Government Shutdown Impact: Border Patrol Pay, Operations, and National Security Risks

Table of Contents#

1. What Triggers a Government Shutdown?
2. Border Patrol Pay During a Government Shutdown: A Deep Dive
   • 2.1 Furloughed vs. Essential Personnel
   • 2.2 Delayed Pay and Financial Hardships
   • 2.3 Retroactive Pay: Is It Guaranteed?
3. How Government Shutdowns Disrupt Border Patrol Daily Operations
   • 3.1 Staffing Shortages and Overworked Agents
   • 3.2 Reduced Support Services and Infrastructure Maintenance
   • 3.3 Impaired Immigration Enforcement and Border Security
   • 3.4 Impact on Asylum Seekers and Migrant Processing
4. Past Shutdown Examples: Lessons Learned
   • 4.1 2018-2019 Partial Government Shutdown (35 Days)
   • 4.2 2013 Government Shutdown
   • 4.3 2025 Government Shutdown (Longest in U.S. History: 43 Days)
   • 4.4 2026 DHS-Specific Shutdown
5. Mitigation Strategies: What Can Be Done?
   • 5.1 Legislative Solutions: Ensuring Pay Continuity
   • 5.2 Reconciliation and Emergency Funding Mechanisms
   • 5.3 Agency-Level Support for Agents
   • 5.4 Preparing for Future Shutdowns: Personal and Professional Steps
6. Conclusion
7. References

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1. What Triggers a Government Shutdown?#

A government shutdown is a result of a failure in the U.S. congressional appropriations process. Each fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), Congress must pass 12 appropriations bills to fund federal agencies. If Congress cannot agree on these bills, it can pass a continuing resolution (CR) to extend funding temporarily. If neither is passed, agencies without approved funding must shut down non-essential operations.

For the CBP, part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defines:

• Essential personnel: Agents involved in border security, migrant detention, port-of-entry inspections, and emergency response. These workers are required to report to duty without pay during a shutdown.
• Non-essential personnel: Administrative staff, training coordinators, and some support roles. These employees are furloughed (sent home) and cannot work until funding is restored.

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2. Border Patrol Pay During a Government Shutdown: A Deep Dive#

2.1 Furloughed vs. Essential Personnel#

During a shutdown, the split between essential and non-essential staff creates two distinct financial realities:

• Essential agents: Continue working full shifts (often overtime) but receive no paychecks until the shutdown ends. They may also be barred from using paid time off (PTO) during this period.
• Furloughed staff: Are prohibited from working and do not receive pay. They cannot access benefits like health insurance (though coverage continues temporarily, premium payments may become a burden).

2.2 Delayed Pay and Financial Hardships#

According to multiple surveys of federal employees, roughly 60% of federal workers report living paycheck to paycheck. For border patrol agents, this means delayed pay can lead to:

• Missed rent or mortgage payments
• Inability to cover healthcare costs or childcare expenses
• Reliance on food banks or community support programs
• Increased debt from high-interest loans

During the 2018-2019 shutdown, CBP agents reported working 16-hour days while skipping meals to save money, and some took second jobs to make ends meet.

2.3 Retroactive Pay: Is It Guaranteed?#

Since 1990, every government shutdown has resulted in retroactive pay for all federal workers (both furloughed and essential). Since 2019, this protection has been codified in law.

The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 (S. 24), signed into law on January 16, 2019, guarantees back pay for all federal employees affected by a shutdown, including both furloughed and excepted workers. The law ensures that employees receive retroactive pay promptly after funding is restored, and it applies to all future shutdowns. However, workers still face weeks or months of financial uncertainty while waiting for that pay to arrive.

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3. How Government Shutdowns Disrupt Border Patrol Daily Operations#

Shutdowns don’t just affect agents’ wallets—they compromise the core functions of border patrol, putting national security and public safety at risk.

3.1 Staffing Shortages and Overworked Agents#

With non-essential staff furloughed, essential agents take on extra duties. During the 2019 shutdown, CBP reported that some border sectors had 30% fewer personnel available, leading to:

• 12+ hour shifts with no days off for weeks
• Increased fatigue, which raises the risk of errors or accidents
• Reduced ability to respond to emergency situations

3.2 Reduced Support Services and Infrastructure Maintenance#

Non-essential staff play a key role in maintaining border patrol operations. Shutdowns lead to:

• Delayed maintenance of patrol vehicles, surveillance cameras, and border fencing
• Outdated technology (e.g., facial recognition systems at ports of entry) that reduces efficiency
• Limited access to administrative support, slowing down paperwork and case processing

