October 28, 2025
Mr. Kennedy 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 during a lapse in appropriations, 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 Pay the People Act
.
Sec. 2. Appropriations
(a) Definitions
In this section—
(1)
the term agency means each authority of the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the Government of the United States; and
(2)
the term covered individual—
(A)
means an employee of an agency; and
(B)
includes—
(i)
a contractor who provides support to an employee described in subparagraph (A); and
(ii)
a member of the Armed Forces on active duty.
(b) Appropriations
For fiscal year 2026, and any fiscal year thereafter, for any period during which interim continuing appropriations or full-year appropriations for that fiscal year are not in effect for an agency, there are appropriated to the head of the agency, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such sums as are necessary to provide standard rates of pay, allowances, pay differentials, benefits, and other payments otherwise payable on a regular basis to covered individuals with respect to the agency.
(c) Termination
Appropriations and funds made available and authority granted under subsection (b) shall be available to the head of an agency until whichever of the following first occurs:
(1)
The enactment into law of appropriations for the agency until the end of the applicable fiscal year (including a continuing appropriation) that provide amounts for the purposes for which amounts are made available under subsection (b).
(2)
The enactment into law of appropriations for the agency until the end of the applicable fiscal year (including a continuing appropriation) without any appropriation for such purposes.
(d) Interim continuing appropriations
Appropriations made available under subsection (b) may not be obligated by the head of an agency during any period during which continuing appropriations for the purposes for which amounts are made available under subsection (b) are in effect for the agency.
(e) Charging to full-Year appropriations
Obligations or expenditures made by the head of an agency pursuant to subsection (b) shall be charged to the applicable appropriation for the agency whenever a regular appropriation bill or a measure making continuing appropriations until the end of the applicable fiscal year for the agency becomes law.
(f) Retroactive effective date
This Act shall take effect as if enacted on September 30, 2025.