Administration

Trump directs DHS to pay employees during shutdown

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by Sophie Brams - 04/03/26 10:39 PM ET

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by Sophie Brams - 04/03/26 10:39 PM ET

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President Trump on Friday ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to pay all of its employees as the partial government shutdown nears 50 days.

The presidential memorandum directs DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue paychecks, with back pay, to the agency’s tens of thousands of employees who have not been paid in over seven weeks.

A majority of DHS’s nearly 272,000 employees are deemed essential and must continue working when the government shuts down, according to an agency contingency plan published in September.

Although most Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers have started receiving pay under Trump’s earlier executive order, employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Coast Guard and other agencies say they are still waiting.

“Their families have suffered far too long at the hands of the Extreme Liberal ‘Leaders,’ Cryin’ Chuck Schumer and Hakeem ‘High Tax’ Jeffries.” Trump wrote in a Thursday post on Truth Social.

“Nevertheless, help is on the way for our Brave and Patriotic Public Servants who have continued to work hard and do their part to protect and defend our Country,” he added.

The move eased pressure on airports, which had seen major backlogs at security checkpoints and lines stretching several hours at some of the nation’s busiest airports.

But it also took some of the pressure off lawmakers, effectively erasing the outside nudge often needed to bring both sides to the negotiating table. With both chambers out for Easter recess, the shutdown is dragging on with little end in sight.

Before leaving, the Senate passed by unanimous consent a proposal to fund TSA and other critical DHS agencies, without money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol — a sticking point in the stalemate.

The late-night deal followed weeks of tense negotiations aimed at ending the shutdown, which began on Feb. 14 over Democrats’ demands for sweeping changes in immigration enforcement operations.

The House later passed a Republican-crafted bill that funded the entire agency — including ICE and Border Patrol — at current levels for eight weeks, then also left town.

A Senate bill that sets up a two-step path to ending the shutdown was sent back to the House early Thursday morning following a pro forma session. The House also met briefly for its own pro forma session but did not attempt to advance the bill.

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