Key takeaways:
- President Trump directed DHS to pay all employees despite a nearly 50-day shutdown.
- Over 35,000 DHS workers, including FEMA and Coast Guard civilians, have not been paid since February 14.
- A bipartisan Senate bill funds most of DHS excluding ICE and CBP, with plans to fund those agencies separately via reconciliation.
President Donald Trump on Friday directed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to pay all of its employees despite an ongoing shutdown that has lasted nearly 50 days. The presidential memo authorizes paychecks for over 35,000 DHS workers who have gone without pay since funding stopped on February 14. This includes civilian Coast Guard employees, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) staff, and cybersecurity professionals at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
In the memo, Trump blamed congressional Democrats for the shutdown, writing, “This callous treatment of DHS employees must end in order to ensure that America is not susceptible to security threats and maintains readiness to respond to emergencies.” He described the situation as “an emergency situation compromising the Nation’s security” and emphasized that thousands of DHS employees “are struggling to make ends meet and provide for their families.”
Trump directed DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought to “use funds that have a reasonable and logical nexus to the functions of DHS” to pay employees. However, the memo does not specify which funding sources DHS will tap or the exact legal justification for reallocating funds. Trump also instructed that once full funding is approved by Congress, DHS should adjust internal accounts to maintain overall operations.
Some DHS employees, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) staff, have continued to receive pay through funds from last year’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” Last week, Trump signed a similar memo to pay Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers, who had gone unpaid and whose absences caused long airport lines. Those payments began reaching TSA employees this week.
The DHS shutdown began in mid-February amid a dispute over immigration enforcement policy. Following a deadly shooting involving immigration agents in Minneapolis, Democrats have opposed funding ICE and CBP without policy reforms. While Senate Democrats and Republicans recently approved a bill to fund most of DHS excluding ICE and parts of CBP, the House initially rejected the plan. However, GOP leadership in both chambers now plans to pass most DHS funding through this route and fund ICE and CBP separately via the Senate’s reconciliation process, which requires only a simple majority.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced the bipartisan bill’s passage in the Senate, but the House has yet to take action. Both chambers are scheduled to return to Washington the week of April 13.
Be First to Comment