President Trump signed a memo directing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to pay all its employees despite the partial government shutdown. “Nearly 7 weeks have elapsed since Democrats shut down the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prevent the brave men and women who work for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection from performing their duties to secure our country’s borders and enforce our immigration laws,” the memo read. “More than 35,000 employees, including Coast Guard civilians, Federal Emergency Management Agency employees helping to prepare the Nation for disaster response, and cybersecurity professionals at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, have gone without a paycheck for nearly 2 months because of congressional Democrats,” it continued. “As a result, thousands of DHS employees who are performing their critical public safety responsibilities are struggling to make ends meet and provide for their families. This callous treatment of DHS employees must end in order to ensure that America is not susceptible to security threats and maintains readiness to respond to emergencies,” it added. Trump signs a memo directing DHS to pay all of its employees during the shutdown, including thousands across FEMA, Coast Guard and other agencies. https://t.co/7pba9jZlwt — NBC News (@NBCNews) April 4, 2026 NBC News has more: Trump has repeatedly blamed the partial government shutdown on Democrats, who are demanding significant changes to immigration enforcement tactics before lending their support to legislation that would fully fund DHS. The president signed a similar memo last week that directed DHS to pay TSA workers, who had also gone without paychecks, as passengers endured significant delays at airports across the country. Those funds starting hitting employees’ bank accounts this week. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection have received funding during the shutdown with money from Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill,” which he signed into law last year. “As President of the United States, I have determined that these circumstances constitute an emergency situation compromising the Nation’s security. 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 the functions of DHS to provide each and every employee of DHS with the compensation and benefits that would have accrued to them if not for the Democrat-led DHS shutdown, consistent with applicable law, including 31 U.S.C. 1301(a),” the memo read. “Once regular funding for DHS has been restored, every effort should be made, as authorized by law, to adjust applicable funding accounts within DHS to ensure the continuation of DHS operations and activities consistent with planned expenditures prior to the lapse,” it continued. CBS News shared further: A path forward has emerged over the last week, after Senate Democrats and Republicans approved a bill to fund the bulk of DHS while carving out ICE and parts of CBP, allowing most of the agency to reopen. House Republicans initially rejected that plan, but earlier this week, GOP leadership in both chambers indicated they plan to pass most DHS funding through that route. Then, they plan to fund the rest of DHS — ICE and CBP — through the Senate’s reconciliation process, which allows spending bills to be passed with a simple majority without Democratic support. Read the full memo HERE.