Trump orders back pay for shutdown period

US President Donald Trump on Friday signed a memorandum to compensate employees of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for losses incurred during the partial shutdown of the agency. The order directs the department to cover pay and benefits that staff missed while funding was suspended, according to the White House.

The memorandum instructs the DHS, in coordination with the Office of Management and Budget, to use available funds within the department to finance the payments. The White House argues that such funds may be used if they are sufficiently linked to the agency’s functions. The move is likely to raise legal questions, as Congress normally determines how federal funds may be spent.

US lawmakers have so far failed to agree on legislation to fund the agency amid a political dispute over immigration enforcement following fatal shootings involving federal immigration agents earlier this year.

Tens of thousands of civilian employees at the US Coast Guard, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have gone without pay since the funding standoff began in February.

(Reuters)