Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has handed out bonus cheques to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents who worked through the 43-day US government shutdown.
Transportation Security Officers and TSA agents “who served with exemplary service” will receive a $10,000 (£7,581) bonuses in addition to backpay to help them get back on their feet, Noem said on Thursday.
President Donald Trump suggested giving similar pay-outs to air traffic controllers who didn’t call out sick during the shutdown.
It is unclear how many agents will receive the bonus and what the exact parameters will be for their distribution.
Speaking at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, Noem was flanked by nearly two dozen agents to whom she handed envelopes and thanked for their service.
Noem said that Transportation Security Officers, many of whom are TSA agents, will receive bonus cheques for upholding the mission of the Department of Homeland Security, as well as “stepping up, taking on extra shifts” and “for showing up each and every day” to serve Americans as they commute across the country.
The exact requirements for the bonus are unclear but Noem said that DHS “will continue to evaluate every single employee that helped during the shutdown” and “look at every individual that did exceptional service”.
Tens of thousands of individuals, ranging from administrators to front-line agents at security gates, took on extra shifts to fill in for those who could not, she added.
Noem said the bonuses would be funded by taxpayer dollars that had been left over from government savings on contracts and other spending requirements.
Air travel in the US faced nationwide disruptions during the shutdown, which began on 1 October over a funding impasse in the US Congress. The shutdown officially ended on Wednesday.
The Federal Aviation Administration last week limited flights due to staffing shortages, particularly those involving air traffic controllers, many of whom called in sick or had taken on other jobs to sustain themselves.
Agents worked without pay and took on extra challenges and extra hours during the shutdown. Noem said they were “examples to the rest of the individuals who worked with them and endured those hardships”.
Representatives for DHS and the labour union representing TSA agents did not immediately respond on Thursday to BBC News’ requests for comment.
