Congress remains stuck between a Senate measure that would keep most of DHS running through Sept. 30 and House conservatives who do not want to move a bill that leaves immigration enforcement money to a later package. As Reuters reported Friday, the Senate cleared that pathway, but the House met without taking up the bill.
The White House formalized Trump’s response in a presidential memorandum issued April 3, directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and the Office of Management and Budget to use funds with a “reasonable and logical nexus” to DHS functions so employees can receive the compensation and benefits they would have accrued without the shutdown.
The order is broader than the administration’s earlier step to restart pay for TSA officers after airport disruptions intensified. It may ease immediate pressure on thousands of unpaid civilians at FEMA, the Coast Guard and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, but it still leaves Congress responsible for ending the funding lapse.
What the DHS shutdown still leaves unresolved
Back pay does not change the politics on Capitol Hill. Speaker Mike Johnson is still facing resistance from within his own conference, and Axios reported that he told Republicans he would wait on a vote until the Senate shows more progress on a separate package for ICE and Customs and Border Protection.
The broader framework remains the two-track approach Republican leaders announced this week: pass the Senate-style bill for most of DHS first, then try to fund key immigration enforcement agencies later through party-line legislation. That path gives House Republicans a possible off-ramp, but only if enough conservatives decide a partial reopening is better than a longer stalemate.
How the DHS shutdown reached this point
The warning signs were visible well before Friday. On March 24, AP reported that senators were scrambling for a partial deal as airport disruptions deepened and Democrats pressed for new limits on immigration enforcement after agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.
A day later, Reuters detailed the growing operational strain, including a surge in TSA resignations and wait times that stretched past four hours at some checkpoints.
The broader pattern is also familiar. During the 2019 shutdown, Reuters reported that TSA absences hit a then-record 10% as unpaid federal workers struggled to keep showing up, a reminder that travel disruptions can turn a budget fight into a public-pressure crisis.
What happens next in the DHS shutdown fight
The practical question now is whether Republicans can turn executive relief into a legislative fix before the lapse further damages morale and operations inside DHS. Trump’s order may buy time. It does not buy Congress an answer.
