Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is giving his department’s 260,000 employees an extra day of leave, adding to more than $1 billion worth of vacation time he’s already doled out in two-and-a-half years in office.
Mr. Mayorkas said his employees deserved extra time, in addition to their regular Labor Day holiday, as a reward for their “sacrifice to secure our homeland and to advance our nation.”
“There is no more dedicated and talented workforce than you,” he said in a note to employees.
The new grant comes just days after The Washington Times reported that Mr. Mayorkas has already given out 115 hours of leave since he took office in 2021. The Times calculated that works out to at least $1.2 billion worth of taxpayer-funded time off work, given an average department pay rate of about $40 an hour.
The eight new hours works out to more than $80 million in money paid for time that might not be worked. The time must be used before the end of 2024.
Some department employees told The Times they think Mr. Mayorkas is trying to buy affection from an exasperated workforce, but his generosity has plenty of fans within the department too, where some workers have dubbed him “Santa Mayorkas” for all the time off he’s given.
Homeland Security regularly ranks among the lowest federal workplaces in terms of morale. The ongoing issues surrounding immigration have put new strains on the department, which has had to siphon workers from other duties to rush to the border to handle the unprecedented surge of illegal immigrants under President Biden.
In a statement to The Times, Homeland Security acknowledged the heavy burdens.
“DHS employees, and the families who serve alongside them, are extraordinary public servants who make great sacrifices to advance our mission. These unusually difficult jobs deserve our respect and offering administrative leave is a show of that respect that serves the public interest by contributing to employee morale,” the department said.
In his note this week about the new eight hours, he said it was being given as “administrative leave.” That is not vacation but rather counts as an excused absence with pay.
It is usually done on a case-by-case basis and, under federal rules, employees are limited to 10 days of administrative leave a year.
The rules seem to discourage use of administrative leave as a performance award, but do allow it for cases where the absence is deemed to advance an agency’s mission. Department heads such as Mr. Mayorkas are given wide latitude to decide what counts.
Mark Morgan, who served in the Trump administration as head of Customs and Border Protection, a major agency within Homeland Security, said the secretary is likely on firm legal ground.
“But clearly he’s trying to buy favor with rank and file. While his motives are suspect, it’s hard for me to push back because most of the personnel receiving the additional time are deserving,” Mr. Morgan said.
He suggested it was ironic for Mr. Mayorkas to say employees needed more time off to help morale when the secretary’s immigration policies have caused “front-line personnel to become overwhelmed, overworked, and unable to perform their law enforcement and national security mission.”
“And rather than reverse current policy, enforce the law, and provide them the tools to return order to our nation’s borders, he tries to placate them with a monetary reward,” Mr. Morgan said. “While they’ll take it, as they should, it won’t change how they feel.”
The Times’ story last week sparked an online discussion at FedSmith.com, a news site and forum frequented by federal employees.
“When the men and women of your agency don’t respect you, try and buy it,” said one poster.
Another said: “Mayorkas has given so much admin time off, it is hard to track.”
But the secretary had defenders, too.
“Sounds like something most DHS employees probably appreciate,” said one.
Another mocked The Times’ report as “a slow news day.”
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.