US President Donald Trump has ordered the payment of salaries to the remaining employees of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) who remained unpaid due to the record-long partial government shutdown. This is reported by Reuters with reference to a White House memo, writes UNN.
Details
In the document, Trump ordered the Department of Homeland Security, along with the Office of Management and Budget, to use available funds related to the agency's functions to compensate employees for lost wages and benefits.
“I hereby direct the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, to use funds that have a reasonable and logical connection to the functions of DHS to ensure that every DHS employee receives the compensation and benefits they would have received,”
Congressional deadlock persists
Trump's decision comes amid a protracted conflict in Congress over DHS funding. The Senate has already supported a bill to fund most of the ministry's structures until the end of the fiscal year, but the House of Representatives has not yet approved it. The reason for the dispute remains disagreements over immigration policy and funding for border and migration services.
Earlier, the administration had already separately resumed payments for TSA employees after weeks of unpaid salaries led to staff shortages, long queues at airports, and mass absenteeism. Now the decision has been extended to other DHS employees, including those in FEMA, the Coast Guard, and cybersecurity structures.
In the US, questions are already being raised about the legality of such a step
At the same time, Trump's order raised new questions about whether the president can independently redirect budget funds without a separate vote in Congress. This is likely to become one of the new fronts in the political dispute surrounding the shutdown.
Record US shutdown paralyzed airports and caused mass layoffs30.03.26, 03:14