The Department of Homeland Security will pay out $10,000 bonuses to TSA agents who did not take any leave during the longest-running federal government shutdown in history as a way of recognizing their ‘patriotism,’ Secretary Kristi Noem has announced.
The bonus scheme echoes a similar initiative that President Donald Trump touted for air traffic controllers after a spike in sick calls put pressure on the national airspace system and threatened mass delays and cancellations.
While Trump’s bonus scheme for air traffic controllers is yet to be funded, Noem said she would be able to tap into carryover funds from the Homeland Security budget for 2025 to pay the bonuses to TSA agents with “exemplary service” during the shutdown.
Lasting for a record-breaking 43 days, federal excepted workers like TSA agents missed three paychecks during the shutdown despite being required to show up for work.
While federal workers will receive back pay for missed checks, some workers called out sick or simply failed to turn up for work, either because they chose to work temporary jobs on the side or couldn’t afford to get to work.
The bonus will only be paid to TSA agents who worked every shift as planned during the shutdown.
The DHS and TSA were not immediately able to say how many of their employees would be eligible for the $10,000 bonus, but the department acknowledged the “tremendous personal, operational, and financial challenges” that these workers went through during the shutdown.
“I’m pleased to announce that under President Trump, we are giving a $10,000 bonus to TSA officers across our nation who went above and beyond during the Democrats’ shutdown,” Noem said during an event in Houston.
“And what that means is that we are going to not only continue their paychecks like they should have received all along, but also they’re going to get a bonus check for stepping up, taking on extra shifts, for showing up each and every day for serving the American people,” Noem added.
Last month, Noem faced criticism for releasing a partisan TSA public service announcement that placed blame for the shutdown on Democrats.
The video, which was meant to be shown at TSA checkpoints at airports across the United States, asked for patience from Americans stuck in long security lines, but it also took a swipe at Democrats in Congress for ‘refusing’ to fund the federal government.
In response, some airports refused to play the video, fearing it breached the Hatch Act – a 1939 law designed to prevent government officials from using their positions to engage in partisan politics during official duties.
Some airports, like Detroit Metropolitan, weren’t able to stop the TSA from playing the video, so instead, they displayed sandwich boards at the entrances to security checkpoints advising passengers that the video did not represent the views of the airport authority.
