United States: why thousands of Homeland Security officials fear they will no longer be paid

Towards a difficult end of the month for many American officials. Thousands of U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees fear for their salaries after being informed that Friday’s paycheck could be the last without resolution to the record-breaking partial budget shutdown.

An internal government memo warned staff that, without congressional action, the lack of a budget could lead to the suspension of future salary payments to DHS employees, which have been strained for weeks.

This internal memo appears to be aimed at the entire DHS, but it is unclear whether airport security agents are affected, as President Donald Trump ordered at the end of March that they be paid in order to avoid chaos and long passenger lines.

DHS, one of the largest U.S. departments, employs more than 260,000 people. Its funding has been frozen since February 14 due to the deep dispute between elected Democrats and Republicans in Congress over the practices of the immigration police (ICE), which are highly contested on the left.

Loans to make ends meet

Republican elected officials announced an agreement at the beginning of April to end this partial budgetary paralysis but the House of Representatives did not vote for it.

Elected officials, returning from parliamentary recess next week, must resume their work under pressure to reach an agreement.

The impasse has forced tens of thousands of federal workers to stay home or work without guaranteed pay, some of them having to rely on loans, food banks or second jobs to make ends meet.

If the situation persists, this could lead to further staff shortages, which could disrupt airports in the coming months, particularly during major events such as the World Cup.