Sponsors (2)
The bill preserves pay and benefits continuity for DHS excepted personnel and some contractors during funding gaps—protecting workers and critical border operations—but shifts costs to taxpayers and can reduce incentives for timely congressional appropriations while raising contractor oversight concerns.
Excepted DHS employees (CBP, ICE) and certain covered contractors will continue to receive pay during DHS funding lapses, protecting their income and reducing financial disruption.
Federal employees affected by DHS funding lapses will continue to receive Federal Employee Retirement and Compensation benefits (chapters 55 and 81), preserving survivor, disability, and related protections.
Border and immigration law-enforcement personnel (Air and Marine, OFO, Border Patrol, HSI, ERO) will have payroll certainty during funding gaps, helping keep critical border operations staffed and operational.
Taxpayers may face open-ended federal costs because the Treasury is authorized to provide 'such sums as are necessary' to pay covered personnel during funding lapses.
Congress may face reduced fiscal pressure to pass regular appropriations on time because key DHS pay and benefits are insulated from lapses, creating a perverse incentive to delay budgets.
Extending pay continuity to certain contractors could increase costs and raises oversight and definitional questions about which contractors qualify and how payments are administered.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced January 15, 2026 by Richard Lynn Scott · Last progress January 15, 2026
Authorizes the Treasury to provide whatever sums are necessary during any lapse in Department of Homeland Security appropriations to continue paying specified excepted employees and covered contractors in select CBP and ICE components and to cover certain federal retirement and workers' compensation benefits. Defines which CBP and ICE components and which contractors are covered, sets rules for availability and chargeback of those funds, and adds a clerical table-of-contents entry to the Homeland Security Act.