{"id":2585813,"date":"2026-03-31T16:55:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T20:55:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/does-trump-have-authority-to-pay-tsa-workers-amid-shutdown\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T16:56:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T20:56:40","slug":"does-trump-have-authority-to-pay-tsa-workers-amid-shutdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/does-trump-have-authority-to-pay-tsa-workers-amid-shutdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Trump have authority to pay TSA workers amid shutdown?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdoes-trump-have-authority-to-pay-tsa-workers-amid-shutdown%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2585813&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article reports that President Donald Trump ordered that Transportation Security administration (TSA) workers be paid during the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, while other DHS agencies like the Secret Service and the Coast Guard continued to operate without pay.The administration saeid it would use funds with a logical link to TSA operations,reportedly drawing on last year\u2019s \u201cOne big Gorgeous Bill Act.\u201d Legal experts described the move as legally ambiguous, sence Congress normally controls funding, but argued presidents may have broader discretion during national emergencies depending on how spending is worded. The move is framed as a pragmatic step to prevent further disruption amid a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/five-things-republicans-are-preparing-to-fight-as-democrats-mount-2024-offensive\/\" title=\"Republicans gear up to combat Democrats&#039; 2024 offensive with five key battles.\">prolonged government shutdown<\/a>, though it raises questions about precedent and legality. Politically, the DHS funding standoff persists as House Republicans refuse to advance a Senate DHS deal, and Trump has criticized any measure that does not fund immigration enforcement. DHS officials say most TSA back pay has already been issued, though thousands of workers faced financial strain and some left the agency; there may still be processing delays as payments continue.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Does Trump have the authority to pay TSA workers amid DHS shutdown?<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2548051\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tsa\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1557\">Transportation Security Administration<\/a> employees received their first paychecks on Monday following a Thursday directive from President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> ordering that they be paid during the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-homeland-security\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"3083\">Department of Homeland Security<\/a> shutdown.<\/p>\n<p>The move has sparked debate over whether the president can authorize pay without congressional approval, given that the Constitution grants <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"31\">Congress<\/a> the power of the purse.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4511334\/trump-burgum-filthy-reflecting-pool\/\">Trump says he&#8217;s working to fix &#8216;absolutely filthy&#8217; Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4511271\/judge-blocks-trump-white-house-construction-ballroom\/\">Judge blocks Trump White House construction of $400 million ballroom<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4511037\/trump-iran-war-hormuz\/\">Trump says Iran war will end soon and Strait of Hormuz will &lsquo;automatically open&rsquo;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-is-the-emergency-order\">What is the emergency order?<\/h2>\n<p>On Thursday, Trump signed an order without the approval of Congress to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2026\/03\/memorandum-for-the-secretary-of-homeland-security-and-the-director-of-the-office-of-management-and-budget\/\">pay TSA officers<\/a>. Employees at other agencies funded by DHS, such as the Secret Service and the Coast Guard, are still working without pay.<\/p>\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"339\">Trump administration<\/a> directed DHS officials to find existing funds to compensate TSA workers despite the lapse in appropriations.<\/p>\n<p>The administration directed Homeland Security Secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/markwayne-mullin\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"21441\">Markwayne Mullin<\/a> to &ldquo;use funds that have a reasonable and logical nexus to TSA operations to provide TSA employees with the compensation and benefits.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A White House official said funding from last year&rsquo;s One Big Beautiful Bill Act would be used to cover the payments in a statement to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The office compared the move to Trump&rsquo;s efforts to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mike-johnson-takes-calls-from-c-span-on-government-shutdown\/\" title=\"Mike Johnson takes calls from C-SPAN on government ...\">pay military personnel<\/a> during last October&rsquo;s full <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/government-shutdown\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"18\">government shutdown<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Not unlike actions taken during the first Democrat-shutdown &hellip; President Trump has determined that congressional Democrats have created an emergency situation that cannot be allowed to continue,&rdquo; the official said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-is-the-action-legal-nbsp\">Is the action legal?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<p>John Shu, a legal scholar and commentator who served in the White House for Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, said the issue falls into a gray area with little precedent. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s legally ambiguous, and no court has ever had to decide something like this,&rdquo; he said in a statement to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Shu pointed to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"31\">Congress&rsquo;s<\/a> use of broad funding allocations, known as block grants, and to Trump&rsquo;s declaration of the TSA shortage as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-craziest-meeting-of-trump-era-top-trump-official-combatted-conspiracies-was-primed-to-brawl\/\" title=\"In \u2018Craziest Meeting\u2019 Of ...