TSA agents ‘who served with exemplary service’ during the shutdown to receive $10,000 bonuses

• TSA officers who displayed “exemplary service” during the 43-day shutdown will receive $10,000 bonuses.
• Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the bonus, but did not specify how many would get checks.
• The shutdown caused widespread travel chaos, including flight delays and swaths of cancellations.

Transportation Security Administration officers “who served with exemplary service” during the 43-day government shutdown will receive $10,000 bonus checks, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Thursday.

“And what that means is that we are going to not only continue their paychecks like they should have received all along, but also they’re going to get a bonus check for stepping up, taking on extra shifts, for showing up each and every day, for serving the American people and taking seriously the mission that the Department of Homeland Security takes seriously and that they take seriously every single day,” Noem said.

The shutdown, the longest in US history, caused widespread travel chaos, as air traffic controllers faced staffing shortages, and FAA flight reductions led to widespread cancellations.

It remains unclear when the checks will be deposited into the TSA officers’ accounts or what the eligibility criteria are to receive the bonus.

“This is not everybody here that works at this airport that will be getting checks,” Noem said. “We’re going to continue to evaluate every single employee that helps during the shutdown and stepped up and went above and beyond.”

Representatives for the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider seeking more details about the bonus payments.