Dissension in the ranks: Some, but not all, federal law enforcement employees are getting paychecks this week

By Evan Perez, CNN

(CNN) — The Trump administration’s move to issue paychecks this week to some but not all federal law enforcement employees during the government shutdown is sowing division in the ranks and does little to resolve the harm being done to ongoing investigations, current and former law enforcement officials tell CNN.

Under special accommodations from the Trump administration, agencies are providing paychecks on schedule to criminal investigative agents, including those who work for Justice Department agencies such as the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and at the US Secret Service, which is part of the Homeland Security department.

But intelligence analysts and support staff at those agencies won’t be receiving their paychecks during the shutdown. The administration is limiting the paychecks to those categorized as 1811 employees, a reference to the code used for the White House’s budget office for criminal investigative agents.

“You can imagine what that is doing to morale,” one current senior federal law enforcement official told CNN. “Our intelligence analysts are doing crucial work; without them cases don’t get made. So, to do this doesn’t send the right message.”

Dan Brunner, a retired FBI agent who worked through a previous government shutdown says that paying only agents and not analysts and other staff will damage morale.

“The fact is that analysts and professional staff all play a vital role in the entire FBI investigations. That’s why they have to continue working because they have an integral part. Every single person not just 1811s play a crucial role in the lifespan of an investigation,” Brunner said.

The White House hasn’t said how they’re funding the paychecks for these criminal investigative agents.

The impact is made worse because during the shutdown, investigators are limited in spending money on certain investigative activities.

“The FBI can’t pay informants, they can’t do drug buys, they can’t travel. There’s no money. It’s not just the pay, it affects investigations. It stalls them,” Brunner said.

At the FBI, employees were told last week that the bureau would pay agents for at least the next two paychecks, while other employees would not be paid during the shutdown. What’s more, agents will get not only their regular salaries but also the extra incentive pay that they receive on top of their salary for being available for unscheduled duty.

“That’s really pissing people off,” one employee told CNN.

The FBI Agents Association thanks President Donald Trump for ensuring special agents are paid, noting it “reflects the essential role FBI Agents play in protecting the American people.”

The association added: “The FBI’s success, however, depends on more than its Agents. Analysts, professional staff, and other personnel — who continue to work without pay — play a vital role in confronting threats from terrorism and cyberattacks to violent crime and corruption.”

The FBI told CNN in a statement Wednesday that it is “actively pursuing options to pay all employees during the lapse in appropriations.”

“The FBI is made up of special agents, intelligence analysts, technical experts, and support personnel – all of whom are critical to our mission of defending the homeland and protecting the American people,” the statement said.

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