President Donald Trump said he will ensure all Department of Homeland Security employees are paid as the partial government shutdown entered its 48th day, after the House again failed to act on a Senate-passed funding measure that would reopen DHS through the end of the fiscal year.
- The shutdown affecting DHS reached 48 days, according to Government Executive.
- The House did not take action on a Senate measure that would have funded DHS through September, prolonging the lapse in appropriations, Government Executive reported.
- Trump said he would “pay all DHS workers,” framing the move as continued pressure on Congress to pass a funding deal, according to Government Executive.
- DHS includes large workforces across agencies such as Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and FEMA—many of whom are designated excepted and must continue working during a shutdown.
- The stalled Senate bill would have provided full-year DHS funding, but without House action, DHS remains unfunded and employees’ pay depends on when appropriations resume, Government Executive reported.
The latest impasse follows weeks of negotiations over DHS appropriations. Government Executive reported that the Senate approved a measure to fund DHS through September, but the House did not bring it up, leaving the shutdown in place.
Trump’s statement that he will ensure all DHS employees are paid comes as workers continue to face missed paychecks and uncertainty about when Congress will pass a funding package. In prior shutdowns, Congress has typically enacted legislation providing back pay for federal employees after funding is restored; however, Government Executive noted Trump’s comments were aimed at assuring DHS workers directly while keeping pressure on lawmakers.
For federal employees and service members who rely on DHS services—such as travel screenings, border operations, disaster response, and immigration processing—the continued shutdown can translate into longer wait times, reduced administrative capacity, and delayed non-excepted functions. For DHS employees, the key near-term question remains whether Congress will pass a funding measure quickly, and whether any payment mechanism discussed by the White House would require congressional action to implement.
Employees tracking potential pay impacts and shutdown-related guidance can also consult FedInfo’s federal pay resources if a lapse extends into additional pay periods: https://fedinfo.org.
Source: Government Executive, “Trump says he’ll pay all DHS workers after House again fails to end 48-day shutdown” (Apr. 2026): https://www.govexec.com/pay-benefits/2026/04/trump-says-hell-pay-all-dhs-workers-after-house-again-fails-end-shutdown/412599/