This bill ensures the United States Capitol Police receive necessary funding for salaries and expenses in Fiscal Year 2026 if standard appropriations are not enacted by October 1, 2025.
Tim Scott
Senator
SC
The Pay Our Capitol Police Act ensures that the United States Capitol Police will continue to receive funding for salaries and essential expenses for Fiscal Year 2026, even if standard appropriations are delayed. This bill provides continuing appropriations to cover excepted employees, emergency workers, and necessary support staff. Funds spent under this Act will be charged against future official appropriations once enacted. The authority granted by this Act terminates on September 30, 2026, or earlier if standard appropriations are passed.
New 'Pay Our Capitol Police Act' Ensures Paychecks Won't Stop During FY2026 Funding Lapses
When Congress hits a budget snag and can’t pass the annual spending bills on time—a situation that seems to happen more often than not—essential government workers often get caught in the crossfire. The Pay Our Capitol Police Act is designed to pull one critical group out of that crossfire for Fiscal Year 2026: the U.S. Capitol Police.
The Automatic Paycheck Guarantee
This bill is essentially a financial parachute designed to deploy automatically. It appropriates necessary funds directly from the Treasury to cover the salaries and benefits of Capitol Police members who are deemed essential or are performing emergency work, should the standard appropriations for FY2026 not be enacted by October 1, 2025 (SEC. 2). We’re talking about more than just base pay; the bill explicitly covers overtime, hazard pay, tuition reimbursement, recruitment bonuses, and the Government's contributions toward health, retirement, and Social Security for these officers and their civilian support staff. Think of it as an insurance policy ensuring that the folks protecting the Capitol complex don't have to worry about missing rent or mortgage payments just because of a bureaucratic delay.
Who Gets the Green Light?
The key to this bill is the Chief of the Capitol Police. The Chief gets the authority to determine which employees are “excepted employees or employees performing emergency work” and therefore eligible for this guaranteed funding (SEC. 2). This is a necessary piece of discretion, since in a funding lapse, not everyone can be paid, but it does mean that the Chief holds all the cards in deciding who is deemed essential enough to keep getting a paycheck. The bill also makes sure that any contractors providing support to these essential officers are also covered, keeping critical services running.
What Happens When the Budget Finally Passes?
This isn't a permanent funding fix; it’s a temporary bridge. Any money spent under this Act is automatically charged against the final, official appropriation once Congress finally gets around to passing it (SEC. 2). The authority of this Act expires the moment the standard appropriations bill for the Capitol Police (or the entire Legislative Branch) is signed into law, or by September 30, 2026, whichever comes first (SEC. 3). If this Act is signed into law after October 1, 2025, it includes a special rule ensuring that any missed paychecks during that gap are issued “as soon as possible” (SEC. 4), preventing a cash flow crisis for officers who continued working without pay.
The Bigger Picture: Budgeting vs. Reality
For the officers and staff, this bill is a huge win for job security and morale, ensuring that a political fight doesn't translate into personal financial stress. The cost, however, is that this bill relies on the Treasury to front the money, essentially creating an automatic spending mechanism outside the normal, often contentious, appropriations process. While this is a practical solution for a critical service, it does slightly chip away at the urgency for Congress to pass its budget on time, knowing the paychecks for this key agency are already secured.