TSA workers expected to receive back pay as DHS funding fight continues

White House Border Czar Tom Homan said there is a plan in place to get TSA agents paid quickly.

(CNN)- Transportation Security Administration workers who have been working without pay during the ongoing Department of Homeland Security funding impasse could soon see relief.

White House Border Czar Tom Homan said there is a plan in place to get TSA agents paid quickly.

“There is a plan to get these TSA agents paid hopefully by tomorrow, Tuesday,” Homan said.

Trump administration officials said Sunday that TSA workers are expected to receive paychecks within the next couple of days under President Donald Trump’s plan to unilaterally fund the agency. The announcement follows an executive action signed Friday ordering that TSA employees be paid immediately.

Homan called the move “good news,” noting many TSA officers have continued working without pay while lawmakers remain at a standstill.

“These TSA officers are struggling — working very hard and not being paid by members of Congress that are on vacation getting paid,” Homan said.

However, questions remain about how quickly the plan will be fully implemented and whether all missed wages will be covered.

Former TSA Administrator John Pistole warned that failing to follow through could further damage morale among workers.

“If you say they’re going to get paid and they don’t after five weeks of not getting paid, then that would be a serious blow to the already low morale,” Pistole said.

A spokesperson for the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents TSA officers, said some workers have begun seeing back pay processed. However, the payments appear to cover only the two full pay periods missed in March and not partial wages from late February.

As of Sunday night, many workers had not yet received funds in their bank accounts.

It is also unclear how quickly the restored pay will impact staffing shortages and long airport security lines. Pistole noted concerns that some officers who have already called out may not immediately return, especially if they have sought other employment.

“My concern is that out of those 3,500 who have called out over the weekend, that some of those are simply holding out and because they may have another job lined up,” Pistole said.