Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) says a prolonged shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security may require the White House to step in and pay workers who are forgoing paychecks at critical agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration.   

“Anything you can do to keep people employed,” Thune told reporters Wednesday. “If they can figure out a way to pay government employees, absolutely. These are people who have jobs and have commitments and have families.”