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A former Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer is stepping up to support airport workers in Atlanta who haven’t received a paycheck during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, per PEOPLE.
On Wednesday (November 5), Caleb Harmon-Marshall partnered with Caliber Car Wash to host an event at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, offering free car washes and gas cards to TSA officers struggling to cover basic expenses.
“Makes me feel better that my car looks good,” Officer James Drake, who attended the event, said. “We're all trying to stick together. We're a family. We help each other out.”
For some workers, this is the first time they’ve gone without pay despite previous shutdowns.
“It’s not a good feeling,” Philip Simmons, who’s worked for the TSA for more than 20 years, said. “Sometimes you wonder, okay, if you’re going to impact somebody, why are they impacting us?”
The shutdown, which began on October 1, reached record length this week, surpassing the 35-day closure during Trump’s first term. Its effects have rippled nationwide, from 42 million Americans facing uncertainty over SNAP benefits to furloughed federal workers unsure when they’ll receive back pay.
“They're feeling unseen. They're feeling unheard. They're feeling forgotten,” Harmon-Marshall said of federal workers.
On Friday (November 7), hundreds of flights were canceled as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reduced air traffic to ease the strain on unpaid air traffic controllers.
Harmon-Marshall launched the fundraiser for gas cards to help TSA officers commute to work despite not being paid. The former TSA officer has raised more than $3,600 so far, doling out cards worth $50 each.
“The most significant pain point I’m hearing nationwide is transportation costs,” Harmon-Marshall said. “These officers know they’re required to report to work, but they can’t because they don’t have money for gas, leading them to call out.”
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