H.R. 5572 — Help FEDS Act

This section requires, as a condition for certification of state unemployment insurance laws under SSA §303(a), that such laws allow excepted federal employees (i.e., essential personnel required to perform emergency work without pay during lapses in appropriations, per 31 U.S.C. §1341(c)) to apply for and receive unemployment compensation for any week of such furlough without pay in FY2026 or FY2027 (from no such requirement); require repayment of such compensation if backpay is received under 31 U.S.C. §1341(c)(2), treat unrepaid amounts as overpayments recoverable like other state overpayments, and deposit recoveries into the state unemployment fund. (2) It further directs the Secretary of the Treasury to reimburse states at 100% for such compensation paid and related administrative costs, using funds from the Unemployment Trust Fund (SSA §904(g)), as certified by the Secretary of Labor. (As background, these provisions address unemployment benefits for essential federal workers during government shutdowns, ensuring no net state cost.)