Bradley Airport launches gift card drive to support TSA officers during shutdown
Bradley International Airport is asking the community to help TSA officers who have been working without pay for more than a month as a partial government shutdown drags on.
This is the third time in six months that airport screeners have gone unpaid due to Congressional funding disputes.
In response, the Connecticut Airport Authority has launched a gift card collection drive to help officers cover everyday expenses as the partial government shutdown stretches on.
"We thank the TSA officers at Bradley International Airport for their continuous hard work and dedication to our passengers," Michael W. Shea, executive director and CEO of the CAA, said in a statement.
"The TSA is essential in maintaining the safety of air travel, and we appreciate their efforts in upholding that safety during this challenging time. We also extend our gratitude to members of the community for their willingness to help in such a meaningful way."
How to donate:
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Gift cards are accepted from gas stations, grocery stores and common retailers
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Gifts must be in $20 denominations or less
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Donations can be dropped off at post-security, across from the A1 checkpoint at BDL
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Gift cards bearing Visa, Mastercard, or American Express logos cannot be accepted
The initiative is part of a broader effort by the CAA and airline partners to provide support within federally accepted guidelines.
The current shutdown began Feb. 14, when funding to the Department of Homeland Security was cut off over Congressional demands to reform immigration enforcement — specifically ICE and Customs and Border Protection. That followed the killings of two U.S. citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis, NBC News reported .
According to Fortune , TSA screeners have spent nearly half of the past 170 days with their paychecks held up by politics.
That tally includes the 43 days last fall during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, four days earlier this year during a brief funding lapse, and now more than a month during the current shutdown.
About 95% of TSA's roughly 60,000 employees are considered essential workers. That means they are required to report to work even without pay, PBS reported .
According to NBC News , more than 400 officers have quit since this shutdown began, nearly half of whom had more than three years of experience.
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