Trump Bypasses Congress with Executive Order to Pay DHS Employees During Shutdown

President Donald Trump announced on April 2, 2026, that he would sign an executive order to pay all Department of Homeland Security employees who had gone without paychecks during a 48-day partial government shutdown. The unilateral action bypassed Congress's constitutional power of the purse (Article I, Section 9), which requires congressional appropriation for all federal spending. Trump announced the move via social media, stating "Help is on the way for our Brave and Patriotic Public Servants." The order, titled "Liberating the Department of Homeland Security From the Democrat-Caused Shutdown," directed the DHS secretary to use available funds for employee pay and benefits, covering approximately 220,000 employees. This followed a similar maneuver to resume pay for TSA agents. Trump attributed the impasse to Democrats, though the shutdown resulted from congressional gridlock on funding legislation. Constitutional scholars raised concerns about the executive branch unilaterally d...

"Help is on the way for our Brave and Patriotic Public Servants." — Trump's social media announcement of the executive order bypassing congressional appropriations authority