President Trump issued a directive on Friday to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), instructing the agency to find a way to pay all employees impacted by the ongoing government shutdown. This decision comes as the shutdown, stemming from a congressional deadlock, nears its second month, leaving thousands of DHS employees without pay.

Directing DHS to Find Funding

The President’s memo tasks DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought with identifying funds related to DHS functions. The memo does not detail specific funding sources or the legal basis for reallocating funds.

“Callous” Treatment of Employees

Accompanying the order, President Trump issued a strong statement, calling the treatment of DHS employees “callous.” He emphasized the action was crucial for national security and emergency preparedness, blaming Democrats for the shutdown and characterizing the situation as an emergency compromising national security.

Impact on DHS Personnel

The memo indicates that over 35,000 DHS employees are affected, including civilian Coast Guard personnel, and staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Cybersecurity and Information Security Agency (CISA).

Prior to this directive, some DHS staff, including Secret Service agents and active-duty Coast Guard members, had received paychecks through previous fund redistributions. Law enforcement officers at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have continued to be paid via the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Last week, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers were also directed to be paid.

Congressional Efforts to End Shutdown

The DHS shutdown, which began in mid-February, is rooted in disagreements over immigration enforcement policies. Following a shooting involving immigration agents, congressional Democrats opposed funding ICE and CBP without policy changes.

Recently, Senate Democrats and Republicans approved a bill to fund most of DHS, excluding ICE and certain CBP divisions. Initially rejected by House Republicans, GOP leadership now intends to pass the majority of DHS funding using the Senate’s approved method and fund ICE and CBP through the reconciliation process.

As of the time of this report, the House has not acted on the Senate’s bill addressing funding for most DHS departments.