After previously offering to pay Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees amid the ongoing partial government shutdown, actor Tyler Perry was told that he cannot donate money, either via cash or prepaid gift cards.
According to USA Today, Perry and his team provided prepaid gift cards of roughly $1,000 each on March 27. The total donation was estimated at $250,000 worth of Visa gift cards. Perry — who is originally from Louisiana but has lived and worked in Atlanta for decades — had previously offered to distribute cash to the TSA officials at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
However, news emerged on Tuesday that the agents have been asked to return the gift cards. Federal rules reportedly prohibit TSA workers from accepting those types of gifts.
TSA workers were given gift cards by Tyler Perry’s team after weeks of receiving no pay and now they’re reportedly being asked to return them.
A rep for Tyler Perry says nothing has been returned to Tyler, and no one has notified them of any gift cards being returned. pic.twitter.com/mMn2ttaeNM
— TMZ (@TMZ) March 30, 2026
As of publication, Perry had not publicly addressed the situation.
The government began a partial shutdown, specifically affecting the Department of Homeland Security, on Feb. 14 due to funding issues. Operation Metro Surge — the controversial U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Minnesota — played a significant role in the shutdown because legislators took issue with the often-violent scenes caught on camera. Operation Metro Surge resulted in the deaths of two civilians, Renée Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, and the arrest of thousands of illegal immigrants.
Employees who work for a DHS branch, such as TSA, last received a full paycheck at the end of February; it is believed that at least 250,000 DHS employees are affected by the shutdown. The Department of Homeland Security said that over 12% of employees nationwide called out of work last Friday. As of April 1, it is estimated that at least 500 TSA employees have quit thus far.
MASSIVE NEWS: President Trump told The New York Post he’s considering FORCING Congress back into session to end the Department of Homeland Security’s 45-day partial government shutdown. “It’s something that’s under consideration.”
Congress is on recess till April 14th.
NYP:… pic.twitter.com/QOpsYYmsVb
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) March 31, 2026
Viral videos depicting hours-long wait times have flooded social media for weeks, and cable news networks such as Fox News and CNN have regularly set up at airports to speak with travelers. In addition to Atlanta, the massive lines at major airports — such as George Bush Intercontinental Airport (Texas), LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York), and Miami International Airport (Florida) — are often featured on social media.
The shutdown is already the longest in U.S. history, and President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order to ensure that TSA employees begin receiving partial pay. Trump deployed ICE agents to major airports last month, and U.S. border czar Tom Homan said this past weekend that the agents will remain at airports for as long as they are needed.
Trump told the New York Post on Tuesday that he is considering mandating that Congress return to Washington, D.C., for a special session to end the shutdown. Congress is currently on a two-week recess.