-Era, Top ... Official Combatted Conspiracies: \u2018Was Primed To Brawl\u2019\">national security emergency<\/a> as <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >key factors shaping<\/a> the administration&rsquo;s legal argument.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Shu indicated that presidents have much broader discretion during national emergencies and that Congress does not always spell out a specific use or allocation for every dollar. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ll often approve massive block grants for huge agencies like DHS &hellip; and in that case, the executive branch can draw from those pools and use it to pay the TSA agents, especially during an emergency situation.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Still, he noted limits to that reasoning, adding that &ldquo;even though Congress does block grants from time to time, they often do specify certain allocations &hellip; so it is an open question, depending on the budget&rsquo;s specific language.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Despite the uncertainty, Shu argued that practical and political realities make a legal challenge unlikely.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;People can argue all they want about how technically it&rsquo;s not right &hellip; but because he has a Republican House and Senate, and because obviously the president controls the Department of Justice, no one with standing is going to complain,&rdquo; Shu said, &ldquo;and if no one complains, the courts can&rsquo;t do anything about it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-is-the-president-stepping-in\">Why is the president stepping in?<\/h2>\n<p>The partial government shutdown has now stretched on for more than 45 days.<\/p>\n<p>Senate Democrats and Republicans reached an agreement on Thursday to reopen the department without funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. House Republicans, however, refused to advance the bill, drafting their own spending bill, placing the burden to fund DHS back on the Senate, most of whom have already left for a two-week recess.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4507334\/house-passes-eight-week-dhs-deal-to-punt-shutdown-back-to-senate\/\"><strong>HOUSE PASSES EIGHT-WEEK DHS DEAL TO PUNT SHUTDOWN BACK TO SENATE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Trump likewise criticized the Senate compromise and reiterated his opposition to any measure that does not fund immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t have a bill that&rsquo;s not going to fund ICE &hellip; and Border Patrol,&rdquo; Trump said in an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4507112\/trump-sides-with-johnson-over-thune-in-senate-house-brawl-to-end-dhs-shutdown\/\">interview with Fox News<\/a>, also renewing his call for Senate Republicans to eliminate the filibuster.<\/p>\n<p>His comments undercut efforts by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to broker a deal and end the standoff.<\/p>\n<p>In a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/videos\/press-secretary-karoline-leavitt-briefs-members-of-the-media-mar-30-2026\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/videos\/press-secretary-karoline-leavitt-briefs-members-of-the-media-mar-30-2026\/\">Monday press conference<\/a>, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked if the administration has a plan to reopen DHS.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The president just can&rsquo;t keep signing presidential memorandums and proclamations every time Congress fails to do its job,&rdquo; Leavitt said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Democrats are &ldquo;holding the country hostage&rdquo; by &ldquo;picking and choosing which programs and agencies they want to fund just because they don&rsquo;t like this administration&rsquo;s policies,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Leavitt indicated that Trump is also encouraging Congress to stay in Washington and &ldquo;permanently fix this problem.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-dhs-officials-are-saying-nbsp\">What DHS officials are saying&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<p>Acting Assistant Secretary of the DHS Office of Public Affairs Lauren Bis said most employees have already <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chicago-teachers-union-now-says-theres-no-agreement-to-return-to-high-school-classrooms-demands-city-return-to-negotiations\/\" title=\"Chicago Teachers Union Now Says There\u2019s \u2018No Agreement\u2019 To Return To High School Classrooms, Demands City Return To Negotiations\">received back pay<\/a>. That included at least two paychecks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;TSA officers are grateful &hellip; for leadership to put money back into the pockets of TSA employees who worked without pay,&rdquo; Bis said in a statement to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/daily-memo\/4509588\/will-insane-government-shutdown-ever-end-dhs-tsa-funding\/\"><strong>BYRON YORK: WILL THE INSANE SHUTDOWN EVER END?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>She added that more than 500 officers left the agency during the shutdown, and thousands called out due to financial strain.<\/p>\n<p>Some employees may still experience delays due to processing problems while the government works to complete remaining payments, Bis added.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump uses funds to pay TSA workers during DHS shutdown<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4195,"featured_media":2585814,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2267899051.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[41236,76909,39629,56115,9673],"class_list":["post-2585813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-emergency-funding","tag-federal-payroll","tag-government-shutdown","tag-presidential-authority","tag-tsa"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2267899051.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2585813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4195"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2585813"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2585813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2585817,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2585813\/revisions\/2585817"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2585814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2585813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2585813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2585813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}