DHS Employees Face Unpaid Shutdown, Households Feel Pressure

0:00On March 25, about 100,000 employees at the Department of Homeland Security are working without pay during the 39-day partial. Government shut down. This affects 38% of the agency's 260,000 workers who haven't seen a full paycheck since it all started last month. Meanwhile, more than half of those employees have been classified as non-essential and furloughed until lawmakers resolved the budget standoff. Employees are feeling the pinch hard, with many frontline workers unable to cover rent, groceries, or gas as they keep essential services running. Agency officials report roughly $1 billion in unpaid wages piling up each month, putting real pressure on households nationwide. DHS oversees nearly two dozen offices and agencies, most of which stay operational no matter what, so the crunch continues until Congress strikes A. Deal.