White House defends memorandum to pay TSA amid DHS funding standoff

Press Secretary Caroline defended the administration's decision to direct DHS and the Office of Management and Budget to use available funds to ensure Transportation Security Administration employees were paid while the Department of Homeland Security remains unfunded by Congress.

Caroline said Democratic votes against DHS funding had "pushed our air travel system to its breaking point," and that the president signed a presidential memorandum directing the secretary of homeland security to work with the director of the Office of Management and Budget to use funds "with a reasonable and logical nexus to TSA operations" so agents receive the pay and benefits they otherwise would have earned.

Why it matters: The move was framed as an emergency step to address operational failures at airports described in the briefing—Caroline said "500 TSA officers quit their jobs," thousands called out sick, and security wait times exceeded three hours at major airports—placing travelers at elevated risk.

Caroline said the memorandum "will ensure our TSA workers receive their hard earned paychecks" but insisted such measures are a stopgap until Congress returns and funds DHS. "The president has stepped in to do what's right," she said, and "Congress should come back and they should get it done." She added the president has asked legal and budget teams to identify funds that can be used now.

What remains unclear: The briefing transcript includes the administration's operational claims and a description of the funds directive; it does not provide legislative language or a legal citation for the memorandum and does not specify the total dollar amounts, the mechanics of fund transfers, or how other DHS civilian employees will be paid.

Next steps: The press secretary said the administration will continue to look for ways to make employees whole and is urging Congress to reconvene to provide permanent funding for DHS.