This bill, known as the Pay FEMA Personnel Act of 2026, provides emergency funding to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ensure its employees receive regular pay and benefits during a government shutdown. It authorizes the use of Treasury funds to cover salaries, allowances, and benefits for FEMA staff required to manage disaster relief operations and administer federal grant programs. The funding remains available until new appropriations are passed, a regular appropriations bill is enacted, or September 30, 2026, whichever comes first. The legislation also clarifies that this funding does not prevent FEMA from distributing grant money to eligible recipients.
This bill, titled the Fund CISA Personnel Act of 2026, provides emergency funding to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to pay its employees during a federal government shutdown. It authorizes the agency to use Treasury funds to cover standard pay, benefits, and allowances for CISA staff when regular appropriations are not available, ensuring critical cybersecurity functions continue without interruption. The funding is temporary and will end when new appropriations are passed or by September 30, 2026, whichever comes first. The bill also includes provisions to prevent double payment to employees and ensures that costs incurred under this emergency funding are later charged to the appropriate permanent budget accounts.
This bill provides temporary funding to ensure Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees continue receiving standard pay and benefits during a potential government funding gap between February 14, 2026, and when regular fiscal year 2026 appropriations are enacted. It directly affects TSA employees who might otherwise face pay interruptions if Congress fails to pass a full-year budget by that date. The bill authorizes using Treasury funds for standard pay, allowances, and benefits during this interim period, with these costs later charged to the appropriate future appropriations. The funding expires automatically on September 30, 2026, or when regular appropriations are passed, whichever occurs first.
Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026 This bill provides appropriations to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the remainder of FY2026. It also ends the partial DHS shutdown that began on February 14, 2026, because the continuing resolution (CR) that was funding DHS expired and a regular FY2026 DHS appropriations bill had not been enacted. Specifically, the bill provides appropriations to DHS for Departmental Management, Intelligence, Situational Awareness, and Oversight, including the Office of the Secretary and Executive Management; the Management Directorate; Intelligence, Analysis, and Situational Awareness; and the Office of Inspector General. In addition, the bill provides appropriations for Security, Enforcement, and Investigations, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Transportation Security Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Secret Service. The bill provides appropriations for Protection, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The bill provides appropriations for Research, Development, Training, and Services, including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, and the Science and Technology Directorate. The bill also authorizes back pay, in accordance with current law, for federal employees who were affected by the partial DHS shutdown. Finally, the bill ratifies and approves certain obligations that were incurred during the partial DHS shutdown, including obligations incurred to maintain the essential level of activity to protect life and property and bring about an orderly termination of government functions.
