Towards a difficult end of the month for many American government employees. Thousands of employees of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the United States are worried about their salaries after being informed that the pay received on Friday could be the last without a resolution to the partial government shutdown, which is setting record lengths.
An internal government memo warned employees that, without intervention from Congress, the lack of a budget could lead to the suspension of future salary payments for DHS employees, who have been experiencing this situation for weeks.
This internal memo seems to address the entire DHS, but it is unknown if security agents at airports are included, as President Donald Trump ordered at the end of March that they be paid to avoid chaos and long passenger queues.
The DHS, one of the largest US departments, employs over 260,000 people. Its funding has been frozen since February 14 due to a deep divide between Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Congress over immigration enforcement practices, particularly controversial on the left.
Profits to make ends meet
Republican lawmakers had announced an agreement in early April to end the partial government shutdown, but the House of Representatives had not voted on it.
Lawmakers, returning from parliamentary holidays next week, are under pressure to come to an agreement as they resume their work.
This deadlock has forced tens of thousands of federal employees to stay home or work without a salary guarantee, with some relying on savings, food banks, or a second job to make ends meet.
If the situation persists, it could lead to further staff shortages, which could disrupt airports in the coming months, especially during major events such as the World Cup.
