If there’s one thing about Tyler Perry, denying him an opportunity to be charitable is only going to make him find a way to do so.
The mogul, who recently made headlines for being told he could not pay unpaid TSA workers at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport directly with cash, went through proper legal channels and was able to gift approximately 250 workers $1,000 gift cards, according to PEOPLE.
The donation, which Perry made on Friday, comes after a tense back-and-forth in Washington where the Senate agreed on a deal to fund Homeland Security, TSA and other agencies, but not ICE or Border Patrol. House Republicans balked at the deal before Congress left for Easter break, and President Trump signed an executive action to fund TSA, where workers could see paychecks as early as Monday.
Aaron Barker, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 554 union, which represents TSA officers in the state of Georgia, confirmed that Perry’s gift to officers went through a legal process, as there are specific guidelines one must follow when it comes to gifting gift cards to federal employees.
Since the shutdown began on February 14, TSA workers have missed a reported $1 billion in paychecks. It has led workers to take on second jobs or donate blood and/or plasma to supplement their income. Over 480 workers across the country have quit.
Even with Perry’s gesture and Trump signaling for TSA workers to be paid, it may not lead to an immediate change in the massive wait times and scenes that travelers have witnessed over the past few weeks. Hubs across the country have reported a high number of TSA callouts, and wait times at select terminals have risen into the 3- to 4-hour range.
Some airports are telling passengers to stop showing up earlier than the typical wait times and more.
