A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent looks on passengers queue to go through security at New York’s LaGuardia airport on March 22, 2026. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty Images)
OAN Staff Addie Davis 3:03 PM – Monday, March 30, 2026
Most Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees have received back pay after the longest partial U.S. government shutdown in history halted payments for weeks.
“Most TSA employees received a retroactive paycheck today that included at least two full paychecks covering pay periods 4 and 5 today,” Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Public Affairs Lauren Bis said in a statement to media outlets on Monday.
She noted some employees may see a small delay in receiving the checks for several reasons, including the processing times of financial institutions or direct deposit issues.
“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,” she added.
This follows President Donald Trump’s memorandum on Friday ordering the diversion of funds to pay TSA employees.
“As the Democrat-caused shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security continues well into its sixth week, America’s air travel system has reached its breaking point. This is an unprecedented emergency situation,” Trump said in the directive.
“Accordingly, 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 nexus to TSA operations to provide TSA employees with the compensation and benefits that would have accrued to them if not for the Democrat-led DHS shutdown.”
The union representing TSA agents, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) TSA Council 100, noted that some employees have received incorrect pay amounts due to missing overtime and improper tax withholdings. It also voiced concerns about the removal of furlough status.
“AFGE TSA members are grateful to receive some backpay today. But many of our members have seen bills pile up, interest and late fees add up, cars repossessed, and families thrown into disarray because Congress has failed to do their jobs,” said AFGE TSA Council 100 President Hydrick Thomas in a statement.
“Over 500 of our colleagues had to quit, and those who couldn’t make it to work have disciplinary actions looming over their heads. Backpay alone does not fix those problems. And our fellow DHS employees are still not being paid thanks to the dysfunction in Congress.”
Congress has repeatedly failed to pass bills funding DHS, with rejection based almost entirely along party lines, and the Senate and the House not being able to reconcile the content of the bills. Democrats have maintained that they will continue to oppose any such funding bill until concessions are made regarding reforms for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“Democrats on Capitol Hill have failed to do the same here at home by keeping the Department of Homeland Security unfunded,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a press conference on Monday.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt: “Democrats on Capitol Hill have failed to do the same here at home by keeping the Department of Homeland Security unfunded.”
“TSA officers are grateful to President Trump and Secretary Mullin for their leadership to put money back into the pockets of TSA employees who worked without pay during the ongoing Democrat DHS shutdown,” Bis said in the statement.
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