IC Oversight & Authorities — 2026-04-11

DHS Recalls 1,200 Furloughed CISA Workers Despite Ongoing Shutdown, Back Pay Begins April 10

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin recalled all furloughed DHS staff, including approximately 1,200 CISA employees representing 60% of the cybersecurity agency's workforce, despite the ongoing DHS shutdown that began February 14. The recall uses funds from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act after Trump directed their allocation for civilian employee pay. CISA had been operating with only 888 excepted employees while 1,453 were legally prohibited from working. Back pay will reach employees starting April 10 through April 16. The two-month funding lapse has severely impacted DHS I&A, CISA, and other IC-adjacent components.

Analysis
The recall of 1,200 CISA workers using non-appropriated funds raises legal questions about whether the One Big Beautiful Bill Act funding was intended for this purpose. CISA's two-month operational degradation during the shutdown occurred as Iranian cyber actors escalated attacks on U.S. critical infrastructure, creating a gap in the IC's cyber defense architecture at the worst possible time.

1 sources

DHS calling furloughed staff back to work despite shutdown - Federal News Network