White House: TSA, DHS Worker Funds Depleted by May Without Action

WASHINGTON — The White House warned lawmakers late Tuesday that emergency funds used to pay Transportation Security Administration officers and other Department of Homeland Security workers will be exhausted by May, according to a memo from the Office of Management and Budget.

The alert escalates pressure on Congress to resolve a budget impasse that has left thousands of federal employees dependent on stopgap financing authorized through executive action by President Donald Trump. Without congressional appropriations, the administration says it cannot sustain payroll for TSA screeners at airports nationwide and other DHS personnel beyond next month.

Executive Funding Nears Expiration

President Trump tapped emergency accounts to maintain paychecks for homeland security workers after previous funding mechanisms lapsed. The OMB memo, sent to Capitol Hill on Tuesday evening, states that those reserves will be depleted in May, forcing a reckoning over whether Congress will pass new appropriations or allow a funding gap that could disrupt airport security and border operations.

The Transportation Security Administration employs roughly 60,000 screening officers at more than 400 airports across the United States. A lapse in their pay could trigger staffing shortages, longer security lines, and potential operational slowdowns during the busy summer travel season. DHS also oversees Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Coast Guard, and the Secret Service—agencies whose missions span border security, maritime safety, and executive protection.

Congressional Pressure Mounts

The White House memo arrives as lawmakers wrangle over broader federal spending bills. Neither chamber has passed a full-year appropriations package for DHS, leaving the department reliant on continuing resolutions and executive workarounds. Republican and Democratic leaders have sparred over funding levels, policy riders, and border-security provisions, complicating efforts to reach consensus before the May deadline.

House and Senate appropriators now face a compressed timeline to draft, negotiate, and vote on legislation that would restore regular funding streams. Failure to act could force furloughs or unpaid work for homeland security personnel, echoing scenarios from past government shutdowns when TSA officers reported to duty without paychecks and some called in sick, straining checkpoint capacity.

Implications for Federal Operations

Beyond immediate payroll concerns, the funding shortfall underscores broader tensions over executive authority and congressional control of the purse. Trump's use of emergency accounts to sustain DHS operations has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers who argue that only Congress holds constitutional power to appropriate funds. The OMB warning signals that executive flexibility has limits and that legislative action remains indispensable for long-term stability.

Homeland security officials have not publicly detailed contingency plans if funding lapses. In prior shutdowns, TSA and other DHS components designated most employees as "essential," requiring them to work without pay until appropriations resumed. Such arrangements sparked morale problems, increased absenteeism, and raised questions about the sustainability of critical security functions during prolonged budget gaps.

What Comes Next

Congressional leaders have not announced a timeline for advancing DHS appropriations. The Senate Appropriations Committee and House counterpart must reconcile competing proposals, navigate floor votes, and secure presidential approval—all within weeks. If negotiations stall, lawmakers could extend stopgap funding through another continuing resolution, though that approach would perpetuate uncertainty and limit agencies' ability to plan hiring, training, and equipment purchases.

What we know: The White House says emergency funds for TSA and DHS payroll will run out in May. What's unclear: whether Congress will pass new appropriations in time, what contingency measures DHS might deploy, and how a funding lapse would affect airport security and other homeland operations.