H.R.8029 — Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act
House Roll Call
H.R.8029
| Bill | H.R.8029 — Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act |
|---|---|
| Vote question | On Passage |
| Vote type | Yea-and-Nay |
| Result | Passed |
| Totals | Yea 218 / Nay 206 / Present 0 / Not Voting 8 |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 213 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| D | 4 | 206 | 0 | 4 |
| I | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Research Brief
On Passage
Bill Analysis
HR 8029 – Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act (119th Congress)
HR 8029 is a targeted appropriations and pay‑protection measure designed to ensure continued compensation for certain homeland security and national security personnel during a lapse in regular appropriations (e.g., a government shutdown).
Core purpose and effect
- Authorizes and directs the continued payment of salaries and allowances to specified categories of federal employees and certain uniformed or law‑enforcement personnel whose work is critical to homeland defense and security, even if annual or continuing appropriations have expired.
- Treats pay and related obligations for these personnel as available and payable notwithstanding the Antideficiency Act’s general bar on obligations without appropriations.
Covered personnel / beneficiaries
While the bill text is tailored, it is aimed at “homeland defenders,” typically including:
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS) operational staff (e.g., Border Patrol, ICE enforcement, TSA screeners, Coast Guard, Secret Service, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency personnel).
- Other federal employees or uniformed personnel performing designated homeland security, counterterrorism, border security, critical infrastructure protection, or related national security missions.
- Indirectly benefits their dependents and households by preventing pay interruptions.
Agencies and programs affected
- Primary: DHS and its components.
- Potentially includes other departments with homeland security missions (e.g., DOJ law enforcement, certain DoD support roles) if specified in the statutory definitions.
- Requires agency heads, in coordination with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), to identify eligible positions and ensure payroll systems can process pay during funding gaps.
Funding and budget treatment
- Does not create a new permanent funding stream; instead, it provides specific statutory authority to obligate and disburse pay for covered personnel during a lapse, with amounts later charged to subsequent appropriations once enacted.
- Effectively carves out an exception to shutdown‑related furloughs and pay delays for designated homeland security roles.
Timelines and implementation
- Takes effect upon enactment and applies during any subsequent lapse in appropriations.
- Remains in force for future shutdowns unless sunset or superseded by later law.
- Implementation is immediate upon a funding lapse, based on pre‑identified or promptly designated covered positions.
Yea (218)
K
Ken Calvert
S
Scott Franklin
L
Lisa McClain
J
John Rutherford
D
David Schweikert
P
Pete Sessions
Nay (206)
J
Jason Crow
L
Lloyd Doggett
J
John Garamendi
J
John Mannion
L
Lucy McBath
C
Christian Menefee
E
Eric Swalwell
R
Rashida Tlaib
N
Nydia Velázquez
D
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
