Verizon waives late fees for federal workers affected by partial DHS shutdown
Verizon will waive late fees and offer flexible payment terms to workers impacted by the partial government shutdown. The operator has made similar offers in the past, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it offered its customers additional mobile data at no extra cost.
The Department of Homeland Security was hit hardest by the partial shutdown, but Verizon’s offer covers any federal worker who can offer employment verification. Verizon says employees can call 1-800-Verizon (1-800-922-0204) to get their late fees waived and set up a payment plan.
The partial government shutdown began in February after Congress failed to pass a new DHS funding bill. However, the lack of funding has not affected all of DHS’s sprawling organizations equally. While the Transportation Security Administration is no longer able to pay its employees — leading to significant delays in airport security lines over the past week — Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection have been spared thanks to a separate funding pool established by a previous bill.
Lawmakers’ continued failure to fund DHS also depends on both agencies. Democratic senators and congressmen are requiring ICE agents to wear body cameras and remove masks before making arrests, among other restrictions, and are refusing to defund DHS until those restrictions are included in the bill. Republicans and Democrats also separately proposed funding the entire department except ICE and CBP, but although that bill passed the Senate, it was not taken up in the House.
