Making continuing appropriations for essential Transportation Security Administration pay and operations during the lapse in appropriations beginning on February 14, 2026, and for other purposes.
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Committee
Latest Action · May 19, 2026
Referred to the Committee on Appropriations, and in addition to the Committee on Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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.
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