With the shift to the gig economy, I wonder whether some of them are working as Uber/Lyft drivers, dog walkers, etc. to make ends meet until they see their paychecks for the TSA "work" being done. It's obviously too late for the seasonal holiday temporary jobs. It can't be that they fear not ever being paid for the TSA "work" they're doing during this period. [In fact, IIRC during previous government shutdowns even the nonessential furloughed employees were paid for all the time they didn't work, although government contractors can lose out big time.]