Denver International Airport posted an appeal on X asking the public to bring gift cards for TSA workers. The airport security staff are not getting paid as the federal government shutdown stretches into another week. However, many TSA agents continued working even though paychecks stopped.
The airport tweeted, "❗DONATIONS NEEDED❗ Support the dedicated TSA employees working without pay by donating $10 and $20 grocery store and gas gift cards. Visa gift cards cannot be accepted." It added that people could drop the cards off at the Final Approach cell phone lot and inside the terminal.
Why TSA agents aren’t being paid right now
The request came during a partial government shutdown tied to a funding fight over the Department of Homeland Security. Congress failed to pass funding in mid-February, leaving several federal agencies without approved budgets.
Because the TSA falls under the Department of Homeland Security, many of its employees continued working without full pay. According to Reuters, roughly 50K TSA officers kept reporting for duty during the lapse. However, the situation created growing staffing problems. Some agents stopped showing up for shifts while others left the job entirely.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt tweeted on March 11 that "300 [TSA] officers quit," referencing a CBS News report. Commenters pointed out that while this was true, Senate Republicans were the ones blocking the bill to fund all DHS offices, excluding ICE, CBP, and the Office of the Secretary.
Passengers are facing wait times of up to three or more hours, when before they could reliably arrive at the airport two hours before departure without issue.
Online reactions to Denver airport’s gift card request
Soon after Denver’s post spread online, critics questioned why travelers were being asked to help cover federal pay gaps.
AP journalist Seung Min Kim reposted the message and wrote, "A major U.S. airport is asking travelers to donate gift cards to TSA workers who are working through a government shutdown and are not receiving paychecks."
Some users focused on how TSA funding normally works. @BillyBo80289525 wrote, "When you buy an airline ticket, you are paying fees to TSA. The fact that the government will take your money and not use it for what it was intended for should surprise no one."
Others argued that airport security looked different before the TSA existed. They noted that airports ran their own screening operations before the agency formed after the 9/11 attacks.
Several people also raised ethical concerns about the donation idea. For example, @mktparticipant wrote, "It’s a nice sentiment but a MAJOR conflict of interest."
@Rumpelstil65197 questioned the optics of giving money to security officers deciding who boards flights. "Umm, this comes awfully close to encouraging bribery?" they wrote.
Some reactions were more sarcastic. @ApeIsrael joked that airlines should help instead, writing that executives could "live with only one yacht this year."
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