Context:

A partial federal shutdown is already affecting Transportation Security Administration pay, with workers receiving only a portion of their upcoming paycheck as funding remains unresolved into the shutdown’s second week. The disruption raises the risk of staffing shortages and airport delays, particularly as frontline DHS staff continue working without full pay. DHS has moved on-and-off suspending programs like Global Entry and TSA PreCheck amid funding fights, while broader immigration-enforcement reforms surface in partisan negotiations. Most DHS employees will not receive full pay until Congress approves funding for part or all of the fiscal year, prompting concern over personal finances and service levels. The outlook hinges on imminent congressional action to restore funding and ensure back pay for affected workers.

Dive Deeper:

• About 61,000 TSA employees must remain on the job at the nation’s more than 430 commercial airports during the shutdown, and many live paycheck to paycheck, raising concerns about March housing costs and child care.

• Most affected workers are expected to receive only the second week of February’s pay in their next checks, as funding lapsed on February 14, with these smaller paychecks representing a pause until Congress acts.

• The DHS has temporarily paused and then reconsidered programs such as Global Entry and TSA PreCheck, reflecting the political maneuvering over immigration enforcement funding within the broader funding dispute.

• While some DHS employees continue to be paid through other appropriations, the majority face partial pay or unpaid periods, with back pay guaranteed by a 2019 law once the shutdown ends.

• Overall DHS operations rely on emergency funding tools, including a large infusion from a prior act, to maintain essential functions, even as the White House and lawmakers negotiate spending and policy reforms.