The Safe Access to Cash Act of 2026 creates new federal criminal penalties for crimes involving automated teller machines, or ATMs. It makes it a federal crime to use force, violence, intimidation, or extortion against people using or servicing an ATM, or against workers transporting or loading cash into one, with penalties of up to 20 years in prison. The bill also criminalizes breaking into, damaging, or stealing from an ATM itself, with punishments ranging up to 10 years for thefts over $1,000 and up to 1 year for smaller amounts, and it penalizes knowingly receiving or selling stolen ATM property. Harsher penalties apply when a weapon is used or someone is assaulted during the crime (up to 25 years), and if someone is killed or forced to accompany the offender, penalties can reach 30 years to life imprisonment. Importantly, these protections extend to any network-connected ATM linked to a bank, credit union, or savings and loan, regardless of whether the machine sits on the institution's physical property or is owned by a third party, closing a gap that previously left off-site ATMs less protected under federal law.