WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — With the president's promise to sign an emergency order, questions remain about how and when Transportation Security Administration workers will receive their missed pay.
TSA agents have missed $1 billion in paychecks since the beginning of the partial government shutdown. Despite the lack of pay, agents are still working at Palm Beach International Airport.
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For agents like Mickey Alston, getting money for rent, food, and childcare is tough. She wants the shutdown to end.
"Right now it's hard. It's more so about gas and just getting paid. Most people are not getting to work because they don't have the gas money to get to work, so it's more so just getting paid," Alston said.
While lawmakers struggle to reach a deal, the community is stepping up to support unpaid workers. Organizers hosted a TSA Appreciation Day at the airport, offering meals and thanks to staff.
Ron Katz, owner of three Midas autobody shops, is helping TSA agents impacted by the shutdown by offering free oil changes and other vehicle repairs.
"I know times are rough for them and they're going to work every day like troopers," Katz said.
"I'm pretty much trying to do it at no charge. And it's something, uh, large or it's a big issue, I'll work out something with them to make it, to make it so they're back on the road," Katz said.
Katz said agents can bring their TSA-issued identification and a previous pay stub to his locations in West Palm, Cocoa, and Cutler Bay for assistance.
"They're keeping our flights safe and so on, so we need to keep them safe and their family safe as well," Katz said.
Overnight Friday, the U.S. Senate advanced a measure that would fund most of the agency, sending it to the House for a final vote.
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