119th (2025–2027)
H.R. 9828
The Federal Employee Financial Protection Act of 2026 protects federal employees' credit scores when they miss payments during government shutdowns. Under the bill, credit reporting agencies cannot include negative information about late or missed payments made by furloughed or unpaid federal workers during a lapse in government funding, and must instead treat those missed payments as if they were made on time. The legislation requires the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to issue rules implementing these protections within 30 days of the bill's enactment. The bill also calls on private lenders to offer temporary payment flexibility to affected employees, waive late fees during shutdowns, and refrain from reporting adverse credit information related to shutdown-related payment delays, though this is stated as a non-binding expression of congressional intent rather than a legal requirement.