TSA agents who worked during shutdown to get $10,000 bonuses, Kristi Noem says
Some Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers who worked during the 43-day U.S. government shutdown will receive bonus checks, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced.
Noem said those who “served with exemplary service” would receive bonuses of $10,000 (£7,581) on top of arrears to help them get back on their feet. She made the announcement while handing out several bonus checks at an airport in Houston, Texas.
President Donald Trump suggested providing similar compensation to air traffic controllers who did not call in sick during the shutdown.
It is unclear how many agents will receive the bonus and what the exact distribution parameters will be.
Speaking at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, Noem was flanked by nearly two dozen officers to whom she handed envelopes and thanked for their service.
Noem said transportation security officers, many of whom are TSA agents, will receive bonus checks for upholding the mission of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as well as for “stepping up, taking on extra shifts” and “for showing up every day” to serve Americans as they travel across the country.
The exact terms of the bonus are unclear, but Noem said DHS “will continue to evaluate each employee who helped during the shutdown” and “review each person who provided exceptional service.”
Tens of thousands of people, ranging from administrators to front-line guards at security gates, took on extra positions to replace those who couldn’t, she added.
DHS will pay the premiums using funds carried over from fiscal year 2025, the department said in a statement. Noem also said government savings on contracts and other expenses helped provide the funds.
Air travel in the United States faced nationwide disruption during the shutdown, which began Oct. 1 due to a funding impasse in the U.S. Congress. The shutdown officially ended Wednesday.
The Federal Aviation Administration last week restricted flights due to staffing shortages, particularly air traffic controllers, many of whom called in sick or took other jobs to support themselves.
Officers worked without pay and faced challenges and overtime during the shutdown. Noem said they were “examples to the rest of the people who worked with them and endured these hardships.”
