All DHS workers to be paid by end of week for past 6 weeks of shutdown

Politics All DHS workers to be paid by end of week for past 6 weeks of shutdown By Nicole Sganga Nicole Sganga Homeland Security and Justice Correspondent Nicole Sganga is CBS News' homeland security and justice correspondent. She is based in Washington, D.C., and reports for all shows and platforms. Read Full Bio Nicole Sganga April 7, 2026 / 5:40 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Chimney Rock, North Carolina — Markwayne Mullin, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, promised Tuesday that DHS employees affected by the ongoing government shutdown can expect to receive paychecks by the end of the week.Mullin, who was traveling for his first official visit as DHS secretary, in Chimney Rock, North Carolina, said department employees who've been working without pay for the past six weeks would see the missing payments covering recent pay periods in their accounts soon.  Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, right, talks with Mayor Peter O'Leary, during a trip to survey damage caused by Hurricane Helene, April 7, 2026 in Chimney Rock, N.C.  Rebecca Santana / AP "We expect most of those checks to be in their banks by Friday," he told CBS News. "Some of the financial institutions may have to wait till Monday, but the majority of everybody will be paid by then." The secretary said the payments are being made possible through executive action and existing funding flexibility, but he warned that future payroll for DHS employees — outside of law enforcement officials — would depend entirely on Congress. "Going forward, we got to wait on Congress. This was kind of a rifle shot," he said, noting the high cost of DHS payroll every two weeks.Mullin pulled no punches in dressing down Democrats for the delay. "They're willing to defund and shut down 22 agencies that are tasked to keep the homeland safe," he said, likening DHS, the third largest department in the federal government, to the biggest, the Pentagon....