Pay Our Troops Act of 2026

Bill Number: H.R. 5401
Origin Chamber: House
Congress: 119th Congress, Session 1
Policy Area: Armed Forces and National Security
Status: Introduced
Latest Action: 2025-09-16: Referred to the House Committee on Appropriations.
Last Updated: 2026-04-10T08:06:11Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose

This legislation establishes automatic funding to ensure payment of military personnel and related support staff during periods when regular fiscal year 2026 appropriations are not in place, such as a government shutdown.

Key Provisions

Automatic Appropriations: Provides necessary funds from the Treasury for pay and allowances to:
Active-duty members of the Armed Forces, including reserve components.
Department of Defense civilian personnel (and Department of Homeland Security personnel for the Coast Guard) who support those service members.
Department of Defense contractors (and Department of Homeland Security contractors for the Coast Guard) who support those service members.
Scope: Applies only during fiscal year 2026 when no interim or full-year appropriations are enacted.
Termination: Funding ends upon enactment of new appropriations for these purposes, enactment of a resolution without such funding, or January 1, 2027, whichever occurs first.
Definition: Clarifies that the "Secretary concerned" refers to the Secretary of Defense for most matters and the Secretary of Homeland Security for Coast Guard issues.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

Creates a targeted, automatic continuing appropriation mechanism specifically for military pay and support, which does not exist in current law for this purpose.
Bypasses the need for separate congressional action during a lapse in appropriations by pre-authorizing funds for these categories.
Limits the scope to military-related pay only, unlike broader continuing resolutions that may cover multiple government functions.

Potential Impacts

Government Agencies: Ensures uninterrupted payroll for the Department of Defense and Coast Guard operations, allowing focus on core military functions without immediate funding disruptions.
Citizens: Protects service members, their families, and supporting civilian and contractor workers from pay delays during shutdowns.
International Relations: No direct provisions address foreign policy or alliances, though stable military compensation could indirectly support ongoing defense commitments.

Main Stakeholders Affected

Active and reserve members of the Armed Forces.
Civilian employees of the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security (Coast Guard).
Defense and Coast Guard contractors.
Congressional appropriators responsible for future funding decisions.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

Reinforces Congress's constitutional authority over appropriations while introducing an automatic mechanism that reduces immediate legislative intervention during funding lapses.
Raises questions about the balance of power between branches, as it pre-commits Treasury funds without requiring new votes in shutdown scenarios.
May set a precedent for similar targeted funding protections in other areas of government operations.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Kiggans, Jennifer A. [R-VA-2]

Cosponsors (210)

Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1], Rep. Mace, Nancy [R-SC-1], Rep. Kean, Thomas H. [R-NJ-7], Rep. Crenshaw, Dan [R-TX-2], Rep. Nunn, Zachary [R-IA-3], Rep. Luna, Anna Paulina [R-FL-13], Rep. Perez, Marie Gluesenkamp [D-WA-3], Del. Moylan, James C. [R-GU-At Large], Rep. Ciscomani, Juan [R-AZ-6], Rep. Wittman, Robert J. [R-VA-1], Rep. Boebert, Lauren [R-CO-4], Rep. Mills, Cory [R-FL-7], Rep. Huizenga, Bill [R-MI-4], Rep. Ezell, Mike [R-MS-4], Rep. Messmer, Mark B. [R-IN-8], Rep. Loudermilk, Barry [R-GA-11], Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2], Rep. Pappas, Chris [D-NH-1], Rep. Van Orden, Derrick [R-WI-3], Rep. Tran, Derek [D-CA-45], Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6], Rep. Murphy, Gregory F. [R-NC-3], Rep. Graves, Sam [R-MO-6], Rep. McCormick, Richard [R-GA-7], Rep. Gimenez, Carlos A. [R-FL-28], Rep. Crank, Jeff [R-CO-5], Rep. Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1], Rep. Davis, Donald G. [D-NC-1], Rep. Turner, Michael R. [R-OH-10], Rep. Strong, Dale W. [R-AL-5], Rep. Bresnahan, Robert P. [R-PA-8], Rep. Tenney, Claudia [R-NY-24], Rep. Schmidt, Derek [R-KS-2], Rep. Stauber, Pete [R-MN-8], Rep. Golden, Jared F. [D-ME-2], Rep. Bean, Aaron [R-FL-4], Rep. Newhouse, Dan [R-WA-4], Rep. McGuire, John J. [R-VA-5], Rep. Webster, Daniel [R-FL-11], Rep. Hurd, Jeff [R-CO-3], Rep. Hamadeh, Abraham J. [R-AZ-8], Rep. Goodlander, Maggie [D-NH-2], Rep. Kelly, Mike [R-PA-16], Rep. Franklin, Scott [R-FL-18], Rep. Luttrell, Morgan [R-TX-8], Rep. Harshbarger, Diana [R-TN-1], Rep. Feenstra, Randy [R-IA-4], Rep. Finstad, Brad [R-MN-1], Rep. Self, Keith [R-TX-3], Rep. Stefanik, Elise M. [R-NY-21] and 160 more