DHS Funding Crisis: Paychecks at Risk as Shutdown Nears 70 Days

DHS Funding Crisis Threatens Employee Paychecks

Employees at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are weeks away from missing paychecks as the agency’s funding nears depletion during the 66-day partial government shutdown. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin delivered the warning in a Tuesday interview with Fox News, stating that the department’s financial reserves have "all but run dry."

Emergency Funds to Exhaust by Early May

President Donald Trump signed a memorandum authorizing $10 billion in emergency funds from the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act. However, Mullin confirmed that this lifeline will be depleted by the first week of May. The DHS spends approximately $1.6 billion on wages every two weeks across its 22 agencies.

"So the money is going extremely fast, and once that happens, there is no emergency funds after that," Mullin told Fox News. "After we get through April … I’ve got one payroll left and there is no more emergency funds, so the president can’t do another executive order for us to use money because there’s no more money there."

Congress Must Act to Prevent Payroll Collapse

Mullin emphasized that the only viable solution is for Congress to pass a new funding bill. The stalemate between Republicans and Democrats has persisted for months, with no bipartisan agreement on DHS funding amid recent controversies involving two key subagencies: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Demands for Agency Reforms

Following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal agents in Minneapolis, Democrats proposed 10 reforms as a condition for funding negotiations. These included requirements for agents to:

• Identify themselves
• Remove masks
• Obtain judicial warrants before entering private property

Republicans rejected these demands, deepening the impasse.

Conservative Push for Alternative Funding

In response, the conservative caucus is advancing a new funding package aimed at addressing DHS’s financial crisis without allocating additional funds to ICE and CBP. Notably, the two agencies received a combined $170 billion in Trump’s 2024 "big, beautiful bill"—over five times their 2024 allotment.

What’s Next for DHS Employees?

Without congressional intervention, DHS employees face an imminent payroll freeze. Mullin’s warning underscores the urgency of resolving the funding deadlock to prevent widespread disruptions in one of the nation’s most critical security agencies.