A senior TSA official warned that small U.S. airports could close if the partial government shutdown continues, as more than 30 percent of security officers have been absent at several airports this week. Acting Deputy Administrator Adam Stahl said on Fox News that airport closures are possible if call-out rates continue rising.

About 50,000 TSA officers have worked without pay since February 14, when Congress failed to fund the Department of Homeland Security. The absence rate has surged to record levels, with more than 10 percent of officers missing work across the country. Many TSA employees have taken second jobs to pay bills, sometimes calling out sick to work those jobs.

At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, the world's busiest airport, 37 percent of TSA officers didn't show up Monday. Kennedy Airport in New York saw more than 30 percent absence rates, while LaGuardia Airport hit 20 percent. The highest single-day call-out rate was 55 percent at Houston's William P. Hobby Airport. TSA predicts passengers could soon face three- or four-hour wait times as the crisis deepens.