Confusion surrounds Trump effort to pay TSA, DHS; some could see last paycheck Friday

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is warning its employees that Friday’s paycheck could be their last until Congress acts to fund the department and end the record-long partial shutdown — but questions remain over whether that warning extends to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers.

TSA employees last week began receiving back pay after President Trump signed a March 27 executive order directing the DHS to find funds to compensate them for their unpaid work since the shutdown began Feb. 14.

The TSA workers have been a critical factor in the shutdown negotiations. When thousands of TSA workers called out during the shutdown, it led to massive lines at airports around the country. That increased pressure on lawmakers to work toward a deal to end the shutdown — at least for the TSA.

The president signed a second edict similar to the executive order affecting TSA workers a week later, this time directing the department to do the same for all DHS employees required to work without pay during the shutdown, including those in the U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

TSA workers are slated to receive another paycheck Friday — covering pay period 6, which ended April 4, as well as previously unpaid hours from earlier in the shutdown — while other DHS employees will receive back pay this week for all pay periods during the lapse through that date, according to a memo sent to DHS employees Monday.

But, in the memo, the department warned employees not to expect additional compensation for hours worked — including those since April 4 — until Congress restores DHS funding. 

“Any additional compensation owed to you will be paid once DHS funding is restored,” read the memo, which was reviewed by The Hill.

The memo added: “At this time, do not submit timecards for pay period 7 until further guidance is provided.”

A spokesperson for the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents most TSA workers, told The Hill that the union understood the memo to mean DHS employees — including TSA officers, who also received the memo — should not take future paychecks for granted. 

But that message was further complicated by reports that an administration official said the memo does not apply to TSA workers. According to CNN, the department said TSA employees would still get their paychecks scheduled for late April.

The DHS did not respond to requests for comment from The Hill.

The AFGE spokesperson said while union officials are confident that paychecks for period 6 are coming Friday, “Pay period 7, for the end of the month, is more uncertain.”

“A DHS memo sent to workers earlier this week suggests that the Pay Period 6 paycheck could be the last until the shutdown ends. However, later reports from the administration say that the memo didn’t actually apply to TSA workers, but TSA workers received it,” the spokesperson continued, referring to the memo.

The memo and follow-up statements have contributed to growing uncertainty among federal employees — especially TSA officers. 

“There is a feeling of increasing anxiety and uncertainty among officers as the chaos and confusion for workers just trying to get by continues,” the AFGE spokesperson added. 

The memo’s warning that future paychecks for DHS employees are not guaranteed without congressional action could increase pressure on lawmakers to strike a deal to fund the department when they return to Washington next week from their two-week Easter recess.

The national callout rate among transportation security officers peaked at 12.35 percent on March 27, with some major airports reporting nearly half their workforce absent at the height of the shutdown disruption. Since pay was restored for TSA employees, absence rates have declined. On Easter Sunday the national callout rate fell to 7.98 percent, with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport reporting the highest rate at 24.6 percent.

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