April 3, 2026 / 10:16 PM EDT / CBS News
President Trump on Friday ordered the Department of Homeland Security to find a way to pay “each and every employee” after an almost two-month partial shutdown left thousands without pay. His memo asks 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,” but it does not identify specific accounts or lay out a detailed legal justification for any reprogramming of funds.
Trump framed the move as necessary to protect national security, blaming Democrats for the shutdown and calling the situation an emergency that compromises readiness to respond to threats and emergencies. He had previewed the action on social media Thursday, saying he would “soon sign an order to pay ALL of the incredible employees at the Department of Homeland Security.”
The memo says more than 35,000 DHS employees have been left unpaid, including civilian Coast Guard workers and staff at FEMA and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Some parts of DHS have continued to pay certain workers after the administration shifted funds; Secret Service agents and active-duty Coast Guard members have continued receiving pay through those measures.
Employees at Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection have been paid with funding from last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Last week, the president directed that Transportation Security Administration officers be paid through a similar mechanism after TSA absences led to long lines at airports.
DHS has been partially shut down since mid-February over a dispute about immigration enforcement policy. The standoff intensified after a deadly shooting involving immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this year; congressional Democrats have resisted approving funding for ICE and parts of CBP without policy changes, and lawmakers have not reached agreement.
A possible path forward has been developing on Capitol Hill. Senate Democrats and Republicans approved a bill to fund most of DHS while excluding ICE and portions of CBP so the bulk of the agency could reopen. House Republicans initially rejected that plan, but GOP leaders in both chambers have since indicated they will move most DHS funding that way and pursue remaining funding for ICE and CBP through the Senate’s reconciliation process, which would allow passage with a simple majority. The House has not yet acted on the Senate’s DHS funding bill.