Emergency Directive Breaks Impasse
President Trump on Friday issued a presidential memorandum ordering the Department of Homeland Security to pay all of its employees despite a partial government shutdown now approaching 50 days. The memo directs 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 issue paychecks with back pay to the agency's workforce.
Trump framed the action as a national security measure. "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 wrote in the memo. "As President of the United States, I have determined that these circumstances constitute an emergency situation compromising the Nation's security."
Who Has Gone Without Pay
The memo identifies specific groups without paychecks: civilian Coast Guard employees and staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Other DHS staff have already been paid through previous funding maneuvers, including Secret Service agents and active-duty Coast Guard personnel.
Law enforcement officers at Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection have been paid through funding in last year's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Last week, Trump directed Transportation Security Administration officers to be paid through similar means after absences by TSA officers led to lengthy airport delays.
The Shutdown's Origin and Path Forward
DHS has been shut down since mid-February due to a dispute over immigration enforcement policy. Congressional Democrats have opposed funding ICE and CBP without policy changes, but the two parties have been unable to reach an agreement on reforms.
A potential resolution emerged last week after Senate Democrats and Republicans approved a bill to fund the bulk of DHS while carving out ICE and parts of CBP. House Republicans initially rejected that plan, but GOP leadership in both chambers indicated they plan to pass most DHS funding through that route. They then plan to fund the remaining portions of DHS through the Senate's reconciliation process, which allows spending bills to pass with a simple majority without Democratic support. The House has not yet taken action on the Senate's bill.
The sources also report that the memo estimates over 35,000 DHS employees have not been paid, including those at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.