Washington, D.C. – U.S. RepresentativesEugene Vindman (Va.-07), James R. Walkinshaw (Va.-11), Jamie Raskin (Md.-08), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Don Beyer (Va.-08), and Suhas Subramanyam (Va.-10) today introduced legislation to pay all federal employees, as well as service members and federal contractors, during any shutdowns in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026.
“Virginia is home to tens of thousands of federal workers, contractors, and service members who keep our country running. This week, many are once again being forced to wonder if they will get their next paycheck — not because they failed to do their jobs, but because of the chaos and cruelty coming from the White House,” said Vindman. “As their Representative, a 25-year Army officer, and as the husband of a former federal employee, I know the uncertainty and strain shutdowns place on families. My family has lived through it. Nobody should have to. I am proud to support this bill that would change just that.”
“Federal workers and service members should never be used as leverage in Republicans’ shutdown standoffs, and the Trump administration should never be able to use a shutdown to inflict harm on our federal workforce, as we have seen,” said Walkinshaw. “This bill would provide critical protections by ensuring workers get paid during any FY2026 shutdown, contractors can keep paying their staff, and the Trump administration would be blocked from using a shutdown as a smokescreen to purge the federal workforce through reductions in force.”
“Our dedicated federal workers should never be pawns in a government shutdown fight,” said Raskin. “Our bill provides security to civil servants in MD-08 and across the country by protecting their paychecks and shielding them from any more of Trump’s reckless, unlawful firing sprees during a shutdown in FY26.”
“Federal workers and contractors – and their jobs – should never be used as leverage in political standoffs,” said Norton. “The True Shutdown Fairness Act would ensure that employees and contractors are paid during a shutdown in FY 2026 and would prohibit reductions in force, which can permanently damage the public’s access to services they have a right to receive from the federal government. Federal workers and the American public shouldn’t bear the cost of Congress’s failure to do its job.”
“Federal workers and contractors are never responsible for government shutdowns, but they are always the ones who bear many of the worst consequences. The True Shutdown Fairness Act would ensure all federal workers, contractors, and servicemembers continue to receive their pay throughout a shutdown. These people devote their careers to serving the American people, their efforts are essential for keeping Americans safe and healthy, and they should be paid for their work regardless of political squabbles,” said Beyer.
“Congress’ inability to pass budgets shouldn’t stop federal workers, contractors, and service members from getting a paycheck,” said Subramanyam. “This commonsense legislation ensures that if there is a shutdown in FY2026, personnel and contractors are paid and protected—and that no administration can use a shutdown as a pretext to carry out reductions in force. It’s a commonsense safeguard for the public servants and their families in our community.”
The True Shutdown Fairness Act would ensure that during any FY2026 shutdown, federal workers, service members, and contractors are paid and protected, and that the Trump administration cannot use a shutdown to carry out reductions in force. The bill would eliminate the financial uncertainty caused by repeated shutdown threats and the use of federal workers as political leverage pushed by Republicans.
The True Shutdown Fairness Act is the House companion to legislation led in the Senate by U.S Senator Chris Van Hollen. The bill is endorsed by Services Employees International Union (SEIU) and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).
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