by Cedric ‘BIG CED’ Thornton
March 27, 2026
The filmmaker was seen at the airport talking to workers who showed up to work despite not being paid during the partial government shutdown.
Movie executive Tyler Perry’s attempt to give Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport some cash to offset their lack of paychecks during the current shutdown was grounded.
According to 11Alive, the Madea actor went to the airport but was not allowed to hand workers any cash due to government restrictions.
The partial shutdown has been in effect since Feb. 14 after lawmakers couldn’t agree on new terms for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following recent agency activities. In ICE’s attempts to carry out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation initiative, the agency has been accused of using inhumane tactics.
Perry reportedly took time to speak directly with the workers and thanked them for reporting to work despite not being paid.
Last year, during the longest government shutdown in history, he donated $1.5 million to Atlanta-based groups to assist families who were not receiving their SNAP benefits due to the shutdown.
But the Associated Press reported that the Senate has approved Homeland Security funds to pay Transportation Security Administration agents and other agencies. The deal , which still does not provide funds for ICE, was approved in a unanimous vote early Friday morning.
The House of Representatives is expected to consider the deal on Friday, March 27.
“We can get at least a lot of the government opened up again, and then we’ll go from there,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-SD. “Obviously, we’ll still have some work ahead of us.”
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