Some Transportation Security Administration employees who worked through the six-week federal shutdown without pay have begun receiving $10,000 bonus checks, after US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the awards during an event in Houston on November 14, 2025.
The payments follow days of public discussion about whether air traffic controllers who also stayed on duty would receive similar recognition from the federal government.
Noem said the bonuses would go to TSA officers who “went above and beyond” during the shutdown. She handed out the first checks at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), where long security lines during the protracted US government shutdown drew national attention as staffing shortages mounted.
The Department of Homeland Security said the money is coming from carryover funds from the previous fiscal year. The agency has not released a precise count of how many employees will receive the award or the full criteria used to determine eligibility. In her remarks, Noem said officers who picked up extra shifts or maintained perfect attendance during the shutdown could qualify.
The bonus checks were handed out days after President Donald Trump used his social media account to recommend $10,000 bonuses for air traffic controllers who never missed a shift during the shutdown. In that post, he also suggested that controllers who did miss time should be docked pay and consider leaving the profession. The proposal drew an immediate response from labor unions, with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association saying it would welcome any effort to recognize employees’ service during the lapse in federal funding.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy later endorsed the president’s idea, calling it “brilliant.” He also raised the possibility that eligible controllers might receive their bonuses in person at a White House event, though he did not provide a timeline for when any payments might be issued. Duffy did not directly echo the president’s comments about controllers who were absent during the shutdown.
So far, there is no confirmation that any air traffic controllers have received bonuses or that an FAA program to distribute awards has been finalized. The agency directed controllers to continue working through the shutdown to maintain the national airspace system, even as thousands of federal workers in other agencies were furloughed. As the shutdown dragged on and employees began missing paychecks, unscheduled absences increased across the system, affecting operations at some of the country’s busiest airports.
Both controllers and TSA officers were required to work without pay during the shutdown. Many employees sought outside income to cover basic expenses, leading to staffing shortages at airports in several regions. Union officials representing TSA workers noted on Thursday that while the bonuses were welcome, the shutdown created financial strain across the entire workforce, not just those selected for the awards.
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