TSA workers given $1,000 gift cards by celebrity billionaire Tyler Perry have been ordered to return them.
Perry was stopped from handing out cash to the workers, who had been working without pay since Feb. 14, at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport on Thursday, as federal regulations prohibit the agents from accepting gifts while on duty, according to Georgia outlet 11Alive.
According to 11Alive, after using the airport visit to chat with the workers and boost morale in lieu of handing out cash, Perry’s team worked with airport officials on donation alternatives and returned to hand out gift cards instead. Other airports, like Denver International, have accepted gift card donations to support TSA workers during the shutdown.
But over the weekend, Atlanta TSA workers who received the gift cards from Perry—each worth $1,000, according to the outlet—were asked to return them.
Sources told the outlet Perry not only cleared the gifts with airport officials, but also with human resources and “legal channels.” But Hartsfield-Jackson’s federal security director still had concerns, prompting officials to request that the gift cards be returned.
That could pose a problem, as some of the funds may have already been used, according to the site’s reporting.
The owner of Tyler Perry Studios and Atlanta resident has become known for his good deeds throughout the city and his hometown of New Orleans, making the news for buying groceries for thousands of seniors and assisting families struggling with lost SNAP benefits.
His latest effort came after the partial government shutdown, which left the Coast Guard, CBP, and the TSA unfunded for over 40 days. TSA call-outs due to missing paychecks have caused airports across the country to face severe logistical challenges.
As of Monday, some TSA workers have begun receiving paychecks and recouping backpay, after Trump signed an executive order to pay the workers and bypass the shutdown.
