Chicago – March 27, 2026
President Donald Trump signed an executive action directing the Department of Homeland Security to pay Transportation Security Administration workers after House Republicans rejected a Senate-passed funding bill for most of DHS. The move came as the shutdown-related impasse left more than 60,000 TSA employees facing missed paychecks, rising absences, and long airport security lines nationwide.theguardian+3
House Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP lawmakers rejected the Senate plan, arguing it did not go far enough on immigration enforcement and DHS priorities. The White House said Trump’s order was meant to ease the travel disruption while Congress remained deadlocked.wsj+3
TSA workers had already gone more than a month without full pay, prompting staffing shortages at major airports and warnings of possible closures. DHS said the agency had begun processing payments, with some employees expected to see paychecks as early as Monday.npr+2
Administration officials said the payments would come from money tied to Trump’s 2025 tax law, not from a new congressional appropriation.ajc+1
