White House says Trump orders back pay from shutdown to all homeland security employees
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US lawmakers have failed to agree on legislation to fund the agency in the wake of deadly shootings by immigration agents earlier in 2026.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump on April 3 signed an emergency order to pay “each and every” employee at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the equivalent of compensation and benefits lost during the partial shutdown of the agency, according to a memo published by the White House.
Mr Trump said the funds would have a “reasonable and logical nexus” to DHS functions, possibly alluding to legal questions surrounding the potential reallotment of funds appropriated by Congress for specific purposes.
US lawmakers have failed to agree on legislation to fund the agency in the wake of deadly shootings by immigration agents earlier in 2026.
Tens of thousands of civilians at the US Coast Guard, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies have not been paid since the government funding standoff began in February.
The US Senate cleared the way early on April 2 for the House of Representatives to pass a DHS funding Bill until Sept 30 that would end a nearly seven-week partial shutdown. The US House of Representatives met on April 2 but did not vote to approve a funding Bill.
On March 30, 50,000 Transportation Security Administration airport security officers began getting paid after Mr Trump signed an order last week to pay them.
The stand-off led to daily absences of 10 per cent or more of TSA workers and brought chaos and long security lines to US airports. REUTERS
