3 Drastic Ways TSA Agents Are Making Money Right Now

The ongoing shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is not just causing chaos for travelers at airports. It has also left TSA agents struggling to make ends meet.

Agents haven't been paid since Feb. 14, and are scheduled to miss a second paycheck on March 27. In order to earn money, some TSA employees are resorting to other outlets.

Desperate times call for extreme measures for some

Hundreds of TSA officers have quit altogether, with many others calling out of work to make money elsewhere. Those alternate income streams include driving for Uber and DoorDash.

Some airports have even asked for help for TSA employees in the form of gas or gift card donations. Now, in a new letter sent to members of the House and Senate, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFL-CIO), which represents around 47,000 TSA agents, claimed that at least one airport worker has turned to selling plasma for extra cash.

“Our members employed by these DHS agencies are feeling the pain, as they did last fall during the 43-day government-wide funding lapse,” the letter says, via Paddle Your Own Kanoo.

“The families of more than a few of our members are turning to food banks for assistance and reaching out to their banks, mortgage lenders and landlords, and credit card companies for relief,” the letter continued. “AFGE knows of at least one instance in which a TSO [Transportation Security Officer] sold plasma to help make ends meet.”

Is a resolution near?

The reason for the shutdown lies in a conflict between the White House and Senate Democrats over DHS funding.

"Democrats claim they have now voted in favor of a spending package to fund the TSA on five separate occasions. The White House insists that the shutdown rests entirely on Democrats," says Paddle Your Own Kanoo.

"The dispute centers on funding for ICE, which Democrat lawmakers have refused to pass unless major changes are made to the department’s policies."

If the impasse continues, it is possible some airports will have to be shut down completely, Acting Deputy TSA Administrator Adam Stahl said last week.

“It will vary very much airport to airport,” Stahl said, via KXAN. “Callout rates are one of many factors that help to inform our security footprint at every single airport, but again I can tell you, this is going to get worse before it gets better, particularly if we don’t have a resolution within the coming days and weeks.”