Transportation Security Administration Pay Act of 2026

The Transportation Security Administration Pay Act of 2026 would authorize emergency funding to ensure TSA employees continue receiving their regular pay and benefits during the ongoing partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown that began in February 2026. This shutdown occurred because Congress has not yet passed the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill for DHS agencies.

Under this bill, TSA employees would receive their standard rates of pay, allowances, pay differentials, and other regular benefits as if the shutdown were not occurring. The emergency funding would remain in effect until whichever comes first: Congress enacts the full fiscal year 2026 DHS appropriations bill or interim funding legislation, or September 30, 2026 (the end of the fiscal year). The bill would be retroactively effective to February 13, 2026, covering the period since the shutdown began.

For everyday citizens, this bill would primarily affect TSA employees who work at airports and other transportation security checkpoints. If enacted, it would ensure these employees continue to receive paychecks and maintain their health insurance and other benefits during the shutdown, allowing TSA operations to continue normally without the disruptions that typically occur when federal employees are not paid.