Trump Signs Order to Pay TSA Employees After Congress Fails to Agree on DHS Funding

The president's action aims to ease long security lines at airports, but does little to resolve the broader DHS shutdown.

Mar. 29, 2026 at 1:03am

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President Donald Trump signed an executive action on Friday to pay Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees after a bid to end the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fell apart in Congress. The shutdown has resulted in travel delays and warnings of airport closures as more TSA workers have stopped going to work due to missed paychecks. While Trump's action could help ease the plight of air travelers, it does little to resolve the broader DHS shutdown.

Why it matters

The DHS shutdown has created significant disruptions to air travel, with long security lines and TSA staffing shortages at many of the nation's top airports. This has raised concerns about the stability and security of the U.S. air travel system. Trump's executive action is an attempt to address the immediate impacts on travelers, but the underlying political impasse in Congress remains unresolved.

The details

Trump signed the executive action with the goal of using 'funds that have a reasonable and logical nexus to TSA operations' to pay TSA workers. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said TSA employees 'should begin seeing paychecks as early as Monday.' However, the shutdown of the broader DHS will continue, as the House and Senate have passed vastly different funding bills, creating a new impasse. The House rejected the Senate's compromise bill, which would have funded most of DHS except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and parts of Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Instead, the House passed a bill to fund the entire DHS through May 22, which the Senate is unlikely to take up.

  • The DHS shutdown will reach 44 days on Sunday, eclipsing the record 43-day shutdown last fall that affected all of the federal government.
  • Trump signed the executive action on Friday.

The players

President Donald Trump

The President of the United States who signed the executive action to pay TSA employees during the DHS shutdown.

Markwayne Mullin

The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security who stated that TSA workers should begin receiving paychecks as early as Monday.

Mike Johnson

The Speaker of the House who rejected the Senate's compromise bill and announced the House would be pursuing a different route to fund the DHS.

Chuck Schumer

The Senate Democratic leader who said the House GOP plan to fund the DHS through May 22 would be 'dead on arrival in the Senate.'

Hakeem Jeffries

The House Democratic leader who said the Senate-passed bill would clear the House with Republican and Democratic votes if the Speaker allowed it to be voted on.

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What they’re saying

“America's air travel system has reached its breaking point. I have determined that these circumstances constitute an emergency situation compromising the Nation's security.”

— President Donald Trump

“This gambit that was done last night is a joke.”

— Mike Johnson, House Speaker

“This could end, and should end, today.”

— Hakeem Jeffries, House Democratic leader

What’s next

The House and Senate will need to reconcile their vastly different funding bills for the Department of Homeland Security in order to end the shutdown. The Senate is currently on recess, so it will take time for them to return and consider any new measure passed by the House.

The takeaway

The ongoing political impasse in Congress over DHS funding has created significant disruptions to the nation's air travel system, with long security lines and staffing shortages at airports. While the president's executive action to pay TSA workers could provide some immediate relief, a broader resolution to the shutdown remains elusive as the House and Senate remain at odds over the details of a funding bill.