TSA Agents Have Received Pay, But These Agencies Are Still Being Impacted by the DHS Shutdown
Quick Insights
The Bottom Line
TSA agents received back pay after weeks without wages, but FEMA, CISA, and Coast Guard remain unfunded in the longest DHS shutdown in U.S. history.
How This Affects You
FEMA's disaster relief fund has dropped to $4 billion with only $1 billion available for ongoing response once reserves are exhausted, potentially limiting disaster assistance; CISA has furloughed 60% of staff, impairing cybersecurity vulnerability assessments as hurricane season approaches.
AI Summary
President Trump issued a memorandum last week directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and OMB Director Russell Vought to pay TSA officers using existing DHS funds, and agents began receiving retroactive paychecks on Monday after weeks without wages. The partial DHS shutdown, which began February 14 and is now the longest in U.S. history, continues to leave thousands of staffers at FEMA, CISA, and the Coast Guard without pay and has crippled disaster relief, cybersecurity assessments, and emergency preparedness operations. FEMA's disaster relief fund has fallen to $4 billion as of early March, leaving only $1 billion available for ongoing disaster response once the agency's $3 billion reserve is exhausted, while CISA has furloughed roughly 60% of its workforce and halted vulnerability assessments as hurricane season approaches. Senate and House Republicans reached a deal to fund most of DHS through September, but the House did not take up the appropriations measure Thursday, meaning the shutdown will last at least through Monday when the chamber reconvenes. Trump said he plans to "soon" sign an order to pay all DHS employees but did not specify timing, funding sources, or duration.
What's Being Done
President Trump directed DHS to pay TSA officers using existing funds; Senate and House Republicans reached a deal to fund most of DHS through September, though the House has not yet taken up the measure.
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