New Delhi, March 25 -- The US Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) top official on Wednesday (local time) announced that airports across the country are witnessing the highest wait times in history as the partial government shutdown continues.

According to a US Today report, during the 43-day-long government shutdown last year, the department experienced a 25% rise in officers leaving compared to the same period the year before, TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill said during a House Committee on Homeland Security hearing, in which lawmakers addressed the impacts of the shutdown.

The official said the continuing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is severely disrupting airports nationwide, as TSA staff absen...