Congress·In Committee·H.R. 5572

Help FEDS Act

Federal Employee Unemployment Benefits During Shutdowns

6 months ago·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being sent to the House Committee on Ways and Means for review. It is considered active, but no further meetings or votes have been scheduled at this time. There is no companion bill listed for this proposal.

Passage Likelihood

30%Unlikely

This bill is mostly supported by one party and has not yet gained the bipartisan backing needed to move quickly through Congress.

·Introduced by House Democrats
·Requires state-level changes
·Focuses on future budget years

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Key Points

This bill allows federal employees who are forced to work without pay during a government shutdown to collect unemployment benefits. Right now, these workers often cannot get this help because they are still working their normal hours even though their pay is paused.
The plan covers shutdowns that might happen in 2026 and 2027. It is meant to help families pay for groceries and rent while the government is closed and they are waiting for their regular paychecks to return.
After the government reopens and workers get their back pay, they must return the unemployment money to the state. If they do not pay it back, the state can take steps to recover the money just like any other overpayment.
The federal government will cover the full cost of these benefits and the extra work for state agencies. This means states will not have to use their own tax money to support federal workers during a shutdown.