After over six weeks of not receiving pay, TSA workers will start to see back pay come through as soon as Monday, April 1.
An estimated 60,000 TSA employees will start receiving back pay after President Donald Trump signed a memo ordering the Department of Homeland Security to start paying TSA officers. However, the memo did not say that they would be paid on a regular two-week basis; instead, it just directs DHS to “provide TSA employees with the compensation and benefits that would have accrued to them if not for the Democrat-led DHS shutdown.”
The government is still working through a partial shutdown that started in mid-February. Members of the House of Representatives have not been able to agree on funding for DHS.
Lauren Bis, a department spokeswoman, said when asked whether TSA officers would be receiving future paychecks said most employees have received back pay equivalent to two whole paychecks, although they are still owed an additional week of pay. In a statement, she said the department is “working aggressively” to resolve the issue.
While employees of the federal government are legally required to receive back pay in a shutdown period, the shutdown still results in a lot of financial burdens on workers, such as missed payments on rent.
A measure passed by the Senate to fund most of the department, excluding things like Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, was turned down by House republicans on Friday, March 30. Senate Republicans declined to push through an eight-week extension of funding, and Congress is in a two-week spring break, decreasing the likelihood of passing a spending bill.
Author: Andrew Streeter
Photo: Brad Graverson, Reuters
Editor: Hannah Clove
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