October 23, 2025
Mr. Peters (for himself, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Smith, Ms. Alsobrooks, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Warner, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Luján, Mr. Kim, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Gallego, Mr. Padilla, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. King, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Coons, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Bennet, Ms. Warren, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Welch, Mr. Ossoff, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Markey, Mr. Whitehouse, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Warnock, Mr. Merkley, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Booker, Ms. Slotkin, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Schiff, Mrs. Gillibrand, and Ms. Cantwell) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Appropriations
To appropriate funds for pay and allowances of Federal employees, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Military and Federal Employee Protection Act
.
Sec. 2. Appropriations
(a) Definitions
In this section—
(1)
the term agency—
(A)
means each authority of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the Government of the United States; and
(B)
includes each element of the District of Columbia public employer, as defined in section 1341(c) of title 31, United States Code;
(2)
the term covered individual—
(A)
means each employee of an agency who, during the covered period, did not receive a portion or all of the standard employee compensation of the employee because of the lapse in appropriations with respect to the applicable agency; and
(B)
includes—
(i)
a contractor who—
(I)
provides support to an employee of an agency; and
(II)
during the covered period, did not receive a portion or all of the standard employee compensation of the individual because of the lapse in appropriations with respect to the applicable agency;
(ii)
a member of the Armed Forces (including a member of a reserve component who performs active service or inactive-duty training) who, during the covered period, did not receive a portion or all of the standard employee compensation of the individual because of the lapse in appropriations with respect to the applicable agency; and
(iii)
an employee of an agency, a contractor who provides support to an employee of an agency, or a member of the Armed Forces (including a member of a reserve component who performs active service or inactive-duty training) who, for a portion or all of the covered period, was subject to furlough;
(3)
the term covered period means the period beginning on October 1, 2025, and ending on the date of enactment of this Act; and
(4)
the term standard employee compensation means, with respect to a covered individual, the standard rate of basic pay, allowances, pay differentials, benefits, and other payments otherwise payable on a regular basis to the covered individual.
(b) Appropriations
(1) In general
For fiscal year 2026, there are appropriated to the head of each agency with respect to which there was a lapse in appropriations during the covered period, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such sums as are necessary to provide, with respect to the covered period, standard employee compensation to covered individuals with respect to the agency.
(2) Agency requirement
The head of each agency to whom amounts are made available under paragraph (1) shall provide to covered individuals with respect to that agency the standard employee compensation required under that paragraph for work performed during the covered period (or, in the case of a covered individual described in subsection (a)(2)(B)(iii), for all portions of the covered period during which the covered individual was subject to furlough) as soon as practicable, but not later than 7 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
(c) Limitation to individuals affected by shutdown
Amounts provided under subsection (b) may not be used to provide standard employee compensation to a covered individual for any portion of the covered period for which the covered individual is provided with standard employee compensation using amounts other than amounts provided under subsection (b).
(d) Limitation on transfer authority
Notwithstanding any other provision of law (including any appropriation Act), the amounts provided under subsection (b)—
(1)
shall be available solely for standard employee compensation to covered individuals; and
(2)
may not be transferred, reprogrammed, obligated, or expended for any other purpose.
(e) Terms and conditions
The provision of standard employee compensation using amounts provided under subsection (b) shall be subject to the requirements, authorities, conditions, and limitations applicable with respect to the provision of standard employee compensation by the applicable agency under the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (Public Law 119–4; 139 Stat. 9).
(f) Charge to future appropriations
Expenditures made pursuant to this Act shall be charged to the applicable appropriation, fund, or authorization whenever a bill in which such applicable appropriation, fund, or authorization is enacted into law.
(g) Rule of construction
This section shall be construed to provide each covered individual, without regard to whether the covered individual was subject to furlough for a portion or all of the covered period, with standard employee compensation for the covered period as if the covered individual had performed the job duties of the covered individual for the entirety of the covered period.
(h) Retroactive effective date
This section shall take effect as if enacted on September 30, 2025.