Furloughed Department of Homeland Security staff are being called back to work in the thick of the partial government shutdown.
A notice sent to employees Friday told “all DHS employees, excepted and non-excepted/non-exempt,” to report back to “work and paid status, effective on your next regularly scheduled duty day,” which for most will be Monday, according to multiple reports.
“Employees who are unable to report for duty on their next scheduled workday must request leave and receive approval from their supervisors,” the message says. “Employees that do not follow this process may be subject to administrative or disciplinary action.”
The notice nods to President Trump’s executive order directing the department to use funds from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to pay employees, including furloughed staff, the equivalent compensation lost during the record-breaking partial shutdown.
“DHS is using available funds to ensure employees are paid,” the memo reads. “Should the department exhaust currently available funds before an FY 2026 appropriation is enacted, you will receive a new notification of your work status at that time.”
A department spokesperson blamed Democrats for the partial shutdown, adding that Secretary Markwayne Mullin will be “utilizing available funding to recall the entire DHS workforce to get our patriotic employees back to work.”
The spokesperson added in the statement, “Their paychecks are now being processed and employees may already be seeing this money deposited. The easiest way to make sure the hard-working men and women of DHS are paid going forward is for the Democrats to immediately reopen DHS.”
The DHS has been shut down since Feb. 14, with Congress unable to agree on a compromise to end the funding lapse.
Lawmakers have yet to agree to a fiscal 2026 funding measure, as Democrats are seeking changes in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, especially with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Mr. Trump’s deportation campaign sparked the ire of Democrats, who refuse to fund the department until a compromise is made.
While most DHS employees were deemed essential and remained on duty, thousands were furloughed. However, ICE officers have remained virtually unaffected by the shutdown, having received full pay from the GOP’s 2025 reconciliation bill.
