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Back pay for the 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers is starting to roll in, after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown entered day 45. At the same time, the TSA workers who were given $1,000 gift cards by Tyler Perry have been asked to give them back.
Recently, American filmmaker, actor, producer, playwright, and entrepreneur Tyler Perry was passing through 
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and had planned to give TSA officers cash, due to federal rules prohibiting employees from accepting cash, he opted for gift cards instead.
TSA Officers Expected To Return The $1,000 Gift Cards
Perry’s team returned to the airport with gift cards and handed these out to airport officials, in a bid to acknowledge the current situation the TSA finds itself in. The gift cards, which carried a value of $1,000 each, were suggested by 11A Live, which gave a huge morale boost to those working that day, and the acknowledgment of their financial strain was well received. In total, reports claim that Perry distributed up to $250,000 in total.
Later on, the airport’s federal security director elevated the concerns about the distribution of these gift cards, and now the request to have these returned has raised more questions, especially for those who have already started redeeming the funds loaded. This comes as on Monday, TSA officers started to receive back pay for the last six weeks of going without a paycheck.
Congress continues to strike a deal for the funding of the DHS, however a relief for TSA workers is the arrival of backpay; however, a caveat remains, with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFE) union, which represents TSA workers, noting that only the two full paychecks in March are poised to proceesed, they will not see the partial payments still owed for work in February.
Backpay For 50,000 TSA Officers
According to reports by 12 News, backpay has begun to roll in, and in large chunks covering the hundreds of hours that have been worked throughout the shutdown. One officer, Martina Santana, noted that a backpay of 160 hours has finally hit her account. This comes at the same time, as officers need to pay day-to-day bills, buy food, gas, and other necessities, while the US President, Senate and Congress all sit around the debating table to find a long-term funding solution.
This shutdown, which began on February 14, still has a long way to go, with ICE agents also being deployed at airports such as 
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), and the duration of the shutdown has seen a record number of TSA workers resign and look for new employment. Last week, the TSA recorded that more than 500 officers had left the profession since the shutdown began.
This shutdown has affected thousands who have continued to go to work without the threat of their next paycheck, and has severely impacted the agency’s overall operations. Due to an increase in absenteeism and workers calling in sick, major airports have felt the brunt of short staffing at airport security, with millions of passengers forced to wait in long lines, and at some airports, these lines stretched out onto the sidewalk.
“I Will Never Forget You:” President Trump Thanks Unpaid TSA Officers For Still Working
In the midst of a government shutdown, Trump publicly thanked the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents for continuing to work.
The Cost Of The Government Shutdown Continues To Rise
TSA workers have faced two government shutdowns in quick succession, with last year the 2025 shutdown lasting for 42 days. With the 2026 shutdown, now becoming the longest in US history (now at day 45), there continues to be an impasse in Congress, with a failure to pass appropriate bills to finance FY2026 for the DHS.
The ongoing impacts have affected the morale of TSA officers and continue to raise security concerns across the department’s functions.
Republicans continue to claim that Democrats have withdrawn themselves from a deal due to beliefs on immigration enforcement, and broader failure of Congress and the current President to agree on the specific legislative language that is required to keep the DHS operational. The total cost of the shutdown has been estimated to surpass $2.5 billion in economic loss.
