Trump says he'll order DHS to start paying TSA officers as shutdown drags on
President Trump said he will sign an executive order to restart pay for TSA officers, who have gone more than a month without a full paycheck.
Updated on: March 26, 2026 / 9:27 PM EDT / CBS News
Mr. Trump did not say what legal authority he intends to use. TSA officers have gone without pay because appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security lapsed in February, and it's not clear if the president has the legal ability to pay staff through some other means.
"Because the Democrats have recklessly created a true National Crisis, I am using my authorities under the Law to protect our Great Country, as I always will do," he announced in a Truth Social post.
Mr. Trump wrote that his executive order will direct Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who was sworn in earlier this week , to restart officers' pay "immediately." He wrote: "It is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it!"
The administration is planning to use funding from last summer's One Big Beautiful Bill Act to pay TSA officers, a senior administration official told CBS News. It's unclear what provision of the law will be used, but the law included tens of billions of dollars in extra funding for various DHS functions, including money for immigration enforcement, security for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympics, state grants and protection for the president's residences.