3.3 Impaired Immigration Enforcement and Border Security#

Understaffing and reduced resources mean:

• Fewer patrols in remote border areas, creating gaps in security for drug trafficking and illegal crossings
• Longer wait times at ports of entry, disrupting cross-border trade (the Congressional Budget Office estimated the 2018-2019 shutdown caused approximately $11 billion in delayed economic activity, with about$3 billion permanently lost)
• Delays in processing immigration cases, leading to a backlog that takes months or years to resolve

3.4 Impact on Asylum Seekers and Migrant Processing#

Shutdowns exacerbate humanitarian crises at the border:

• Overcrowded detention facilities with limited access to food, medical care, and legal counsel
• Longer wait times for asylum interviews, leaving migrants stranded in dangerous conditions (e.g., under the Migrant Protection Protocols, or MPP, program)
• Reduced capacity to process family units, leading to increased separations and mental health issues for children and adults

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4. Past Shutdown Examples: Lessons Learned#

4.1 2018-2019 Partial Government Shutdown (35 Days)#

The 35-day shutdown, triggered by a dispute over funding for a border wall, had the most severe impact on CBP:

• 5,000 non-essential CBP staff were furloughed
• Agents reported using food banks and community donations to feed their families
• The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that border security operations were compromised, with reduced surveillance in high-risk areas and increased wait times at ports of entry

4.2 2013 Government Shutdown#

The 16-day shutdown resulted in 4,000 CBP staff being furloughed. While shorter than the 2019 shutdown, it still caused:

• Delayed pay for essential agents
• A backlog of 10,000+ immigration cases
• Reduced capacity to process cross-border trade, costing millions in economic losses

4.3 2025 Government Shutdown (Longest in U.S. History: 43 Days)#

The 2025 federal government shutdown lasted 43 days, surpassing the 2018-2019 shutdown as the longest in U.S. history. Key impacts on CBP included:

• More than 258,000 DHS employees were deemed essential and continued working; approximately 22,000 were furloughed
• The Trump administration used funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (signed July 2025) to pay 70,000 federal law enforcement officers, including CBP agents, ICE officers, and Secret Service agents
• TSA officers increasingly called out sick as missed paychecks accumulated, leading to the closure of security checkpoints at some airports
• CBP civilian employees who were not covered by the law enforcement pay exception worked without pay for the full 43 days
• TSA experienced a 25% increase in employee attrition in October and November 2025 compared to the prior year

The shutdown ended in November 2025 when Congress passed a continuing resolution to fund DHS.

4.4 2026 DHS-Specific Shutdown#

A second DHS-specific shutdown began on February 14, 2026, after Congress stripped DHS funding from a broader spending package to allow negotiations over immigration enforcement reforms. Unlike previous shutdowns that affected the entire federal government, this lapse was confined to DHS and its agencies, including CBP, ICE, TSA, FEMA, and the Secret Service. Key developments:

• Approximately 90% of DHS's 260,000+ employees continued working, most without pay
• CBP diverted funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to exempt and pay more than 57,600 employees, while roughly 5,600 CBP employees continued working without pay
• TSA warned that employees were still recovering from the 2025 shutdown, with some having slept in their cars and sold blood plasma to cover expenses
• Legislation such as the Pay Our Border Patrol and Customs Agents Act (H.R. 5260) was introduced to guarantee pay for CBP employees during future shutdowns

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5. Mitigation Strategies: What Can Be Done?#

To minimize the impact of shutdowns on border patrol agents and operations, stakeholders can take action at three levels:

5.1 Legislative Solutions: Ensuring Pay Continuity#

• Pay Our Border Patrol and Customs Agents Act (H.R. 5260): Introduced in the 119th Congress, this bill would appropriate FY2026 funds specifically for CBP employee salaries during a government shutdown, ensuring Border Patrol agents and Customs officers continue receiving pay.
• Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act of 2026: Introduced by Rep. Bill Huizenga, modeled after the Pay Our Military Act, this legislation would extend shutdown pay protections to ICE agents, Border Patrol agents, and other DHS law enforcement officers.
• Expand the Pay Our Military Act: Currently, this act guarantees pay for military personnel during shutdowns. Lawmakers should extend this protection to all essential federal workers, including border patrol agents.
• Automatic Continuing Resolutions: Enact legislation that automatically extends funding at current levels if Congress fails to pass appropriations bills, eliminating shutdowns entirely.

