Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday evening that despite government shutdownCoast Guard employees will receive their paychecks this week.
Noem said the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Coast Guard, had found an “innovative” way to provide the money. The announcement came two days after President Donald Trump said he would lead the Defense Department. pay military personnel Wednesday, even though most government employees are not getting paid during the shutdown of federal funding.
“President Trump did not want any of our military members to go without pay as a result of Democratic political theater, and we at DHS have developed an innovative solution to prevent that from happening,” Noem said in X.
When asked about details of the “innovative solution” or funding sources, a DHS spokesperson did not provide any new information and instead referred NBC News to the text of Noem's social media post.
We'd like to hear from you about how you're coping with the government shutdown, whether you're a federal employee who can't work right now or someone who's feeling the effects of shutdowns in their daily lives. Please contact us at [email protected] or contact us Here.
The White House Office of Management and Budget said over the weekend it plans to use research and development funds to pay military personnel this week.
Administration began laying off more than 4,000 federal employees last week in seven departments. Of those, 176 were DHS employees, according to a Justice Department court filing Friday. The dismissals are being challenged in court.
The move to pay some military personnel who otherwise would not have been paid during the shutdown is the latest effort by the administration to offset some of the less popular aspects of a funding cut that is about to reach the two-week mark.
Congress appears to have no plan to reopen the government.
The Senate voted repeatedly and failed to pass the Republican and Democratic versions of the stopgap funding bill. The House meets again Tuesday, but Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, has said he won't bring the House back until the Senate passes the funding bill.
