A broad-based collection of trade and interest groups and government employee unions is asking members of the House and Senate to get behind bipartisan legislation that would make sure federal workers, service members, active-duty reservists, and covered contractors are paid “during any lapse in appropriations.”
The March 23 letter from 32 organizations, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the Partnership for Public Service, seeks cosponsors and support for the Shutdown Fairness Act.
The bill was introduced in the Senate in October 2025 by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and in the House by Reps. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., and Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J.
Neither version of the bill has made it far since then. The Senate bill failed to clear a cloture vote, while the House bill has been referred to the House Appropriations Committee.
The letter points to the continuing partial federal government shutdown that is falling heavily on employees of several Department of Homeland Security (DHS) components, requiring them to report to work “even as their paychecks are withheld.”
“While most federal operations continue because employees are deemed essential for the protection of life and property, many are required to work without pay,” the letter says, adding, “This situation creates unnecessary financial uncertainty and risks undermining morale, recruitment, and retention across critical agencies.”
“Current law already provides back pay to affected federal employees once funding is restored,” the letter says while emphasizing, “This legislation simply ensures continuity of pay during a lapse, rather than requiring families to wait weeks or months for compensation they have already earned.”
Notably, the Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency (CISA) is losing workers as the DHS shutdown continues, the agency’s acting director, Nick Andersen, told Congress on Wednesday.
Speaking before the House Homeland Security Committee during a hearing to address the now five-week shutdown, Andersen said that CISA has seen a “continued flow of people out the door, in particular as we continue to see the effects of the shutdown.”