Airports collect donations for TSA staffers during government shutdown

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: ABC News

March 12, 2026, 5:17 PM


Multiple airports across the U.S. are collecting donations for Transportation Security Administration employees and federal staffers working without pay during the ongoing partial government shutdown, which started nearly one month ago in February.

The partial shutdown began Feb. 14, and TSA workers are set to miss their first paycheck of the shutdown this weekend, as some continue to seek support from places like food pantries or find side jobs to try to make ends meet.

Congressional lawmakers remain at an impasse, trading blame as Republicans pushed back this week on a Democratic proposal to fund federal agencies within the Department of Homeland Security, with the exceptions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. Democrats, meanwhile, have previously blocked Republican efforts to reopen DHS, arguing that the GOP proposals do not do enough to curtail immigration enforcement tactics and protect Americans.

Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas said this week it had reopened its Food & Essentials Pantry to benefit federal staffers going without pay. In a statement, Clark County Director of Aviation James C. Chrisley cited the success of the pantry during the previous government shutdown in October and November 2025, the longest in history so far.

Read more: https://abcnews.com/GMA/News/airports-collect-donations-tsa-staffers-government-shutdown/story?id=130999943

[RandySF]

1. Sounds like a gimmick

to turn sentiment against Democrats.

[QueerDuck]

2. Remember to tip your TSA workers... and try the veal... I'll be here all week.

[BumRushDaShow]

3. This has been done during previous shutdowns

including going back to Gingrich's idiotic 35 day double-hitter one back in '95/'96.

Thankfully back then, my agency was one of the few that had an appropriation, so we were working in what was a multi-agency building, but with just a few agencies that were funded, and the rest of the building was empty.

We did get hit by the 2013, Carnival Cruz "Green Eggs and Ham" 17 day one though.

Chef José Andrés of World Central Kitchen often gets involved feeding out-of-work feds during shutdowns too.

[groundloop]

4. What if - The Airlines paid TSA staff during the shutdown and then got reimbursed?

Of course they'd be working on the assumption that tRump wasn't going to stiff them.

[WhiteCheek69]

5. Quit!

maybe they should find a job that pays

[Dumpy]

6. Shouldn't the airlines be the ones giving them money?

[BumRushDaShow]

7. That's how it used to be

before Shrub created the monstrosity known as "DHS" and then grabbed some Dept. of Transportation people out and combined with them contracted screeners who had been working at the airports, and made them unionless feds. They finally got a union only recently.