President Donald Trump said he will sign an executive order directing the government to resume pay for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees who have missed paychecks during the partial government shutdown, a move he said would bypass Congress, according to Federal News Network (FNN).
- Who’s affected: DHS employees, including frontline personnel such as TSA screeners and other DHS components funded through lapsed appropriations.
- What Trump said: He will sign an executive order to restore pay for DHS employees who have missed paychecks during the shutdown, FNN reported.
- Why it matters: Pay restoration by executive order would represent an escalation of executive action amid a prolonged funding impasse, according to FNN.
- Related precedent: The announcement follows a similar action used to restore pay for TSA workers, FNN reported.
- What Congress is doing: FNN reported a Republican plan to fund DHS could receive its first test vote on Thursday.
- What’s still unclear: FNN did not report details on timing, coverage (which DHS pay systems and employee groups), or whether the order would provide retroactive pay for all missed periods versus prospective payroll only.
The shutdown has left many federal employees either furloughed or working as excepted employees without pay until funding is restored. DHS is a focal point because many of its missions—aviation security, border operations, emergency response—continue during a lapse, leaving large numbers of employees required to report to work even when pay is delayed.
While Congress typically resolves missed pay through appropriations and, historically, through back pay legislation, Trump’s stated approach would attempt to restart pay through executive action. FNN framed the move as an effort to bypass lawmakers amid stalled negotiations, while Congress separately weighs a DHS-focused funding plan that could advance later this week.
For employees tracking how a lapse could affect pay and potential back pay, FedInfo’s pay resources can help you estimate missed earnings and deductions once official guidance is released: https://fedinfo.org/
Source: Federal News Network (FNN), “Republican plan to fund Homeland Security could get first test vote on Thursday” (April 2026), https://federalnewsnetwork.com/government-shutdown/2026/04/republican-plan-to-fund-homeland-security-could-get-first-test-vote-on-thursday/