TSA Workers Forced to Return $1,000 Gift Cards Donated by Tyler Perry Amid DHS Shutdown

Transportation Security Administration workers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport are being forced to return $1,000 gift cards donated to them by billionaire filmmaker Tyler Perry.

The Medea actor, 56, initially went to the airport to give cash directly to TSA workers who haven’t been paid in six weeks as a result of the Department of Homeland Security shutdown.

However, he was told that federal regulations prohibit TSA employees from accepting direct cash gifts or donations, according to local outlet 11Alive. Perry’s team reportedly worked with airport staff to find a workaround, ultimately landing on $1,000 gift cards.

TSA workers who accepted the gift cards were reportedly told to return them as they represent a cash equivalent, according to the outlet, which is still against the rules despite Perry’s efforts to work with the airport and TSA.

“TSA officers are prohibited from accepting gifts at screening locations. Even during a shutdown, cash or cash equivalents cannot be accepted on behalf of the agency,” a DHS spokesperson told The New York Post.

USA Today reports that, in total, Perry gave out more than $250,000 in gift cards to TSA workers who have been impacted by the shutdown. The outlet also reported that employees have missed nearly $1 billion in paychecks since the shutdown began.

On Friday, March 27, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to reroute federal funds to pay TSA staffers and issue backpay. The hope is this will ease the burden on airports, which have seen unprecedented lines and delays as a result of unpaid TSA agents having to miss work in order to find other means to support themselves financially.