Armed Forces Pay Act of 2025
Armed Forces Pay Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# Armed Forces Pay Act of 2025 - Summary **What It Does:** This bill would ensure that military service members and certain civilian government employees continue to receive their paychecks during a government shutdown. Specifically, it would provide funding for active-duty and reserve military personnel, as well as civilian workers at the Department of Defense, Coast Guard, and intelligence agencies (CIA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence). The funding would remain available until either a regular budget is passed or September 30, 2026, whichever comes first. **Who It Affects:** The bill directly impacts millions of people, including active-duty service members, National Guard and reserve personnel, and approximately 800,000+ civilian DOD and intelligence agency employees.
Indirectly, it affects military families and communities that depend on these paychecks, as well as the continuity of national defense and intelligence operations. **Current Status:** As of now, the bill (S 3079) is pending in committee in the Senate and has not been voted on. It was introduced by Senator Christopher Coons (D-Delaware) during the 119th Congress. The bill would only take effect if a government shutdown occurs without a regular budget in place.
CRS Official Summary
Armed Forces Pay Act of 2025This bill provides continuing appropriations to pay members of the Armed Forces and civilian employees of the Department of Defense (DOD) and intelligence agencies during any period in which interim or full-year appropriations for FY2026 are not in effect (i.e., a government shutdown).Specifically, the bill provides continuing appropriations for the pay and allowances of (1) members of the Armed Forces, including reserve components, who perform active service or inactive-duty training during the period; and (2) civilian employees of DOD, the Coast Guard, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Central Intelligence Agency.The appropriations provided by the bill are available until the earlier of (1) the enactment into law of specified appropriations legislation, or (2) September 30, 2026. The bill also specifies that the funds provided by this bill for intelligence or intelligence-related activities are deemed to be specifically authorized by the Congress during FY2026 until the enactment of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.
Latest Action
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Appropriations.