Hundreds of thousands of federal employees continue to work without pay during an ongoing partial government shutdown, as lawmakers remain at a stalemate over funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
About 61,000 Transportation Security Administration employees clocked into work this week not knowing when they'll get paid due to the shutdown. They're one of several agencies affected, which include FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Secret Service and parts of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Many TSA employees are still feeling the impacts from the last government shutdown. In a congressional hearing on February 11, Acting TSA Director Ha Nguyen McNiel told Congress the agency lost over 1,000 agents in October and November last year— many of them attributing their departure to the 43-day government shutdown.
“Many were subject to late fees for missed bill payments, eviction notices, loss of childcare, and more,” said McNiel. “Some are just now recovering from the financial impact of the 43-day shutdown. Many are still reeling from it.”
TSA is focusing on surge staffing as big events like the World Cup come to the United States. But with yet another shutdown, those efforts could be severely impacted.
Because of a 2019 bill signed into law during President Trump's first administration... furloughed and essential employees, like TSA agents, will receive backpay once Congress approves a budget for DHS. But a delayed paycheck can still put families in a tough financial position when their bills keep coming in.
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Democrats and Republicans have been unable to compromise on DHS funding, with Democratic lawmakers calling for changes to immigration enforcement across the United States.
Their proposals include a ban on face masks worn by federal immigration officials, requiring judicial warrants before agents can enter private property, mandating body cameras on all agents, and establishing a standard uniform with a badge, identification number and last name prominently displayed.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Sunday that Democrats also don’t want to see law abiding immigrants being swept up as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Republicans have not agreed to all of the proposals, leaving DHS funding unresolved.
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While immigration enforcement has been central to the dispute, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection aren’t expected to be affected as much by the shutdown as they received billions of dollars in funding through President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law last year.
Meanwhile, the shutdown is likely to continue for now, as Congress is recessed until next week.