5.2 Reconciliation and Emergency Funding Mechanisms#

During the 2025 and 2026 shutdowns, the Trump administration used an unprecedented approach: diverting funds from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to continue paying federal law enforcement officers. This $165 billion DHS appropriation, signed into law in July 2025, was not specifically earmarked for salaries, but the administration used its broad discretion to cover pay for 70,000+ law enforcement personnel. While this approach provided relief for some employees, it had significant limitations:

• Civilian CBP employees, TSA officers, and many other DHS workers were not covered
• The approach relied on executive discretion rather than guaranteed statutory protections
• Future administrations may not choose to exercise the same authority

A more sustainable solution would require Congress to explicitly authorize the use of reconciliation funds for employee pay during shutdowns, or to pass standalone legislation guaranteeing pay for all essential DHS workers.

5.3 Agency-Level Support for Agents#

• Emergency Assistance Programs: CBP can partner with local charities to provide food, housing, and financial counseling to agents during shutdowns. During the 2019 shutdown, CBP set up hotlines to connect agents with support services.
• Flexible Work Policies: Allow essential agents to use accrued PTO or adjust shifts to manage financial and personal responsibilities.

5.4 Preparing for Future Shutdowns: Personal and Professional Steps#

• Emergency Savings: Agents should build a 3-6 month emergency fund to cover expenses during pay delays.
• Budget Planning: Create a lean budget that prioritizes essential costs (rent, utilities, healthcare) in case of a shutdown.
• Community Networks: Join local federal employee groups to share resources and support during shutdowns.

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Conclusion#

Government shutdowns are more than political theater—they have real, tangible consequences for the men and women who protect our borders and the communities they serve. Delayed pay creates financial instability for border patrol agents, while operational disruptions compromise national security and humanitarian efforts.

The 2025 government shutdown, which lasted 43 days and became the longest in U.S. history, demonstrated the severe toll on DHS workers. TSA officers reported sleeping in their cars and selling plasma to cover expenses, while CBP civilian employees worked without pay for weeks. A second DHS-specific shutdown in early 2026 compounded the hardship, with many employees still recovering from the prior year.

While retroactive pay has been guaranteed by law since the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, it doesn't erase the stress and hardship agents face during shutdowns. Recent legislative efforts—including the Pay Our Border Patrol and Customs Agents Act and the administration's use of One Big Beautiful Bill Act funds to pay law enforcement officers—represent steps toward protecting essential workers, but gaps remain. To truly address these issues, policymakers must pass timely appropriations bills and enact comprehensive legislation to ensure all essential workers are paid on time, regardless of political gridlock. For border patrol agents, who show up to work every day to keep us safe, the least we can do is ensure they don't have to choose between their duty and their livelihood.

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References#

1. U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). (2024). U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Efforts to Improve Recruitment and Hiring (GAO-24-107029). https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-107029
2. Congressional Budget Office. (2019). The Effects of the Partial Shutdown Ending in January 2019. https://www.cbo.gov/publication/54937
3. Federal News Network. (2025, October 17). DHS keeps paying 70,000 law enforcement officials amid shutdown using reconciliation funds. https://federalnewsnetwork.com/government-shutdown/2025/10/dhs-to-keep-paying-70000-law-enforcement-officials-amid-shutdown-using-reconciliation-law/
4. Federal News Network. (2026, February 26). CBP to divert funding to pay some employees during DHS shutdown. https://federalnewsnetwork.com/government-shutdown/2026/02/cbp-to-divert-funding-to-pay-some-employees-during-dhs-shutdown/
5. Maryland Matters / Federal News Network. (2026, February 15). Few workers will be sent home as a result of DHS shutdown; some will be paid, not all. https://marylandmatters.org/2026/02/15/few-workers-will-be-sent-home-as-a-result-of-dhs-shutdown-some-will-be-paid-not-all/
6. PBS NewsHour / Associated Press. (2026, February 13). What services are affected by the Homeland Security shutdown? https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-services-are-affected-by-the-homeland-security-shutdown-what-you-need-to-know
7. NPR. (2025, November 13). Longest government shutdown in U.S. history ends after 43 days. https://www.npr.org/2025/11/13/nx-s1-5606921/longest-government-shutdown-in-u-s-history-ends-after-43-days
8. Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, S. 24, 116th Congress. https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/24
9. U.S. Customs and Border Protection. (2025). Quarterly numbers confirm highest U.S. Border Patrol applicants in years. https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/national-media-release/quarterly-numbers-confirm-highest-us-border-patrol-applicants
10. H.R. 5260 — Pay Our Border Patrol and Customs Agents Act, 119th Congress (2025-2026). https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5260