TSA Officers Could Go Back to Being Unpaid in May

The short-term fix that has kept America’s airports running amidst a two-month partial government shutdown is about to run out.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Fox & Friends on Tuesday that the funds the DHS is using to pay TSA workers during the continued partial government shutdown are dwindling, and could run out completely by early May.

The DHS has been paying TSA workers using an emergency fund carved out in last year’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.” This fund was tapped via executive action in late March to address the crisis that saw security lines at some airports exceed four hours—the longest in the TSA’s nearly 25-year history.

Secretary Mullin warned that the current payroll for DHS is over $1.6 billion every two weeks, and the emergency reserves are nearly “dried up.” According to OMB data, as of April 19, less than $1.4 billion remains in the $10 billion fund.

That would mean that TSA workers, who went unpaid for six weeks last fall during a separate partial shutdown, could go back to being unpaid. That would inevitably exacerbate the staffing problems at the TSA, which has already lost 500 officers since mid-February due to the ongoing instability.

While the Senate approved a Republican budget blueprint on Thursday morning to serve as a legislative “shell” for restoring DHS funding, a resolution is still far from a guarantee. Senate GOP leaders are currently attempting to use the reconciliation process to bypass the 60-vote filibuster.

This measure now moves to the House for approval. Once passed by both chambers, lawmakers can begin drafting the specific reconciliation legislation, political negotiations, and final budget documents required to reopen the department, but with the early May deadline approaching, the clock is officially ticking.