Tyler Perry showed up at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport Thursday ready to hand out a significant amount of cash to struggling TSA workers during the government shutdown — but federal rules stopped him cold.
The billionaire media mogul and Atlanta resident wanted to personally ease the financial pain for agents who have been working without pay since Feb. 14, as lawmakers have yet to come to a resolution amid the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, according to 11Alive.
Yet just as quickly as the generous idea took off, it was grounded by strict federal rules — TSA workers aren’t allowed to accept gifts while on duty.
Instead of handing out envelopes of cash, Perry spent time talking with agents, shaking hands and thanking them for sticking it out through the crisis.
The outlet reported that Perry’s presence alone gave a major boost to morale among exhausted workers.
A DHS spokesperson told the Associated Press that accepting gifts at screening checkpoints is strictly off-limits for agents.
Still, Aaron Barker, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said that donations to TSA agents can be funneled through worker unions and distributed that way.
The would-be handout is just the latest example of Perry stepping up in a crisis. He previously shelled out $1.5 million during a 2025 shutdown to help Atlanta families cut off from SNAP benefits.
Security lines at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport have stretched for hours — in some cases snaking all the way into baggage claim — with wait times routinely hitting five hours. Travelers have been told to show up four or even five hours early just to make their flights.
The situation on the ground has grown increasingly desperate. TSA officers, stretched to the brink, have reportedly resorted to selling blood or even sleeping in their cars just to survive as missed paychecks pile up.
Airport operations across the country have felt the strain, with delays and disruptions becoming the norm.
Relief, however, may finally be on the horizon. Donald Trump announced Thursday he plans to sign an emergency order to get TSA agents paid, blasting Democrats in a fiery Truth Social post while promising swift action.
“I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports. It is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it!,” he wrote.
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