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Coast Guard Keeps Core Missions Running as DHS Standoff Puts Paychecks at Risk

A DHS funding lapse tied to Democratic demands on ICE has put the service on track to miss Friday’s payroll.

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) speaks during a hearing on oversight of the Department of Homeland Security before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on February 12, 2026 in Washington, DC. The Department of Homeland Security has faced criticism over law enforcement tactics targeting undocumented immigrants and the killing of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Up to 41,000 Coast Guard members could go unpaid on Feb. 27 if Congress does not restore DHS appropriations.
  • The service is continuing excepted operations such as search and rescue, oil‑spill and hazmat response, law enforcement patrols, and waterway security, according to Lt. Krystal Wolfe.
  • Officials say operations are legally required to continue without pay under excepted status, with back pay provided once funding resumes.
  • DHS says it has begun emergency measures to conserve limited resources after a week without funding.
  • New York Republican lawmakers urged President Trump to use executive authority to cover Coast Guard pay, while the Coast Guard highlighted interest‑free loans up to $6,000 as Congress returned with no budget agreement.