Pres. Trump signed an executive order to restore pay on Monday, including back pay.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — More than 40 days after her last paycheck, Mary Becker said the financial strain is starting to feel overwhelming.

“Today was another missed paycheck. You’re like, OK, now it’s real. Now, it’s scary. Now, I need to make plans,” Becker said.

Becker works for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at Sacramento International Airport (SMF). As the partial funding fight in Washington drags on, she said each passing day without pay has grown more frustrating.

“You kind of just go into a survival mode, and then you stress about it when you can,” Becker said.

On Thursday night, the U.S. Senate passed a funding bill that would keep the Department of Homeland Security funded, except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.

Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff took to social media to blame Republicans for airport delays as TSA employees went weeks without pay.

“This is basically what Democrats offered weeks ago,” Schiff said. “All of the chaos at airports, totally unnecessary, but just another facet of Republicans’ inability to govern. The House has to take this up ASAP.”

On Friday morning, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson blamed Democrats and said he would not accept what the Senate passed.

“The question for the Democrats right now is — it’s a serious question — how long is this going to go on?” Johnson said. “Are we going to wait until someone brings a firearm onto a passenger airplane? Are we going to wait until we have a natural disaster that we cannot take care of?”

Shortly after Johnson’s comments, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that will pay TSA employees starting Monday. Their paychecks will also include back pay.

Still, Becker said she does not see the move as a permanent solution. The House of Representatives is weighing whether to temporarily fully fund DHS through May 22.

“It gives you that couple weeks to get paid, to bulk what you can, before that deadline’s about to hit again, where we’re going to go unpaid again,” Becker said.

The House must make a decision by the end of Friday before Congress leaves for a two-week break.

President signs order to pay TSA workers amid DHS funding standoff

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