April 3, 2026 / 10:16 PM EDT / CBS News
President Trump on Friday directed the Department of Homeland Security to find a way to pay “each and every employee” of the agency after an almost two-month shutdown left thousands without pay. The president’s memo instructs 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 does not specify which accounts will be tapped or the precise legal rationale for reprogramming money.
“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,” Trump wrote, blaming Democrats for the shutdown and declaring the situation an emergency compromising national security. He had previewed the move 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 gone unpaid, including civilian Coast Guard workers and staff at FEMA and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Some DHS personnel have continued receiving pay as the administration shifted funds, including Secret Service agents and active-duty Coast Guard members.
Employees at Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection have been paid using funding from last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Last week, Trump directed that Transportation Security Administration officers be paid through a similar mechanism after TSA absences produced long airport lines.
DHS has been partially shut down since mid-February over a dispute about immigration enforcement policy. After a deadly shooting involving immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this year, congressional Democrats have resisted funding ICE and parts of CBP without policy changes, and the parties have failed to agree on reforms.
A potential resolution has emerged: 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 pass most DHS funding through that route and use the Senate’s reconciliation process to fund the remaining ICE and CBP elements, allowing passage with a simple majority. The House has not yet acted on the Senate’s DHS funding bill.
