The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is urging Congress to immediately guarantee pay for all Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees during the ongoing government shutdown, including both furloughed staff and “excepted” employees who are required to work without pay, according to Federal News Network.
- Who’s calling for action: AFGE, which represents employees across DHS components, according to Federal News Network.
- What AFGE wants: Congress to ensure all DHS employees receive pay during the shutdown, not after it ends, Federal News Network reported.
- Who is affected:
- Excepted employees continuing to work without pay to support mission-critical operations.
- Furloughed employees placed in nonpay status during the shutdown.
- Why AFGE says it’s urgent: The union warned of immediate financial hardship for federal workers and their families if pay is delayed, according to Federal News Network.
- What Congress has done in past shutdowns: Federal employees have typically received back pay after funding is restored, but not necessarily paychecks during the shutdown itself, Federal News Network noted.
- Key policy issue: Whether lawmakers will act to provide pay during the shutdown period—not just retroactive compensation—particularly for employees required to report to duty under shutdown contingency plans.
Brief context
During a lapse in appropriations, agencies implement shutdown plans that classify employees as either excepted (required to work) or non-excepted (furloughed). DHS often maintains significant excepted staffing due to national security and public safety missions. AFGE’s request focuses on avoiding a scenario where employees are asked to work—or are forced off the job—while missing paychecks until Congress passes a funding measure.
For employees trying to plan, the immediate question is whether Congress will authorize continued pay during the funding gap or whether workers will need to rely on back pay once appropriations resume. Federal News Network reported AFGE is pressing lawmakers to move quickly to prevent missed-paycheck impacts across DHS.
Employees looking for general shutdown-related pay and status basics can review FedBrief’s explainer on shutdown rules and terminology: https://fedbrief.org/.
Source: Federal News Network — Unions (March 2026), “Federal union calls for Congress to pay all DHS employees during shutdown,” https://federalnewsnetwork.com/federal-newscast/2026/03/federal-union-calls-for-congress-to-pay-all-dhs-employees-during-shutdown/