MGM Resorts Delivers Meals for Las Vegas TSA Workers Amid Shutdown
Posted on: March 12, 2026, 09:20h.
Last updated on: March 12, 2026, 09:20h.
- MGM Resorts delivered 700 chef-prepared box lunches to unpaid TSA workers in Las Vegas on Wednesday
- The airport’s emergency pantry ran dangerously low on supplies during the latest federal shutdown
- Community donations are currently sustaining the security workforce despite near-zero paychecks for officers
As the federal shutdown stretches into another week, the strain on Las Vegas’ airport workforce was apparent. By dawn Wednesday, the Food & Essentials Pantry inside Harry Reid International Airport — reopened only days earlier — was nearly bare, its shelves reduced to a smattering of canned goods, boxed stuffing, and instant noodles. Two days earlier, it had been fully stocked.
With roughly 700 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees scheduled to work that morning, MGM Resorts International stepped up. Before sunrise Wednesday, the company dispatched two vans to the airport loaded with 700 chef-prepared lunches — sandwiches, fruit, veggies and desserts — mirroring a similar donation made earlier in the month.
MGM executives personally helped unload the meals as TSA officers reportedly looked on with visible relief.
TSA’s 50,000-member national workforce is again on the job without pay after Department of Homeland Security funding lapsed on February 14 — the second shutdown in a matter of months. Many Las Vegas officers, who typically earn around $20 an hour, received paychecks of less than $10.
It wasn’t MGM’s only gesture. The company also delivered care packages for TSA and Customs and Border Protection officers, joining a growing list of community partners trying to keep federal workers afloat. Airport officials say the pantry — now a lifeline for many families, including dual-TSA households with no income at all — will remain open as long as the funding stalemate continues.
Despite the situation, Harry Reid International continues to operate smoothly. On Sunday, more than 92,000 travelers passed through TSA checkpoints with average waits of just seven minutes. But officials warn that without sustained community support — food donations, gas cards, and basic essentials — the system’s stability may not hold.
Three Square Food Bank is scheduled to restock the pantry, though supplies have been disappearing almost as quickly as they arrive. Those wishing to contribute can contact the airport’s control center at (702) 261-7157.
No comments yet