TSA agents who have been working without pay during the ongoing partial government shutdown may see paychecks as soon as Monday, following an order from President Donald Trump, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed to TIME on Friday.
A DHS spokesperson said the process of issuing pay had already begun at the direction of Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin. “TSA officers should begin seeing paychecks as early as Monday, March 30,” the statement said. The spokesperson described the shutdown as an “emergency” and “crisis,” adding that TSA staff were facing severe financial strain. “Officers are losing their homes and cars, struggling to put food on the table, and experiencing all-around financial catastrophe,” the statement said.
The president issued a memorandum Friday declaring that the situation constituted an emergency compromising national security. Trump directed Mullin and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought to use funds connected to TSA operations to provide employees with the compensation and benefits they would have received if the shutdown had not occurred.
Funding for DHS, which oversees TSA, lapsed on February 14 amid a standoff between Democrats and Republicans over immigration enforcement. TSA agents are considered essential workers and are required to continue working during a shutdown, even without pay. Many staff have taken second jobs to cover living expenses, while others have called out, leaving airports across the country facing staffing shortages and security lines stretching for hours.
Aviation security expert Sheldon Jacobson told TIME that if TSA agents receive pay on Monday, airport operations could stabilize quickly. “I suspect people will be showing up for work more consistently now, and these delays will come to a somewhat abrupt end,” Jacobson said, noting that checkpoints might return to normal by midweek.
However, some observers cautioned that it could take longer. Former TSA officer Caleb Harmon-Marshall told The Associated Press that security lines could remain long for a week or two. “The back and forth about whether they’re getting paid is confusing officers. They want to know if this is sustained or just a one-time pay period,” he said.
Congress appeared briefly to be moving toward a solution Friday, after the Senate passed a bill to fund TSA and most of DHS while excluding certain immigration agencies. House Speaker Mike Johnson rejected the measure, calling it a “joke.” House Republicans said they plan to propose a short-term measure to fund DHS for eight weeks, but Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, quickly dismissed it as “dead on arrival.”
The situation has left travelers facing record-long security lines, missed flights, and widespread frustration, while TSA employees continue to work under financial pressure. The president’s memorandum may provide relief, but the long-term resolution of TSA funding depends on congressional action.
