On Thursday, President Trump revealed his intention to sign an executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to expedite payments for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents. This announcement comes amid a partial shutdown led by Democrats that has now entered its sixth week.
Trump stated on Truth Social, “Due to the Democrats creating a National Crisis, I am using my legal powers to protect our Great Country! I will instruct Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to pay our TSA agents immediately, ending the chaos at airports.”
The president’s directive allows DHS to process pay for roughly 50,000 TSA officers who have continued their critical work while remaining unpaid due to the funding lapse.
Secretary Mullin could issue guidelines for the financial management and payroll departments at DHS to initiate payments. Funds would be transferred to employees through standard payroll cycles managed by the Department of the Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service.
Since no new funding resolutions are in place, the order depends on executive authority claims. This could involve reallocating unspent funds from previous DHS budgets, utilizing emergency statutes like the National Emergencies Act, or prioritizing essential public safety payments.
As payments commence, TSA agents would receive their current wages, but this process does not establish new budget authority. Congress ultimately controls long-term funding, meaning any disbursements under this order may need subsequent approval in a final appropriations bill.
Historical instances exist where executives redirected funds during shutdowns for emergencies like disaster relief, yet applying this to routine payroll marks a significant extension of that practice.
🚨 IT’S OFFICIAL: “President Trump is ordering his new Homeland Security Secretary to PAY TSA WORKERS.”
Fund TSA and REOPEN DHS!
Nuke the filibuster, Senate GOP, and it ALL goes away!pic.twitter.com/nvHwm7IOgh
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 26, 2026
Reports from TSA indicate that over 480 security officers have resigned since the shutdown started on February 14. Call-out rates skyrocketed from a pre-shutdown average of about 4 percent to a staggering 11 percent, with some airports experiencing daily employee absences exceeding 40 to 50 percent. Consequently, passenger wait times for security have reached unprecedented levels, with several major facilities seeing delays of more than four and a half hours.
