Long lines reported at major US airports as more TSA officers quit

WASHINGTON, March 25 (Reuters) - Long lines were reported Wednesday at major airports as the Transportation Security Administration said the number of airport security officers quitting had jumped to 480 since the mid-February start of a partial government shutdown.

Ha McNeill, the senior official at the Transportation Security Administration, told a U.S. House committee that the dispute that was forcing 50,000 TSA officers to work without pay was leading to major strains and the longest lines in the agency's history. She reiterated that the TSA could be forced to close smaller airports if staffing issues worsened.