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Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Mar 10, 2025
Pay Federal Workers and Servicemembers Act
This bill makes federal civilian and military personnel who are excepted from furlough during a government shutdown eligible for unemployment compensation benefits.
During a government shutdown due to a lapse in appropriations, federal employees who are excepted from furlough are required to report for work and perform duties, but their pay is delayed until appropriations legislation is enacted. Under guidance issued by the Department of Labor, excepted employees who are performing services (but whose payment for that work is delayed) are generally ineligible for unemployment compensation benefits based on states' definitions of unemployment.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
This bill provides that, for the purpose of determining eligibility for unemployment compensation during a government shutdown, excepted employees are deemed to be (1) totally separated from federal service, and (2) eligible for unemployment compensation benefits with no waiting period for the eligibility to accrue.
The bill applies to the following federal personnel who are excepted from furlough and are not being paid due to a government shutdown: (1) any member of the Armed Forces or the Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and (2) any federal civilian employee who is an excepted employee or an employee performing emergency work.
People & committees
Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6] · D–MI
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Jan 9, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-03-10 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Pay Federal Workers and Servicemembers Act would make specified federal civilian employees, Armed Forces members, and members of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Commissioned Corps eligible for unemployment benefits when they must keep working instead of being furloughed but go unpaid during a government funding shutdown. For benefit eligibility only, they would be treated as separated from federal service during the shutdown, with no waiting period. The proposal applies to funding lapses beginning on or after March 14, 2025, and to weeks of unemployment beginning on or after that date.
This Act may be cited as the Pay Federal Workers and Servicemembers Act.
each covered employee shall be, solely for the purpose of determining eligibility for unemployment compensation under this subchapter or subchapter II (as the case may be), deemed for the duration of the lapse in appropriations to be— (1) totally separated from Federal service; and (2) eligible for unemployment compensation benefits under the applicable subchapter with no waiting period for such eligibility to accrue.
the term covered employee means any of the following Federal personnel who are excepted from furlough and are not being paid due to a lapse in appropriations: (1) Any member of the Armed Forces or the Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2) Any Federal civilian employee who is an excepted employee or an employee performing emergency work, as such terms are defined by the Office of Personnel Management.
With respect to any lapse in appropriations beginning on or after March 14, 2025
The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply to weeks of unemployment beginning on or after March 14, 2025.
Coverage would require both being excepted from furlough and being unpaid due to a lapse in appropriations—that is, remaining on duty during a government funding shutdown without pay. Covered groups would include members of the Armed Forces or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Commissioned Corps, and federal civilian employees who are excepted employees or employees performing emergency work, as those terms are defined by the Office of Personnel Management.
the term covered employee means any of the following Federal personnel who are excepted from furlough and are not being paid due to a lapse in appropriations: (1) Any member of the Armed Forces or the Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2) Any Federal civilian employee who is an excepted employee or an employee performing emergency work, as such terms are defined by the Office of Personnel Management.
The bill would add section 8510 to the federal unemployment compensation law. During a qualifying funding lapse, covered workers would be treated as fully separated from federal service solely to determine unemployment benefit eligibility. This would not itself end their employment. They would be eligible under the applicable unemployment compensation subchapter without a waiting period.
Subchapter I of chapter 85 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 8510. Eligibility for unemployment compensation for Federal personnel excepted from furlough during Government shutdown
each covered employee shall be, solely for the purpose of determining eligibility for unemployment compensation under this subchapter or subchapter II (as the case may be), deemed for the duration of the lapse in appropriations to be— (1) totally separated from Federal service; and (2) eligible for unemployment compensation benefits under the applicable subchapter with no waiting period for such eligibility to accrue.
The proposal contains two timing rules: the funding lapse must begin on or after March 14, 2025, and the amendment applies to weeks of unemployment beginning on or after that date. The special treatment for eligibility would last for the duration of the funding lapse.
With respect to any lapse in appropriations beginning on or after March 14, 2025
deemed for the duration of the lapse in appropriations
The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply to weeks of unemployment beginning on or after March 14, 2025.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated January 9, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Ways and Means on March 10, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2026-01-09T09:07:07Z. 2025-03-10: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. 2025-03-10: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-03-10. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied March 10, 2025 introduced text. This conclusion does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied March 10, 2025 introduced text. This conclusion does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials, and the supplied text alone cannot establish formal earmark status.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption, or preferential treatment warranting a separate finding was identified in the complete supplied March 10, 2025 introduced text. Coverage of the proposal's intended beneficiary population alone does not constitute such a finding. This conclusion does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Jan 9, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI