H.R. 5619 — Federal Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act

This section provides continuing appropriations for FY2026 for pay and allowances of Federal firefighters (i.e., those employed by agencies such as the Forest Service and Department of the Interior) during any period without interim or full-year appropriations, using any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated. The authority terminates on the earlier of (1) enactment of an appropriation for such purpose, (2) enactment of an appropriations measure without such funding, or (3) January 1, 2027.

This section prohibits reductions in force for federal firefighters during any lapse in discretionary appropriations. (Thus, federal firefighters—such as those employed by the Forest Service, National Park Service, or Department of Defense—may not be permanently separated from civil service due to workforce reductions during government shutdowns.)

This section establishes definitions for terms used in the Act, including (1) "civil service," "Executive agency," and "military department," which have the meanings given in 5 U.S.C. §§2101, 105, and 102, respectively; and (2) "Federal firefighter," meaning an employee of an Executive agency or military department whose primary duties are to perform work directly connected with controlling and extinguishing fires.