Trump (File photo)
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he will soon sign an order to ensure that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees who have gone without pay during the ongoing partial government shutdown receive their salaries, as the funding impasse stretched to 48 days.Announcing the move in a social media post, Trump blamed Democrats for the stalemate while thanking Republican leaders for efforts to resolve it. The decision follows a similar intervention earlier, when he authorised pay for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers amid widespread absenteeism that had caused long delays at airport security checkpoints.The latest order is expected to cover other non-law enforcement DHS personnel, including staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the US Coast Guard, along with support staff.Trump said their families “have suffered far too long.”“Nevertheless, help is on the way for our Brave and Patriotic Public Servants who have continued to work hard, and do their part to protect and defend our Country,” he said.The move comes as lawmakers remain deadlocked over funding for DHS, with no legislative breakthrough on Thursday. Both the House and Senate held only brief pro forma sessions, leaving the shutdown likely to extend into next week. Republican leaders and the White House have now aligned behind a two-step plan to fully fund the department, after earlier disagreements led Congress to leave Washington for its spring recess without a resolution.During the brief Senate session, Majority Leader John Thune set aside a House proposal that would have funded the entire department for 60 days. Meanwhile, the House did not take up a bipartisan Senate plan, though Thune signalled optimism about its eventual passage.“I don’t know the particulars around what the House will do with it,” Thune told reporters. “My assumption is, at some point, hopefully, they’ll move it.”A major sticking point remains funding for immigration enforcement agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol, with conservative Republicans pushing for full backing of Trump’s immigration agenda.“Let’s make this simple: caving to Democrats and not paying CBP and ICE is agreeing to defund Law Enforcement and leaving our borders wide open again,” Representative Scott Perry said. “If that’s the vote, I’m a NO.”Democrats, meanwhile, have accused Republicans of derailing a bipartisan agreement. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said internal GOP divisions had stalled progress.“Republican divisions derailed a bipartisan agreement, making American families pay the price for their dysfunction,” Schumer said.Looking ahead, Trump is pushing for a broader budget package that would fund ICE and Border Patrol through the remainder of his term, aiming to shield those agencies from future funding disputes. He has said he wants that legislation finalised by June 1.Thune acknowledged potential challenges in passing such a bill, cautioning against expanding its scope.“We need to kind of move with haste,” he said. “It’s probably not a likely magnet for all these other issues.”Despite the shutdown, most DHS employees have continued to report for duty, though many have missed paychecks. Earlier disruptions at airport security checkpoints, caused by TSA staff calling out from work, have begun to ease after some workers started receiving back pay following Trump’s previous order.
