An Alabama airport is hosting a gift card drive to benefit Transportation Security Administration and Federal Aviation Administration employees who are on the job but not being paid during the government shutdown.
HSV Cares is a federal employees donation drive coordinated by the Huntsville International Airport to benefit the some 80 TSA and FAA employees at the facility.
“These employees have continued to come to work and are the reason that the airport is able to continue to operate during the shutdown,” airport officials said.
Federal regulations cap the individual gift cards to $20 each and they must be for a specific store or restaurant as opposed to a Visa or Mastercard gift card. Grocery and gas cards are highly requested, airport officials said.
Cards can be donated in the airport administration office, located on the upper level across from the hotel check-in desk, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The gift cards will be logged, and provided to the agencies for distribution to employees.
Airports across the country have reported delays related to absences from TSA and FAA workers who haven’t been paid since the government shutdown on Dec. 22, 2018. Wait times at busy airports – including Atlanta and Boston – are topping 40 minutes, according to the latest TSA figures. TSA experienced a national absentee rate of 7.4 percent yesterday compared to 3.2 percent one year ago on the same day. Many of the employees were reporting they would not be able to work due to financial limitations, the agency said.