beginning Feb. 1, the TSA required air passengers 18 and older to provide acceptable IDs to fly.
State-issued REAL ID-compliant licenses and ID cards are acceptable, as are U.S. passports and passport cards.
Other acceptable IDs include:
- State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) or Enhanced Identification Card (EID)
- Mobile Driver’s Licenses (mDLs): TSA accepts certain mDLs issued by states that have been approved for Federal use.
- The mDL must be based on a REAL ID, EDL, or EID.
- DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
- S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
- Permanent resident card
- Border crossing card
- An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs)
- HSPD-12 PIV card
- Foreign government-issued passport
- Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
- Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)
- S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
- S. Merchant Mariner Credential
- Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
TSA will also accept Apple Digital ID, Clear ID and Google ID pass.
Passengers without a compliant ID can pay $45 to use TSA ConfirmID. TSA will attempt to verify the passenger’s identity without the compliant ID.
TSA does not guarantee that passengers who pay for TSA ConfirmID will pass screening or be allowed to board.
