WASHINGTON (TNND) — The Department of Homeland Security is ordering thousands of furloughed employees back to work, even as much of the agency remains unfunded during the longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history.
In a statement to USA Today, DHS said it is using “available funding” to bring employees back on the job.
The department employs more than 260,000 people, though it is unclear how many have been affected by the latest order. Internal emails obtained by CBS News show the directive applies to several major DHS agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
“All DHS employees are being returned to a work and paid status,” DHS Chief Human Capital Officer La’ Toya Prieur said in a notice sent to staff on April 10, writing that employees are expected to be at work “on your next regularly scheduled duty day.”
An internal message sent to FEMA employees said: “All FEMA employees will be placed in exempt status and are expected to report in person to their normal duty station.”
Under normal shutdown rules, only essential employees continue working, often without pay, while others are furloughed and barred from performing their duties. This new move changes that approach.
Over 35,000 essential DHS employees began receiving their back pay last Friday, the first paycheck they had been paid in weeks.
DHS officials said employees are now being placed in a paid work status, with instructions to return on their next scheduled shift. In one internal message, the department said employees are being brought back because their roles support existing funding sources, allowing them to continue working despite the broader funding gap.
“DHS is using available funds to ensure employees are paid,” the notice said
The department says it is relying on limited funds to pay employees for now, but it warned that those funds could run out. If that happens, employees will receive another update on their work status.
The return-to-work order follows a memo signed by President Donald Trump a few weeks ago directing DHS to ensure essential employees receive pay and benefits during the shutdown. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said most workers are expected to receive paychecks soon, though he noted that future payments depend on action from Congress.
DHS has now gone more than eight weeks without full funding, as lawmakers remain divided over how to resolve the shutdown. The main sticking point involves immigration enforcement and border policy, with disagreements intensifying after two U.S. citizens were fatally shot by federal immigration agents in Minnesota earlier this year.
While the Senate passed a plan to fund most of the department, the House has not taken action, leaving negotiations stalled. There is currently no timeline for a final vote to reopen the agency.
For DHS employees, the order means returning to work, but with ongoing uncertainty. The department says workers will be paid for now, but the long-term situation remains unclear. Employees were also warned that failing to report to work could result in disciplinary action.