Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Thursday that TSA agents with “exemplary service” during the government shutdown will receive a $10,000 bonus check.
Tens of thousands of TSA staff, from the people scanning bags to the ones managing the madness at the security gates, covered shifts for coworkers who couldn’t afford to keep coming in.
Noem said the bonus checks, on top of their back pay, are “for stepping up, taking on extra shifts, for showing up each and every day.” She announced the bonuses at a press conference in Houston flanked by agents, and said others across the country would be recognized.
“We will be continuing to not only recognize employees across the country, but we will be looking at every single TSA official who helped serve during this government shutdown, and do what we can to recognize that and help them financially with a bonus check to get them and their family back on their feet,” Noem said.
“We’re going to look at every individual that did exceptional service during this period of time when there were so many hardships,” she said.
It is unclear how many agents will receive the bonus and what the exact parameters will be for distribution.
Air travel faced nationwide disruptions during the goverment shutdown, which began on October 1 over a funding impasse in the US Congress. The shutdown officially ended on Wednesday.
The Federal Aviation Administration last week limited flights due to staffing shortages, particularly those involving air traffic controllers, many of whom called in sick or had taken on other jobs to sustain themselves.