Washington ― Michigan U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga introduced legislation Wednesday aiming to ensure that Department of Homeland Security law enforcement, Coast Guard and other staff would continue to get paid during a government shutdown.
The bill arrives as the federal government is careening toward a shutdown Sept. 30 without a last-minute agreement between lawmakers.
Huizenga's bill would ensure paychecks for Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Border Patrol, Secret Service, Customs and Border Protection and immigration enforcement agents, as well as Coast Guard members, civilian personnel, and contractors, according to a summary.
The measure would apply to any lapse in spending authority for shutdowns in fiscal 2026 and through 2027 until Jan. 1, 2027. The Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act of 2026 is modeled after the Pay Our Troops Act, according to Huizenga's office.
"We cannot allow the mission-critical and dangerous work of our ICE Agents, Border Patrol Officers, and DHS law enforcement to be held hostage by Washington gridlock driven by partisan politics,” Huizenga said in a statement.
Many of the 29,600 federal civilian employees and about 2,000 active-duty military service members in Michigan would go without pay for the duration of a shutdown.
Staff deemed essential to protecting life or property — including Coast Guard members, Border Patrol agents and air traffic controllers ― would have to keep working without knowing when the shutdown would end or when they would be paid.
It would be the first shutdown to occur since 2018 when a 35-day closure set a record for length. That happened during President Donald Trump's first term while Republicans controlled the House.
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