The Keep America Flying Act is a proposal, not a law. Senate bill S. 3031 would have provided temporary FY2026 funding for pay and benefits for specified essential Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel, plus supporting contractors, during a lapse in appropriations. The latest official status located for S. 3031 is that it was placed on the Senate calendar on October 22, 2025; the bill’s proposed funding period ended no later than September 30, 2026.
What is the Keep America Flying Act?
The Keep America Flying Act is the short title of S. 3031, a Senate bill introduced by Ted Cruz, with Markwayne Mullin, James Lankford, and Dan Sullivan listed as cosponsors. Its purpose was to provide continuing FY2026 appropriations for pay and benefits for certain aviation personnel during a funding lapse—not to fund aviation broadly or guarantee payment to everyone who works in the industry. Congress.gov’s bill record and the Congressional Research Service summary describe its scope and proposed funding mechanism.
The House companion is H.R. 5851, introduced by John James and referred to the House Appropriations Committee on October 28, 2025. A companion bill is a related proposal in the other chamber; it does not itself enact the Senate bill.
Did the Keep America Flying Act pass?
No enactment is established in the official status records checked for this article. Congress.gov lists S. 3031 as “Introduced,” with its latest action on October 22, 2025: it was read twice and placed on the Senate calendar. The official House calendar dated October 6, 2026 still lists that Senate action as the latest entry. H.R. 5851 was referred to House Appropriations on October 28, 2025. These are bills and committee/calendar actions, not evidence that the proposal became law. See the Senate record, the House record, and the October 6, 2026 House calendar.
#1 Best Overall
Who would get paid during a shutdown under the bill?
The proposal’s coverage was limited to specified federal aviation functions and contractors supporting them. The CRS summary identifies:
- FAA air traffic controllers and other essential FAA operational personnel needed for the safe and orderly operation of the national airspace system.
- TSA employees performing screening, aviation-security, and related mission-support functions necessary for screening.
- Contractors supporting the covered FAA and TSA workers.
Airline employees, airport company staff, and other private-sector aviation workers are not identified as direct recipients in the CRS summary. The bill therefore would not have amounted to a general aviation-industry payroll guarantee.
Would air traffic controllers get paid?
Controllers are expressly among the FAA personnel the proposal sought to cover. But S. 3031’s introduction and calendar placement did not create a right to payment; the bill would have needed to become law and its funding conditions to apply.
Would TSA officers get paid?
The proposal included TSA employees doing screening, aviation security, and related mission-support work necessary for screening. That is a defined category, not a promise of shutdown pay for every Department of Homeland Security employee.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Rank #3
How the proposed funding would work
S. 3031 would have provided FY2026 continuing appropriations for covered pay and benefits when interim or full-year FY2026 appropriations were not in effect. Its funding would end at the earlier of enactment of specified appropriations legislation or September 30, 2026. The bill also said it would take effect as if enacted on September 30, 2025. Those dates define a past, time-limited proposal; the bill’s stated sunset has passed.
A continuing appropriation is a temporary funding authority. It is different from ordinary agency appropriations and does not, by itself, establish funding beyond the period and conditions written into the bill.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why shutdown pay can matter to aviation
Shutdowns can create both financial strain for workers and operational risks when essential personnel must work without normal on-time pay. The Associated Press reported in March 2026 that the fall 2025 government shutdown lasted 43 days, breaking the previous record for a funding lapse. AP also reported that, citing aviation-safety risks and unscheduled absences amid staffing shortages, the FAA ordered airlines to cut flights at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports. These figures describe the shutdown context; they do not show that S. 3031 would have prevented those flight cuts.
In the same March 2026 report, AP said TSA officers continued working through shutdowns without normal on-time pay and that missed shifts rose during the 2026 Department of Homeland Security funding lapse. That later lapse is separate from S. 3031’s FY2026 design and dates. AP described the 2018–19 shutdown, which affected air travel, as lasting 35 days.
Best Value
Eric Chaffee, a Case Western Reserve law professor whose research includes aviation-industry risk management, told the Associated Press: “It’s easy to pass the next big bill when you’re still in the throes of the financial crisis, but once the shutdown is done, people have a relatively short memory of the problems that it created.” The remark speaks to the political challenge of maintaining attention after a shutdown; it is not a description of the bill’s legal status. Associated Press coverage.
Quick Recap
What the bill would—and would not—have changed
- It proposed a funding source for defined pay and benefits. Coverage depended on the specified FAA and TSA functions and supporting contractors.
- It was not enacted based on the latest official status located. Calendar placement is not passage or enactment.
- It was time-limited. The proposed authority ended at the earlier of specified appropriations legislation or September 30, 2026.
- It would not guarantee uninterrupted air travel. Funding covered pay and benefits; the proposal does not establish that passage alone would eliminate staffing shortages, flight cuts, or other disruptions.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
