Trump is paying TSA agents — but where is the money coming from?

Trump’s executive order appears to have eased wait times at airport security this week, at least for now.

Acting Assistant DHS Secretary for Public Affairs Lauren Bis said in an email that “Most TSA employees” received a retroactive paycheck this week “that included at least two full paychecks” for recent missed pay periods.

More than 500 officers left TSA as a result of the missed checks triggered by the shutdown and thousands called out of work, Bis said.

“A small population might see a slight delay due to a variety of reasons, including financial institution processing times or issues with their direct deposit. We are working aggressively with USDA’s National Finance Center to complete processing for the half paycheck they are owed from pay period 3 as soon as possible,” Bis said.

It is unclear how long the TSA will continue to be paid via the DHS fund, as Congress continues to struggle to coalesce around a deal.

Last week, no senators objected to a proposal to fund all of DHS except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and parts of Customs and Border Protection, sending it to the House for final approval. The move allowed the Senate to effectively end the shutdown and leave town for its preplanned recess, while also alleviating the long waits at airports throughout the country ahead of a time of heavy travel in early April for Easter and Passover.

That deal enraged House Republicans, who refused to consider the Senate’s compromise and instead opted to pass their own stopgap spending measure that would continue funding for all of DHS — including ICE and CBP — through May 22 and sending it back to the Senate.

The Senate, by that time, had already left Washington, guaranteeing an extended shutdown. Democrats vow to block any package that includes immigration enforcement funding without changes to the agency’s practices, and senators are spread out around the country and the world for the recess.

The White House has urged Congress to return early from its break, but leaders in both chambers have not signaled any plans to do so.

Trump on Wednesday weighed in via TruthSocial, calling on congressional Republicans to use the budget reconciliation process — a procedural tool for spending-related measures that requires only a simple majority in the Senate to pass — to bypass Democrats and fund ICE and CBP.

“I am asking that the Bill be on my desk NO LATER than June 1st. Our Law Enforcement Officers and the American People should not have to wait until the Democrats see reason or, learn the hard way through the Polls,” Trump wrote.

— CNBC’s Megan Cassella contributed to this story.

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/01/tsa-trump-dhs-shutdown-airports.html