Mar 27, 2026
It almost looked like Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers were going to get paid when the Senate voted early Friday morning to restore funding to most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) (1).
Then House Republicans turned the offer down, voting against the bill Friday afternoon.
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In the meantime, Sen. Ted Cruz, responsible for border security as head of the Senate Commerce Committee, pledged to refuse pay until DHS funding can be fully restored (2).
On Tuesday March 24, Cruz shared his pledge on X, along with a letter he sent to Financial Clerk of the Senate Ted Ruckner. He wrote:
“Due to the Democrat’s Shutdown, I’ve asked the Financial Clerk of the Senate to hold my salary. It’s not right for Members of Congress to be paid if the working men and women of DHS aren’t.”
As The Hill reports, it’s the second time he’s made such a pledge. He also did so during the 43-day government shutdown last fall (3).
And while funding has been restored to the majority of DHS agencies and programs, there’s still an impasse over funding one departmental agency: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Here’s why the senator felt moved to sacrifice his salary.
Pressure to take action on DHS pay
Cruz’s declaration followed weeks of growing public frustration with the shutdown — with unpaid and absentee TSA workers being the most visible face of the funding crisis.
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President Donald Trump, Cruz and others in the administration have been under pressure to demonstrate bold action — particularly in the past week, with travelers waiting for up to five hours just to get through security.
On Thursday March 26, Trump warned of taking “drastic measures” if the Democrats did not end the impasse. He followed through by deploying Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at American airports, as CNN reported (4).
ICE itself is now the focus of the funding debate, with Democrats’ demanding reforms to both it and Customs and Border Protection.
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What going unpaid means in the TSA, ICE and Congress
TSA workers are among the lowest paid staff in the DHS, with a starting salary of about $40,000, according to Forbes.
ICE agents earn more: between $52,000 and $84,000 (5).
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In contrast, Cruz earns $174,000 a year as a member of Congress.
In addition, according to the Texas Tribune, he and his wife also have significant assets: over $2 million in investments and a retirement plan along with a $1.2 million loan he and his wife made to Cruz’s original 2012 campaign for Senate (6).
Doing without a paycheck may be easier for senators like Ted Cruz than DHS staff.
Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
BBC (1); X (2); The Hill (3); CNN (4); Forbes (5); Texas Tribune (6)
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Chase Kell is an associate editor for Moneywise.
