The WATCH Personnel Act of 2026 provides emergency funding to keep the Transportation Security Administration operating and pays its employees during a budget lapse that began on February 14, 2026. The bill raises the minimum annual salary for Transportation Security Officers to $40,000 starting in fiscal year 2026, with automatic cost-of-living adjustments each year thereafter. It also authorizes emergency appropriations to cover TSA employee salaries, benefits, and pay differentials during the funding gap, plus a one-time $10,000 bonus for each officer working on February 14, 2026, though this bonus does not count toward retirement or other benefits. The emergency funding remains available until Congress passes a regular budget, a continuing appropriation, or September 30, 2026, whichever comes first. The bill is retroactively effective to February 13, 2026, meaning it covers the entire period of the appropriations lapse.