Paying Our Great Transportation Security Administration Officers and Employees – The White House (.gov)

Lead

In March 2026 the President issued a presidential memorandum directing the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to identify and use funds with a reasonable nexus to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) operations to provide pay and benefits to TSA staff during the ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding lapse. The memorandum cites more than 60,000 TSA employees—about 50,000 of them transportation security officers—as currently unpaid, says nearly 500 officers have left since the lapse began, and reports wait times at some airports of three or more hours. The administration characterizes the situation as an emergency that compromises national security and asks agencies to act consistent with applicable law, including 31 U.S.C. 1301(a).

Key Takeaways

• The memorandum was issued in March 2026 and directs DHS and OMB to provide compensation tied to TSA operations during the funding lapse.
• It states more than 60,000 TSA employees are not being paid, including roughly 50,000 transportation security officers (TSOs).
• The document reports nearly 500 TSOs have resigned since the lapse and says absenteeism has risen to record levels.
• Security screening wait times at some airports are described as reaching three hours or longer in the memo.
• The directive cites 31 U.S.C. 1301(a) as a legal touchstone and instructs agencies to reconcile accounts once regular funding resumes.
• The memorandum emphasizes that its implementation must be consistent with applicable law and available appropriations.
• The text states it does not create private enforceable rights against the United States, its agencies, or officials.

Background

The memorandum follows a multiweek lapse in DHS appropriations that the administration describes as extending into a sixth week. Federal funding gaps have placed many DHS components, including TSA, in the position of continuing critical operations while some staff have not received pay. The memo frames the funding lapse as a result of a congressional impasse over immigration enforcement and related provisions, and it presents the pay issue as a national security concern tied to staffing and morale.

During prior federal funding interruptions, agencies have used a mix of statutory authority, contingency plans, and administrative tools to maintain essential operations. The present memorandum directs agency leaders to identify funds with a logical nexus to TSA operations and to coordinate implementation with OMB, highlighting the intersection of operational urgency and budgetary law. It also instructs agencies to make post-restoration adjustments to ensure continuity consistent with pre-lapse plans.

Main Event

The President directed the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the OMB Director, to provide TSA employees with the compensation and benefits they would have received absent the funding lapse, using funds that bear a reasonable nexus to TSA operations and consistent with applicable law. The memorandum explicitly cites 31 U.S.C. 1301(a) as a relevant statutory provision and frames the determination as stemming from an emergency condition affecting national security.

In practical terms, the order instructs DHS leadership to identify budget lines and program funds that can legally cover pay and benefits for TSA personnel during the lapse, and to work with OMB to ensure any transfers or uses are administratively defensible. The text also calls for subsequent accounting or adjustments once regular appropriations are restored, to align DHS expenditures with planned intentions before the lapse.

The memorandum includes legal caveats: implementation must conform to applicable law and available appropriations, and the directive is not intended to create enforceable private rights. It preserves agency authorities and OMB’s budgetary functions while signaling executive intent to mitigate the operational consequences of the funding gap for TSA.

Analysis & Implications

Legally, the memo relies on agencies’ ability to identify funds with a ‘‘reasonable and logical nexus’’ to TSA operations; invoking 31 U.S.C. 1301(a) underscores the requirement that appropriations be used for their authorized purposes. Reallocating or relying on existing accounts to sustain pay could prompt administrative scrutiny, require OMB sign-off, and face legal challenges if the nexus to TSA functions is ambiguous.

Operationally, restoring pay for frontline screening personnel aims to reduce attrition and absenteeism that the memo links to longer screening lines and potential security risk. Even temporary compensation fixes, however, do not immediately reverse staffing shortages—hiring, security clearances, and training for TSOs take time, so any operational improvement may lag behind funding actions.

Budgetarily, using non-appropriated or reprogrammed funds to cover pay raises questions about downstream reconciliation once regular appropriations resume. The memorandum instructs agencies to ‘‘adjust applicable funding accounts’’ after funding is restored, but the mechanics of those adjustments will involve OMB oversight and possible congressional engagement to ensure accounting transparency.

Politically, the memorandum signals urgency from the executive branch and frames the issue as a national-security emergency. That framing may increase pressure on Congress to negotiate, but it could also intensify partisan disagreement over appropriation reallocation and the scope of executive authority during lapses.

Comparison & Data

The table summarizes figures that the memorandum provides. Those numbers are cited as the administration’s characterization of operational impact; independent verification by agencies or external data sources may provide greater granularity on airport- and region-specific conditions.

Reactions & Quotes

“I have determined that these circumstances constitute an emergency situation compromising the Nation’s security.”

The White House (official memorandum)

“Use funds that have a reasonable and logical nexus to TSA operations to provide TSA employees with the compensation and benefits that would have accrued to them.”

The White House (official memorandum)

“This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.”

The White House (official memorandum)

Unconfirmed

• The memorandum attributes the funding lapse and its causes to actions by congressional Democrats; that political characterization reflects the administration’s position and is not an independent finding in this article.
• Reported national-level security vulnerabilities and three-hour wait times are described in the memorandum but may not apply uniformly across all airports; airport-specific verification is pending.
• Exact downstream budgetary adjustments and whether any reprogramming will require congressional approval remain subject to administrative decisions and potential legal review.

Bottom Line

The administration has issued a formal directive to DHS and OMB to secure pay for TSA employees during a multweek funding lapse, citing more than 60,000 unpaid staff, elevated resignations, and extended screening lines at some airports. The memo uses legal framing—referencing 31 U.S.C. 1301(a)—to justify identifying funds with a reasonable nexus to TSA operations while preserving legal caveats and agency authorities.

Next steps to watch include how DHS and OMB identify and authorize specific funding sources, whether adjustments after appropriations are restored require congressional action, and whether operational conditions at airports improve as compensation is restored. Independent verification of the memo’s operational claims and any legal challenges to fund use will shape the medium-term outcome.

Sources

• The White House — Official presidential memorandum (March 2026) — Official executive branch document