TSA Agents Told To Return Gift Cards Donated By Tyler Perry

Over the weekend, Billionaire filmmaker Tyler Perry tried twice to provide financial assistance to TSA agents at the Atlanta International Airport who had been affected by the ongoing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. After being told he couldn’t give cash tips to federal workers, Perry instead gave TSA agents $1,000 gift cards. Now, the TSA agents who received the gift cards are being asked to return them by the airport’s federal security director. 

I can’t front; if the top boss at my job said I had to give back money after going unpaid for a month, they’d be getting my resignation instead. 

According to 11 Alive, Perry initially intended to hand out $240,000 in cash to the TSA agents, but was told by TSA officials that federal employees are prohibited from receiving cash tips. After being denied, Perry’s team consulted with the airport’s management and human resources and went through legal channels to determine how they could help the agents without violating federal regulations, hence the gift cards. 

That context makes the request for agents to return the gift cards all the more confusing. The only reason given by the security director was concerns about how the gift cards were distributed. The request to return the gift cards was both a blow to morale and a source of additional strain for TSA agents who may have already spent some of the funds provided by the gift cards. 

The shutdown has had significant consequences for federal workers within the Department of Homeland Security, with the impact being most felt by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents. Already among some of the lowest-paid federal workers, being forced to work without pay has led to hundreds of TSA agents calling out or quitting to work other jobs to pay their bills. The Atlanta International Airport has been particularly affected by the shutdown, with wait times at TSA checkpoints reaching as high as four hours.  

The ongoing DHS shutdown became the longest government shutdown in United States history on Sunday. The shutdown began in February when Senate Democrats refused to approve DHS funding unless they made significant reforms to how ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operated. Republicans in the Senate have refused to budge, despite the majority of Americans believing ICE has gone too far with its tactics. 

The Senate ultimately passed a bill last week that didn’t include any of the reforms requested by Democrats, and it didn’t provide funding for ICE and CBP – a real lose-lose situation for both sides. The bill faced pushback in the House when Republicans refused to pass it, instead electing to pass their own spending bill that entirely funds the DHS, essentially putting us right back where we started. 

I just love how efficient our government is. 

There is hope for TSA workers, though, as President Donald Trump signed an order last week demanding that TSA agents receive emergency pay. CNN reports that hundreds of TSA agents have received weeks of back pay and are returning to work, though some agents have reported receiving only partial payments or still going unpaid. The influx of pay has had an immediate impact at the nation’s airports, with wait times in TSA checkpoints dropping significantly. Wait times at the Atlanta International Airport have dropped from their hours-long highs to a matter of minutes. 

SEE ALSO:

‘The Oval’ Actor Sues Tyler Perry For Alleged Sexual Assault and Battery

Tyler Perry Faces Another Sexual Assault Lawsuit, 2nd This Year

TSA Agents Told To Return Gift Cards Donated By Tyler Perry was originally published on newsone.com