Noem: Some TSA Agents Will Get a $10K Bonus

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Thursday that certain TSA agents will receive $10,000 bonus checks for what she described as "exemplary service" during the government shutdown. The payments will be in addition to back pay, CBS News reports. The $10,000 bonuses are meant to reward those who "stepped up, took on extra shifts, [and] showed up each and every day," said Noem, speaking at a press conference in Houston surrounded by TSA agents who received the first checks, per the New York Times.

She clarified that the bonuses are not strictly limited to those who avoided calling out sick or missing work for other reasons. Instead, the department will review the service of "every single TSA official who helped serve during this government shutdown" and determine who qualifies based on exceptional performance. "We're going to look at every individual that did exceptional service during this period of time when there were so many hardships," she said.

President Trump previously stated that air traffic controllers who missed work would face substantial penalties, and he also suggested $10,000 bonuses for those who continued to work without pay. Johnny J. Jones, an official with the American Federation of Government Employees' T.S.A. Council 100, said the bonuses were "great for some, but it's better to give everybody a little something, because they all suffered and they all endured hard times during the last 43 days." About 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA officers stayed on the job without pay during the shutdown, per Reuters.