WASHINGTON—The Department of Homeland Security shutdown remained unresolved Thursday afternoon, despite earlier signs of a breakthrough, as President Donald Trump moved to temporarily restore pay for unpaid DHS workers while Congress remained deadlocked over a longer-term funding fix.
Reuters reported Thursday that while the Senate has advanced a path to fund DHS through Sept. 30, the House had not yet acted and is not expected back until Monday, leaving the nearly seven-week partial shutdown technically in place for now. That undercuts earlier expectations that final passage was imminent and keeps uncertainty in place for thousands of employees across FEMA, CISA, the Coast Guard and civilian staffs at ICE and CBP.
Adding to the shifting picture, Reuters also reported Trump said he will sign an emergency order to pay all DHS employees who have gone unpaid since mid-February, expanding beyond the earlier step that restored pay for TSA workers. POLITICO separately reported Trump told Republicans he would “soon sign an order to pay ALL of the incredible employees at the Department of Homeland Security” while urging GOP lawmakers to clear the Senate bill funding most of DHS and then handle ICE and Border Patrol funding through reconciliation.
That means the operational and financial strain from the partial shutdown remains very real, even if some paycheck relief may now be imminent. Federal News Network reported this week that many employees across CISA, FEMA, the Coast Guard and civilian roles at ICE and CBP were still working without pay, with some workers warning the TSA pay fix had reduced pressure on Congress to fully end the lapse.
For credit unions, the latest twist changes the immediate member-impact story but not the broader concern. If Trump’s order is implemented quickly, it could ease short-term cash-flow pressure for affected federal workers, but until Congress actually passes and the president signs a full-year DHS appropriations bill, the shutdown itself remains active—and institutions serving DHS-heavy markets may still need to be prepared for emergency lending, skip-a-pay requests and other member relief. Federal News Network separately reported USAA Bank said it has already provided more than $14 million in shutdown-related relief to thousands of members.
DCUC Responds
“We welcome the President’s commitment to ensure that employees at the Department of Homeland Security are paid during this period of uncertainty. That leadership is critical for the men and women who keep our nation safe every day," stated Defense Credit Union Council Chief Advocacy Officer Jason Stverak. "At the same time, it is essential that this commitment fully and explicitly includes the United States Coast Guard. As DCUC has consistently highlighted, Coast Guard servicemembers are uniquely vulnerable during funding lapses because they fall under DHS rather than the Department of Defense leaving them at risk of missed paychecks through no fault of their own.
"No one who serves our country whether on the front lines overseas or safeguarding our shores at home should ever have to question whether they will receive a paycheck. We have seen time and again that uncertainty around pay creates real financial strain for military families and undermines readiness," continued Stverak. "Credit unions across the country have stepped up as a backstop during these moments—offering zero-interest loans, payment deferrals, and emergency assistance—but as we have repeatedly said, these are temporary solutions. They are no substitute for the certainty of a reliable paycheck.
"We urge the Administration and Congress to work together to ensure that Coast Guard pay is permanently protected and treated with the same certainty as other branches of the armed forces. Our servicemembers and their families deserve nothing less.”