Table of Contents
The Atlanta-based media mogul visited Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Friday to support Transportation Security Administration workers who have gone six weeks without pay due to a partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security. Perry's initial attempt to hand out cash directly on Thursday was blocked by federal regulations prohibiting TSA officers from accepting gifts at screening locations. He thanked workers, took photos with them and left without distributing funds, though sources said even that gesture lifted morale among staff struggling to pay bills and feed their families.
Perry found a path around the restriction through their unions. Aaron Barker, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, confirmed that TSA officer unions do not face the same gift restrictions as individual officers and can accept donations for distribution to members. Perry's team returned Friday with gift cards, handing them out in envelopes that, according to a source, drew big smiles and visible relief from recipients.
TSA workers at Atlanta's airport had also been receiving assistance from Hartsfield-Jackson staff and were provided with lunch from a metro Atlanta restaurant during the period without pay.
The gesture extends a pattern of community intervention Perry has shown during government shutdowns. In 2025, he donated $1.5 million to Atlanta organizations helping families cut off from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits during a previous shutdown.
The situation drew national attention before receiving a partial resolution on Friday, when President Donald Trump signed an executive action directing payment to TSA employees. A congressional deal to address the same issue had stalled before the executive action was announced.
Perry, who built his entertainment and production empire from Atlanta and has maintained a strong philanthropic presence in the city, has used Hartsfield-Jackson itself as a backdrop before, paying for groceries for travelers at the airport in a widely reported act of generosity in 2013.
