As the partial government shutdown drags on with no resolution in sight, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is facing severe challenges, according to a stark warning from Russell Vought, Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget.
During a Senate Budget Committee hearing, Vought highlighted the department’s difficulties in retaining staff due to the ongoing federal funding lapse, which has persisted since mid-February.
“At this moment, the Department of Homeland Security is essentially falling apart,” Vought stated. He explained that both he and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin are scrambling to find temporary funding solutions to ensure employees receive their paychecks, preventing them from resigning and seeking other employment opportunities.
Vought cautioned that unless the shutdown is resolved, more DHS employees are likely to leave their positions.
“What we witnessed during Secretary Mullin’s initial weekend in office was extremely troubling,” he noted. “We urgently require a comprehensive funding plan for the entire Department of Homeland Security.”
In response to the crisis, President Trump enacted an emergency order on April 3, aimed at reimbursing all DHS employees who missed paychecks during the shutdown.
The order came after hundreds of TSA employees, who had been working without pay, quit the DHS subagency, resulting in massive lines at airports across the country.
More than 35,000 DHS employees have begun receiving paychecks because of Trumpâs order.
However, Vought noted that the emergency move is only a temporary fix intended to keep Mullin from having âa complete walkout on his hands.â
Earlier this month, Republican congressional leaders announced that an agreement had been reached on supporting a bill to fund all of DHS except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol.
Senate Republicans intend to fund ICE and Border Patrol through a separate process that wonât require Democratic support.
The House of Representatives, however, has not yet scheduled a vote on the agreed-upon measure.
DHS did not immediately respond to The Postâs request for comment.
