A new United States Senate bill called the Keep America Flying Act of 2026 wants to ensure essential air traffic control (ATC), FAA and TSA employees continue to receive paychecks during the ongoing government shutdown, which is now in its fifth week. Tens of thousands of critical aviation staff have been required to work without pay since the shutdown began.
Under the bill, payments would be drawn from unappropriated Treasury funds and would be backdated to September 30, the eve of the government shutdown. The bill has already gathered considerable support as workers faced their first empty paycheck on Tuesday.
Senate Proposes New ‘Keep America Flying’ Bill
The federal government shutdown has put a huge strain on the country’s aviation industry, particularly with ATC staffing levels, which were already below targets before the shutdown. Approximately 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA workers continue to perform their duties without pay, and a sharp rise in absences has further impacted operations.
Introduced in the Senate by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), the Keep America Flying Act of 2026 (Senate Bill S.3031) will ensure ATC, FAA and TSA workers get paid for their work, as well as guarantee back-pay. Additionally, the bill would provide pay either until specified appropriations legislation is enacted or until September 30, 2026, whichever comes first.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy commented,
“Many of our controllers can make it without this first paycheck. They’ve been on the job for, you know, 10, 15, 20 years. They’ve planned for days like this. But we have a lot of new controllers who are still in training that aren’t at a high level in income, and they can’t handle what’s happening to them today.”
Flying Remains Safe For Now
Secretary Duffy has stated that, while operations remain “safe for now,” the failure to compensate aviation staff is untenable. Given that many ATC centers are already critically short on staff, further absences threaten to exacerbate an already dire situation. Representative John James (R-MI) said in no uncertain terms that the shutdown was “putting the safety and security of America at risk by keeping the men and women who protect our skies unpaid.”
There is no denying the damaging impact that the shutdown is having. For example, last Thursday, over 1,200 flights were canceled and around 7,250 were delayed. There has also been a sharp rise in near-misses, which many are attributing to ATC understaffing.
The most recent happened in Boston on Thursday, when a pair of Delta and Cape Air planes were cleared on intersecting runways at the same time. Fortunately, ATC rectified the mistake and ordered the Delta A330neo to go around, averting a potential disaster.
Industry Support Gathers
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) has voiced its support for the bill, claiming its members are being forced to work mandatory overtime six days a week without any pay. Its President, Nick Daniels, blasted the current predicament as unsustainable, particularly as ATC workers are “carrying the weight” of the country’s airspace safety and efficiency.
The bill has co-sponsors in the Senate, including Senators Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), James Lankford (R-OK), and Dan Sullivan (R-AK), while in the House, Representative John James (R-MI) is leading a companion measure.
US Vice President J. D. Vance has also tried to intervene, calling an urgent meeting with airline executives on Friday to discuss temporary funding solutions. With Airlines for America (A4A) warning that the ongoing shutdown could cost the aviation industry an eye-watering $1 billion per week, it’s no wonder the bill is attracting growing bipartisan political support too.