US President Donald Trump said on Thursday (April 2nd) that he will soon sign an order to pay the Department of Homeland Security
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(DHS) employees who have been without pay during the record-long partial government shutdown, which has now stretched to 48 days.
The move comes as lawmakers continue to struggle to reach a broader funding deal, leaving thousands of federal workers in limbo.
“Help is on the way,” assures Trump
Announcing the decision in a social media post, Trump acknowledged the hardships faced by affected employees and their families.
“Their families have suffered for too long,” he said.
“However, help is on the way for our brave and patriotic public servants who continue to work hard and do their part to protect and defend our country,” Trump added.
The order is expected to apply to non-law enforcement DHS employees, including employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the US Coast Guard, and federal cybersecurity units.
Despite Trump’s unilateral move, the broader funding shortfall for DHS is expected to stretch into next week as Congress remains deadlocked.
Both the House and Senate held only brief pro forma sessions Thursday without taking action on the competing funding proposals.
Two-tier financing plan
Republican leaders, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson, agreed with Trump on a two-phase plan to end the impasse.
The proposal would immediately fund most of DHS and delay funding decisions for immigration agencies like ICE and the Border Patrol.
“I don’t know the details of what the House is going to do about it,” Thune said. “My assumption is that at some point, hopefully, they will move it.
Funding for ICE and the Border Patrol remains a key issue
Excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and funding for the US Border Patrol has proven to be a major obstacle.
Democrats have largely supported the Senate bill, while Republicans remain divided. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer accused House Republicans of prolonging the shutdown.
“Deep division and dysfunction among House Republicans is unnecessarily prolonging the DHS shutdown and hurting federal workers who are missing out on another paycheck,” Schumer said.
Impact on workers and services
While most DHS employees continued to work, thousands remained without pay. The situation has hampered operations, especially at airport security checkpoints, where staff shortages have led to long delays.
Trump earlier signed a similar order to restore pay for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers, which helped ease the disruption.
At FEMA, approximately 10,000 workers continue to be paid through the Disaster Relief Fund, while at least 4,000 employees remain without furlough or are working without pay.
