Trump Addresses DHS Employee Pay During Shutdown
President Donald Trump has shared plans to ensure that Department of Homeland Security employees receive their pay amid the ongoing partial shutdown. Many Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers have been providing their services without compensation for several weeks, leading to considerable delays at airports nationwide.
The last time TSA staff received a complete paycheck was back on February 14. Since then, nearly 500 employees have left their jobs, and attendance rates have plummeted to 11.83% as of March 26, according to reports.
Trump stated, “Democrats who defund the police are keeping DHS closed to undermine ICE’s efforts to deport murderers and rapists.”
In a previous directive, Trump instructed DHS to collaborate with the Office of Management and Budget to “provide TSA employees with the compensation and benefits that would have accrued if it weren’t for the Democratic-led DHS shutdown, following applicable laws, and using funds well-suited for TSA operations.”
Following this order, on March 30, several TSA workers began to receive at least a part of their overdue paychecks, although they did not receive full payment twice in a row. Just a few days later, Trump announced further measures to guarantee pay for all DHS employees.
“Republicans are united and moving ahead with a plan to fund our dedicated Border Patrol and immigration employees,” he mentioned in a recent social media post.
Trump also criticized Democrats for their commitment to what he described as radical policies, which he believes permit “murderers and criminals of all kinds” into the country without proper vetting. He projected that such actions might have negative repercussions for them in the midterm elections.
The President declared that he would take executive actions to address these ongoing issues and promised to “soon sign an order to compensate every outstanding employee at the Department of Homeland Security.” He emphasized that the families of these workers have been suffering as a result of what he called “ultra-liberal leaders.”
Trump also asserted that “help is on the way for our brave and patriotic public servants who tirelessly work to protect our nation.”
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin expressed gratitude to the President for these recent developments, stating, “Democrats who defund the police have kept DHS shut down for over a month to obstruct ICE’s efforts to eliminate serious threats to our safety and open our borders.” He remarked that Democrats have consistently prioritized the interests of violent illegal aliens over American citizens.
