Keep America Flying Act of 2026
Latest action. Read the second time. Placed on Senate legislative calendarThe list of measures reported out of committee and eligible for floor action. Being on the calendar is not a promise of a vote.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) under General Orders. Calendar No. 205.
Keep America Flying Act of 2026
This bill provides continuing appropriations to pay air traffic controllers, other essential Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees, and certain Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees during the period in which interim or full-year appropriations for FY2026 are not in effect (i.e., the government shutdown).
Specifically, the bill provides FY2026 continuing appropriations to pay and provide benefits to
air traffic controllers and other FAA essential operational personnel whose services are required for the safe and orderly operation of the national airspace system; and
TSA employees engaged in screening operations, aviation security duties, or related mission-support functions necessary to carry out security screening.
The bill also provides appropriations for payments to FAA and TSA contractors who are providing support to these employees.
The bill provides the continuing appropriations until the earlier of (1) the enactment into law of specified appropriations legislation, or (2) September 30, 2026.
The bill must take effect as if it had been enacted on September 30, 2025.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on October 22, 2025. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on October 22, 2025: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 205.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced it on October 22, 2025, and 9 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 2 Democrats, 7 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on October 22, 2025, 323 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 323 days ago, on October 22, 2025.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 119th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2027 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers