Donation drives organized for Dallas TSA workers who are working without pay and helping in Houston
DFW airports helping TSA employees during funding dispute
Both local airports in Dallas are doing what they can to help TSA agents who have been without pay during a DHS funding stalemate. FOX 4's Shaun Rabb has more.
DALLAS - TSA workers from Dallas have been filling shifts in Houston to help with the wait times.
They’re doing it as they brace for a second pay period without pay.
Dallas TSA workers helping in Houston
Travelers wait in line at a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston, Texas, US, on Thursday, March 26, 2026. The Transportation Security Administration warned that airport secur
George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston is the poster child for problems because of the partial government shutdown. TSA wait times there have been up to four hours long.
Union leaders confirmed that workers from DFW Airport and Dallas Love Field have been deployed to the area to try to help. A few dozen TSA workers traveled there a few weeks ago and have already returned home. A few dozen more rotated in this week.
What they're saying:
"Honestly (as you can see from the lines down there) it’s just putting a Band-Aid on an ax wound. But our employees are proud to volunteer to be on that emergency surge force and fulfill that commitment any time, any place and anywhere they are asked to go," said Chris Brown, the executive vice president of AFGE Local 1040. "They took an oath to protect the traveling public and keep them safe, no matter what the circumstances are. That’s what they’ll do."
Donations for Dallas TSA workers
Both local airports have set up ways for people to support the TSA workers who are going without pay and still showing up for their shifts.
They are part of the reason TSA wait times in Dallas have been tolerable so far.
What they're saying:
"A lot of people that are dedicated and are continuing to come to work, they’re incurring late fees for their mortgages, their rent, their childcare. And they are also taking out loans in order to be able to come to work that have interest charges. And none of that stuff is reimbursed to use once we do finally get paid," Brown said.
What you can do:
People can drop off non-perishable food, baby or pet supplies, personal hygiene items, and gas or grocery gift card donations for TSA workers at Dallas Love Field in the parking area north of the Spirit of Flight Plaza off Contrail Lane. It’s open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the week and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the weekends.
Large donors should contact the Dallas Love Field TSA Coordination Center at 214-459-3900 in advance.
TSA Donations, Humanoid Robots | The Post
Some airports are collecting donations for TSA workers as the partial government shutdown continues, and workers will soon go without another paycheck. Plus, a humanoid robot makes an appearance at the White House alongside First Lady Melania Trump.
The DFW Airport Employee Store has also been collecting gift cards for workers at Gate C2, at Impact Signs (1201 Minters Chapel. Suite 301, Grapevine TX 76051), and at https://vintageairliner.com/products/tsa-donations.
So far, they’ve collected about $4,200 in donations.
Partial Government Shutdown
By the numbers:
More than 60,000 TSA workers nationwide will not be paid for the second straight month because of the partial government shutdown.
"Depending on which bank you use, tomorrow or Saturday is going to be the second full paycheck that myself and my fellow employees are going to miss. And that’s not even including the fact that the last paycheck we received once the shutdown occurred was only for one week," Brown said.
Nearly 500 workers have turned in their badges and given up on their jobs.
More than 3,100 nationwide called in on Wednesday to say they weren’t going in to work.
"Some people have called in. They say they’re sick or they’ll call in for whatever other reason. There’s a lot of people who call in and say, ‘Hey, it’s financial related, or it’s transportation related. I just don’t have the means to get there,’" Brown said.
TSA wait times still hit record highs with ICE agents in airports
TSA wait times aren’t going down at some of America’s largest airports, despite ICE officers being sent to help with record-long security lines.
Big picture view:
President Donald Trump has blamed the shutdown on Democrats.
"They’re punishing the American people, including travelers at airports on the quest to return to open borders and give amnesty to illegal alien criminals," Trump said during a cabinet meeting on Thursday.
Senate Democrats have said they won’t vote to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security without getting all that they want. That includes requiring ICE agents to wear identification and to stop carrying out raids around schools and churches.
Senate Republicans said they’ve made their final offer.
"And it contained none of what had been talked about, none of the reforms we have been discussing," Senate Minority Leader Church Schumer said.
On Thursday afternoon, Trump announced on Truth Social that he plans to use an emergency order to go around Congress and use other funds to pay the workers.
The Source: The information in this story comes from an interview with local TSA union leader Chris Brown, the Dallas Love Field Airport website, the DFW Airport Employee Store, and comments from the president and other political leaders.