NATIONAL NEWS – DHS shutdown causes mass quitting at TSA, Trump demands, “GO TO WORK”

By Renae Hefty, Staff Writer

90% of the Department of Homeland Security employees have been working without pay since the agency shutdown started on February 14, and those employees missed their first full paycheck on Friday. Earlier this month, the TSA employees had received partial paychecks for work completed before the shutdown. Employees working without pay, who are called “excepted” by the DHS shutdown contingency plan, includes the Transportation Security Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Coast Guard, and Secret Service.

As a result of the shutdown, over 300 TSA employees have quit with massive walk-offs on the job. Approximately 60,000 TSA officers have continued to work without regular pay. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been able to partially pay their employees using discretionary funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. On Sunday, President Trump posted on Truth Social, demanding that TSA workers return to their jobs immediately. “Keep fighting for the USA. GO TO WORK! I promise that I will never forget you!!!” Trump wrote.