Across the country, fundraisers have begun to help TSA officers who have been without full pay for more than a month due to the coronavirus. Partial government shutdown That affects the Department of Homeland Security.
The World Central Charitable Kitchen, which is more accustomed to feeding residents of war zones and disaster zones, began delivering meals to Washington, D.C., area airports after several TSA officers lost their first full paycheck. Feeding San Diego on Thursday began distributing 400 boxes containing pasta, beans and peanut butter as well as fresh produce such as strawberries and potatoes to affected customers near the airport after a request from the TSA and the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.
Nonprofits are stepping in to help and coordinating closely with airports and local TSA offices because ethics rules around giving gifts to federal employees make it difficult for those affected by the shutdown to receive help directly.
Carissa Casares of Feeding San Diego said connecting with the airport means they can allocate their resources and better respond to the needs of TSA workers.
“We need to work directly with the people who have direct access to these employees and get this food to them at a time and place that is most convenient for them,” Casares said.
Saturday marks the 36th day that the Department of Homeland Security has been shut down after Democrats refused to fund ICE and Customs and Border Protection without making changes to their operations after 11 people were killed. Alex Pretty and Rene is good In Minneapolis.
More than 120,000 DHS employees work without pay, including nearly 50,000 TSA officers. Negotiations between lawmakers and the White House On restrictions on immigration enforcement.
The funding outage comes just months after a 43-day government shutdown, the longest in the country’s history, resulting in… Long lines at food banks Across the United States more than 700,000 federal workers worked without pay.
For those who want to help, it’s not as simple as going to the airport and giving cash or gift cards directly to TSA officers, who are prohibited from accepting gifts at screening sites, according to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson.
But TSA officers’ unions don’t have the same restrictions and can accept donations to distribute to their members, said Aaron Parker, president of AFGE Local 554 in Georgia. Parker recommends those who want to donate search for their local union district on the AFGE website, or donate through their local labor council.
“For some people, it can be life or death,” Parker said. “It is sad and terrible that this happened.”
Union members told Parker they were unable to cover utility bills or pay for medical procedures for their children. They have received eviction notices or had their cars repossessed. They have trouble purchasing routine items as well.
“People don’t think about things that are naturally found in their homes, like toothpaste, toilet paper, milk, detergent, dishwashing liquid,” he said. “I’m sure these things are essential for every TSA officer.”
However, no donation can be as effective as ending the lockdown. “The first thing they want is their paycheck,” Parker said. “Money is the most urgent need.”
Operation Food Search is working closely with the TSA to safely deliver food and set up a temporary warehouse at St. Louis Lambert International Airport.
The CEO of the Missouri hunger relief nonprofit said this is the first time they have distributed aid directly to TSA employees where they work.
“It eliminates the need for them to make an extra trip and drive here,” Christine Wilde said. “So we’re really excited that the airport is allowing us to serve directly there.”
They donated just over half of their 400 to-go bags of food during a two-hour period earlier this week, according to Wild. Each bag contains just under $20 worth of non-perishable items such as applesauce, pasta, rice and beans. The rules prohibit federal employees from soliciting or accepting gifts or items with a monetary value of more than $20 if the gift is related to their government position.
Wilde said she believed the $20 limit might be waived because they were distributing food through approved channels at the airport.
“We didn’t know that for sure,” Wilde said. “But to be safe, we keep them under $20 per bag, so there won’t be any challenge to them.”
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport officials were sending donations to PETA and local food banks pallets Friday afternoon while stocking their own pantry for off-shift TSA employees.
But they’ve also seen the step up of food vendors, usually tasked with feeding hungry travelers. Airport tenants have offered discounts and donated through the TSA to cover meals for entire shifts, according to airport spokesman Perry Cooper.
“You know a lot of these people,” Cooper said. “You see the faces and that all day long as you’re walking around. And then you realize that some of these people are here and they’re not getting paid, you know, it really tugs at your heartstrings to think about how we can help.”
Cooper said the airport community’s support adds to the nearly $6,000 they received in cash and gift cards as well as another $10,000 in food and household products. This includes donations from the labor union for air traffic controllers, whose jobs were not affected This is a partial closure But who understand The pressures of unpaid work From a complete government shutdown.
More than 460 people picked up fresh produce when local nonprofit Food Lifeline brought in a truckload last Friday, according to Cooper. Most of the attendees were TSA employees, although some people may have been homeless, Cooper said. Bins hold folding tables lined with pineapple and cauliflower along the airport’s main road.
Regular travelers like Musi Hedad said he thinks about the unpaid work of TSA agents every time he walks through security.
“The work they do is serious and they don’t get paid for it,” said Hedad, a resident of Amarillo, Texas, who was traveling to Columbus, Ohio, for work. “My heart goes out to them.”
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AP video journalist Patrick Aftoura-Orsagos contributed to this report from Columbus, Ohio.
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