The Airforwarders Association has issued a warning over growing strain on US cargo operations as the Department of Homeland Security shutdown enters its fifth week.
Since February 13, more than 300 Transportation Security Administration officers have reportedly resigned, raising fresh concern about the resilience of the country’s aviation security system. While the most visible pressure has so far been at passenger checkpoints, freight forwarders say prolonged staffing shortages could eventually spill deeper into cargo handling and airport-side operational performance.
The association said cargo screening programmes remain strong, but stressed that freight forwarders depend on predictable airport operations and stable security procedures to move time-sensitive shipments efficiently. Any prolonged decline in staffing or operational consistency, it warned, makes it harder for the industry to plan capacity, set customer expectations and maintain dependable supply chains.
The timing is especially difficult for the forwarding sector, which is already managing a complex mix of pressure from new tariff measures and ongoing geopolitical disruption in the Middle East.
According to the association, every additional day of shutdown raises operational risk and could make the eventual return to normal staffing more difficult.
The Airforwarders Association is now urging Congress to act quickly to end the shutdown, ensure that TSA personnel are paid, and restore stability for businesses that rely on the uninterrupted movement of goods.
Its message is clear: the longer the shutdown continues, the more disruption will spread—and the harder recovery will become once normal operations resume.
