DENVER — Denver International Airport is asking travelers to give back to TSA agents working through the partial government shutdown without a paycheck, as the airport prepares for one of its busiest days of the year.
Around 50,000 TSA agents are keeping airports like DIA running without pay this spring break season. A fourth vote on Department of Homeland Security funding failed Thursday, meaning agents have now missed their first full paycheck since the shutdown began.
DIA expects more than 1.3 million passengers to pass through during the busy spring break travel period, according to an airport spokesperson.
Despite the financial strain on agents, Denver has so far avoided the security slowdowns hitting airports across the country.
"I had an amazing experience going through Denver. I think it took about four to six minutes getting through," traveler Sheridan Budin said.
The quick security times made it a no-fuss work trip for Budin, who works for Purina and was traveling back from St. Louis on Friday, where it seemed like word of the donation drive had spread.
"Our CEO reached out to me. She was like, 'We have to do this. Let's get this going,'" Budin said. "I was just like, 'Awesome, I would love to do that!'"
That's how we ended up meeting Budin Friday — as she dropped off the donation on behalf of the company.
"I was so thrilled and honored, honestly, to be part of giving this donation from Purina," Budin said.
She said she hopes the gesture sends a message to the agents keeping the airport running.
"I hope these help TSA employees know how much we appreciate them," Budin said.
DIA says gift cards are the most practical form of support for agents. In the past, they’ve done food drives to help TSA agents, but decided to make it more straightforward after consulting with TSA leaders.
“We are separate entities, but at the end of the day, we all have the same mission and goal of getting travelers to their destination safely and efficiently,” said airport spokesperson Keylen Villagrana.
Villagrana told Denver7 that while the airport does not keep track of TSA attendance numbers, there has seemingly not been too much of an impact on operations.
“TSA workers are still showing up here at Denver, plus our latest security checkpoints [with] the latest technology helps with efficient operations.”
Scripps News Life
TSA disruptions from partial shutdown are set to snarl spring break travel
According to the White House, 300 TSA workers have quit during this partial shutdown after more than 1,000 resigned during November’s full government shutdown.
It has caused wait times of up to three hours at some airports across the country.
On Thursday, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet posted on X, urging for TSA workers to get paid.
Denver7 asked the senator, who is running for governor, what solutions he had in mind despite the frozen funding.
"I think that we, you know, the most important thing we could do is get them paid as soon as we can can. We have to find a way to do it," he said.
Travelers can donate gas or grocery gift cards with values of up to $20. Visa gift cards cannot be accepted, per DIA guidelines.
Donations can be dropped off in the Great Hall in the main terminal or at the Final Approach cell phone lot.
Denver7's Dan Grossman contributed to this report.
