DHS Shutdown: 100K Employees Unpaid for 39 Days

0:00On March 25, the Department of Homeland Security has now gone 39 days into a partial government shutdown, leaving around 100,000 employees without pay for work already done. That figure represents 38% of the agency's 260,000 workers, many of whom are keeping critical operations running. Despite the funding gap, more than half the staff has been classified as nonessential and furloughed without income, while essential personnel push forward unpaid. Families are hurting as bills pile up, with many unable to cover rent, groceries, or fuel amid the financial squeeze. DHS leaders report about $1 billion in backwages monthly across nearly two dozen agencies still active, urging a quick budget fix to ease the burden.