DHS shutdown leaves most TSA employees working without pay

A partial shutdown of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security went into effect early Saturday after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on funding for the department, directly affecting the Transportation Security Administration and airport security operations across the country. 

Under the lapse in appropriations, most Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers are being required to work without pay, officials announced, even as federal funding negotiations continue in Congress. 

“We’re essential workers — we’re supposed to be here — but we’re not being paid for it,” one TSA employee told The Associated Press.

The shutdown comes amid an ongoing political impasse in Congress over Homeland Security funding, in particular disagreements tied to immigration enforcement policy reforms that have stalled broader spending negotiations.

Federal workers are guaranteed to receive back pay after a shutdown ends as a result of a 2019 law.