This Act ensures continuous pay for essential FAA air traffic controllers and TSA security personnel during any lapse in the 2026 federal appropriations process.
Ted Cruz
Senator
TX
The Keep America Flying Act of 2026 ensures that essential Air Traffic Controllers and TSA security personnel continue to receive pay and benefits at the start of fiscal year 2026, even if Congress has not yet passed a budget. This continuing appropriation provides necessary funding for FAA and TSA staff, as well as their contractors, to maintain safe and secure air travel operations. The funding automatically ceases once a full budget is enacted or on September 30, 2026.
Keep America Flying Act Guarantees Pay for FAA/TSA Staff During Government Shutdowns Starting Oct 2025
The “Keep America Flying Act of 2026” is essentially a financial insurance policy designed to prevent chaos at airports and in the skies if Congress fails to pass a budget on time. Starting October 1, 2025—the beginning of the federal government’s fiscal year 2026—this bill automatically sets aside money from the Treasury to guarantee paychecks, benefits, and allowances for essential personnel and contractors at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) (SEC. 2).
No Budget? No Problem for Air Travel Safety
Think of this as an emergency fund for the people who keep planes from crashing and airports secure. Historically, when Congress fails to pass an appropriations bill (a budget), essential federal workers like air traffic controllers and TSA screeners are forced to work without pay, leading to massive financial stress and, occasionally, sick-outs or furloughs that cripple air travel. This bill cuts that risk immediately. It specifically guarantees that air traffic controllers, operational FAA staff, TSA screeners, and their support staff will get paid on time, even if the government shuts down due to a budget lapse (SEC. 2).
If you’re a frequent flyer, a business traveler, or just someone who uses air travel once a year, this is huge. It means the people responsible for your safety—from the tower to the security line—won't be distracted by worrying about how to pay their mortgage. The bill also ensures that contractors supporting these critical functions get paid, maintaining essential technical and maintenance support, which is often the first thing to dry up during a funding lapse.
The Accounting Cleanup
This isn't new money; it's just a placeholder. The bill specifies that any money spent to cover these paychecks will be charged against the actual budget once Congress finally gets around to passing it (SEC. 2). Essentially, the government is saying: we’ll pay the safety people now, and we’ll figure out which pot of money it came from later. The authority to use this emergency funding stops immediately once Congress passes a regular budget bill, a temporary funding measure, or automatically on September 30, 2026, whichever comes first (SEC. 3).
One interesting detail is the effective date. Even if the bill is signed into law sometime in 2025, it is made retroactive to September 30, 2025 (SEC. 4). This ensures that if Congress cuts it close and passes the bill after the budget deadline, the paychecks and authority are covered right from the start of the fiscal year, preventing any awkward gaps in pay for essential staff.