The impending shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has sent ripples of uncertainty through its vast workforce, with a staggering 90% of its employees facing an uncertain future. But the impact of this shutdown, now seemingly inevitable, varies drastically across different DHS components and positions. This variation is particularly evident after Congress allocated additional funding, amounting to tens of billions of dollars, to specific DHS components like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as part of last year's tax and reconciliation law.
As we stand on the brink of a DHS-specific shutdown, expected to last at least a week, let's delve into how this shutdown could affect various DHS components and the dedicated individuals who serve our nation's security.
ICE and CBP:
The debate surrounding the operations of ICE and CBP during the shutdown is a contentious one. Republicans in Congress argue that these agencies will continue their work largely uninterrupted, thanks to funding from the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act. However, Democrats advocate for strong immigration enforcement reforms before further funding is allocated to ICE or CBP.
Typically, most staff at ICE and CBP would work without pay during a government shutdown. The funding provided by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was not specifically earmarked for salaries or operational expenses.
During last fall's shutdown, the Trump administration took a controversial step by using funding from the bill to continue paying 70,000 federal law enforcement officers, including agents from ICE and CBP. This move kept these officers on the job, despite the shutdown.
Meanwhile, many civilian employees at ICE and CBP persevered through the 43-day shutdown without pay.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended this decision, stating, "President Trump and I will always stand by law enforcement. We are keeping our promise to support them by ensuring they are paid during the Democrats' shutdown."
DHS, however, has remained tight-lipped about whether they would employ similar budgetary maneuvers to pay ICE and CBP officers during another shutdown.
TSA:
Approximately 95% of the 61,000 employees at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are deemed "essential" during a government shutdown. This means that TSA airport screeners continue to staff security checkpoints, even without receiving their paychecks.
As last fall's 43-day shutdown dragged on, more TSA officers began calling in sick or simply didn't show up for work. The pressure created by these callouts at the TSA and the Federal Aviation Administration ultimately played a role in ending the budget impasse.
Acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeil highlighted the ongoing recovery of many employees from last year's shutdown, stating, "We heard reports of officers sleeping in their cars at airports to save money on gas, selling their blood and plasma, and taking on second jobs just to make ends meet. Some are still recovering from the financial impact of the 43-day shutdown. Many are still reeling from it. We cannot put them through another such experience."
McNeil also noted a 25% increase in attrition within TSA during October and November of last year compared to the same period in 2024. This is a concerning trend, especially as we enter the spring break travel season and prepare for the events of the upcoming summer.
When asked at a House hearing if the administration could use reconciliation funding to pay TSA airport screeners, McNeil responded, "I do not believe so."
"The best way to ensure our frontline workers get paid is through the passage of a DHS budget," she added.
TSA's federal air marshals, along with law enforcement officers from ICE and CBP, were among those who received special pay during last fall's shutdown.
FEMA:
FEMA, with approximately 22,000 staff members, has faced significant challenges after losing more than 2,000 employees to the Trump administration's workforce transition program in 2025. DHS's shutdown contingency plan, which hasn't been updated to reflect the latest staff cuts, indicates that about 84% of FEMA staff are considered "excepted" or "exempt" during a shutdown, while the remainder are furloughed.
However, many FEMA staff could continue receiving pay under a shorter-term shutdown. This is because frontline FEMA staff, known as the Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees (CORE staff), are Stafford Act employees and are paid through the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF). FEMA reservists are also paid through this fund when they are deployed on temporary assignments.
As of fiscal year 2022, FEMA had 8,800 CORE staff and 7,800 reservists.
According to Greg Phillips, FEMA's associate administrator for the Office of Response and Recovery, the DRF still has funding left over from previous Congressional appropriations.
"FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund has sufficient balances to continue emergency response activities for the foreseeable future, and lifesaving and life-sustaining activities are considered 'excepted' under DHS's lapse plan," Phillips informed House lawmakers this week. "However, if a catastrophic disaster were to occur, the Disaster Relief Fund would be severely strained."
The implication is that a longer-term shutdown, combined with a catastrophic disaster, could deplete the DRF, making it more challenging for FEMA to respond to contingencies and continue paying Stafford Act employees.
FEMA staff who are not furloughed and are funded through annual appropriations will have to work without pay during any shutdown.
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has been shedding hundreds of FEMA CORE staff without much public justification. Unions and nonprofits have taken legal action against the Trump administration to halt these CORE cuts.
Secret Service:
At the Secret Service, approximately 94% of the 8,200 employees will continue working through a shutdown.
While they usually work without pay, Secret Service agents, like other DHS law enforcement positions, were paid through the Trump administration's budget maneuvers during last fall's shutdown.
Much of the agency's civilian workforce, however, went without pay during this period.
Although a minimal number of staff will be furloughed, Deputy Director Matthew Quinn informed House lawmakers that the shutdown impacts morale and makes the agency's job more difficult.
Quinn also mentioned that the shutdown delays the Secret Service's reform efforts, including a major recruitment drive.
"The impacts may not be immediate, but we will feel the ripple effects for some time," he said. "Delayed contracts, diminished hiring, and halted new programs will be the result."
Coast Guard:
Most of the Coast Guard's 56,000 active-duty, reserve, and civilian personnel will continue working through the shutdown.
Vice Adm. Thomas Allan stated that a lapse lasting more than a few days would halt pay for these personnel.
"Shutdowns cripple morale," said Allan, the Coast Guard's acting vice commandant, during this week's House Appropriations Committee hearing. "The Gunner's Mate manning a weapon in the Strait of Hormuz shouldn't have to worry about their family's ability to pay rent while being shadowed by Iranian vessels."
During last fall's shutdown, the Trump administration took action to continue paying Coast Guard service members by shifting funding. DHS used funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to pay Coasties during the shutdown, similar to its approach with law enforcement and the military.
CISA:
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) plans to designate 888 of its 2,341 employees as "excepted" during a shutdown. All of these employees would work without pay during the shutdown.
"A shutdown forces many of our frontline security experts and threat hunters to work without pay, even as nation-states and criminal organizations intensify their efforts to exploit critical systems that Americans rely on, placing an unprecedented strain on our national defenses," Acting CISA Director Madhu Gottumukkala told lawmakers this week.
CISA's core responsibilities include defending federal agency networks and collaborating with critical infrastructure to enhance their security.
Gottumukkala explained that a shutdown would delay the deployment of new cyber services to federal networks and the sharing of guidance with critical infrastructure partners. It would also likely delay CISA's work to finalize a landmark cyber incident reporting rule.
The shutdown adds to the strain on CISA, which has already lost approximately 1,000 staff members, about one-third of its workforce, under the Trump administration's workforce reduction programs.
USCIS:
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is primarily funded by user fees rather than congressional appropriations, which means most staff continue working and getting paid during any shutdown.
However, a shutdown does curtail a set of USCIS programs that rely on congressional appropriations, such as the agency's e-Verify system.
As we navigate the complexities of a potential DHS shutdown, it's crucial to recognize the human impact behind these bureaucratic decisions. The dedicated men and women of DHS, who work tirelessly to protect our nation, deserve our support and recognition, especially during these uncertain times.
