FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 19, 2026
March 19, 2026
Contact:
Tim Kauffman
202-374-6491
[email protected]
AFGE President Slams Congress for Leaving Town Without Paying DHS Workers
Categories:
TSA, DHS, Congress
Union demands action as DHS employees face third missed paycheck while Congress heads home for another break.
WASHINGTON – With Congress preparing to leave Washington for its April district work period at the end of next week, the American Federation of Government Employees today called out lawmakers for failing to pass a measure that would reopen the Department of Homeland Security and pay tens of thousands of federal employees who have worked without a paycheck for more than a month.
The House and Senate have been in session together for just 11 days since DHS funding lapsed on Feb. 14. No agreement is in sight. And on March 27, about 47,000 TSA officers, 22,000 FEMA employees, 8,900 Coast Guard civilian staff, and hundreds of Border Patrol administrative personnel will miss another paycheck.
AFGE sent letters today to members of the House and Senate demanding action before lawmakers leave the Capitol.
“The House and Senate have had weeks to fix this and they have barely been in the same building,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley. “Members of Congress have walked past our TSA members at airport security checkpoints more often than they’ve met to negotiate an end to this stalemate. Those officers deserve to be paid for the work they do to keep those members safe. The least Congress can do for these patriotic American workers is act before legislators leave town for the weekend, or, worse, head off on a weeks-long recess.”
AFGE members and leaders have repeatedly urged both Republicans and Democrats to reach an agreement. Transportation security officers feel like their lawmakers have abandoned them, despite the fact they continue to show up without pay.
“A TSO selling plasma to keep the lights on is unconscionable,” Kelley said. “Tens of thousands of families turning to food banks because Congress refuses to do its job is a national disgrace. This is a profound moral failure, and the American people should know who’s responsible for it.
“The time for excuses is over,” Kelley said. “Pass a measure to reopen DHS, pay these workers, and don’t go home until you do.”
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