Published April 3, 2026
Updated April 4, 2026
After weeks of travel chaos, President Donald Trump last week issued an executive action ordering that Transportation Security Administration employees receive most of their back pay amid the ongoing partial government shutdown, prompting agents to return to work and easing the strain on the nation’s air travel system.
The winding security lines at airports across the country have shriveled and the most visible signs of the partial shutdown have begun to subside.
But elsewhere, the crisis is deepening.
More than six weeks into the historic partial shutdown — prolonged by ongoing disagreements in Congress over immigration enforcement reforms — tens of thousands of other employees across the Department of Homeland Security remain unpaid, facing a new month of bills and responsibilities.
They include Federal Emergency Management Agency workers, civilians in the US Coast Guard, administrative staffers at Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and more — many of whom say they haven’t been paid since February.
Trump on Friday signed a memorandum ordering all DHS employees be paid amid the partial government shutdown, expanding on his earlier order to pay TSA workers. As with the TSA funding, the money to pay all DHS employees is expected to come from last summer’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” according to an Office of Management and Budget official. It wasn’t clear as of Saturday when DHS workers would start receiving paychecks again.
Some workers are now selling their clothes for cash, pulling their kids out of after-school programs and turning to family for money just to survive.
Here are the stories of some of these beleaguered federal workers, whose identities have been vetted by CNN and requested to not use their full name to protect their privacy.
“Family members have started sending me money to help me out, paying some of my bills. My car insurance lapsed, because I wasn’t able to pay … I’ve never been in this position before. I’ve been with the government for 26 years, and I’ve served under four presidents … I haven’t stopped crying.”
“I’m selling clothing on Poshmark, I’m selling furniture and household items on Facebook Marketplace to try to help with groceries, gas … I have some medical bills that are starting to add up, and then my mortgage. I’ll probably have to call family to see if they can loan me money until I’m paid.”
“I can’t go sign a lease anywhere or rent anything because I don’t know when a paycheck is coming … I’ve had to move back home with my parents and I’m kind of stuck in limbo here … I love what I do. But it sucks when you’re being forced to do it without pay.”
“I can’t probably pay my next mortgage. I’ll have trouble making sure that I’m paying my child care and other expenses that we have … I’m working every day, so I can’t apply for unemployment … I’ve never seen the morale so low at this point, and to be treated this way is really hard.”
“I am a single parent and this has been difficult to take care of my children and myself … I try to keep a positive attitude but this has caused me a lot of stress. I am behind on my rent and behind on my child care payments … I wish this was over so I wouldn’t be struggling like this.”
“We put an offer on a house and closed on it early last month. A week later my car died … Now, I’m faced with a $4,600 mortgage and $400 car note that we can’t afford on my wife’s check alone. We have been federal government employees for 18 years and I’ve never felt so underappreciated and disrespected in my profession.”
“I am currently not working and not getting paid, and I do not get back pay … I am currently experiencing infertility and am paying out of pocket for IVF (in vitro fertilization) and am wondering how I am going to pay for my next round of IVF, and my health insurance does not cover infertility treatments.”
“I’ve been furloughed more than 3 months out of the last 7ish. I have two small children and we’re having to pick and choose sports and activities for them. I know others are still working and unpaid and my heart goes out to them.”
“This month I will not be able to pay my mortgage. Our family is eating from local food pantries. I am now applying for jobs outside of the government because federal employment has become too unstable to support a family. I like my agency and my co-workers, but I have to think of my children first.”
“This shutdown is not only affecting my bills and payments due, but it has also thrown me into a tailspin of depression. I have not seen a paycheck since February 13, and that paycheck was only a quarter of what I normally receive. I have now missed my latest mortgage payment and I also have day care to contend with.”
CNN asked how going unpaid during the partial government shutdown has impacted Department of Homeland Security employees’ lives and received more than 100 responses. The responses have been edited for length and clarity, and some didn’t want to disclose full names to protect their privacy. CNN has verified the identities of all the workers in the story.
Based in New York, Stephen Freeman is a Senior Editor at Trending Insurance News. Previously he has worked for Forbes and The Huffington Post. Steven is a graduate of Risk Management at the University of New York.