APPROPRIATIONS NEWS AND STATUS CHART

FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2026 APPROPRIATIONS UPDATES:

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Recent Appropriations and SHUTDOWN News 

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To access individual department or agency shutdown guidance, see Appropriations.com/government-shutdown

Tues, Oct 7, 2025 – Shutdown Day 7:  White House sows fears about backpay for furloughed workers.

• Staffing shortages cause air travel delays as shutdown nears the one-week mark – CNN
• Trump says he will announce in five days which government programs and jobs will be ‘permanently eliminated’
• New York Times:  White House Signals It May Try to Deny Back Pay to Furloughed Federal Workers. Union leaders and Democratic lawmakers say the move would run afoul of a law adopted under President Trump’s first term. “Asked if these (furloughed) workers would indeed lose back pay, Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House that it ‘depends on who you’re talking about,’ adding that there were ‘some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’ll take care of them in a different way.'”
• Wall Street Journal reported today: “Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) pointed to two coming pressure points on Democrats—this Friday, when some federal paychecks will shrink, and next week, when military workers will lose pay. He sidestepped questions about the White House budget office’s attempts to raise questions about the 2019 law guaranteeing back pay…. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) said the 2019 law was clear and that the White House memo was an empty threat. ‘Every single furloughed federal employee is entitled to back pay. Period. Full stop,’ he said Tuesday.” (emphasis added)
• Senate Appropriations Ranking Democrat Patty Murray, responding to the White House memo on backpay, released the following statement: “The letter of the law is as plain as can be—federal workers, including furloughed workers, are entitled to their backpay following a shutdown. Another baseless attempt to try and scare & intimidate workers by an administration run by crooks and cowards.” – Watch Sen. Murray’s Floor speech
• OMB and OPM in conflict over backpay:  While the Axios article below reports the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is taking the position that furloughed workers are not necessarily entitled to back pay, this conflicts with last week’s guidance from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which states:
  • “Will employees who are furloughed get paid?
  • A. Yes. After the lapse in appropriations has ended, employees who were furloughed as the result of the lapse will receive retroactive pay for those furlough periods. (Click HERE for the statutory requirement at 31 U.S.C. 1341(c)(2), enacted in the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 signed into law by President Trump after the last government shutdown.)”
  • The operative provision states: “(2) Each employee of the United States Government or of a District of Columbia public employer furloughed as a result of a covered lapse in appropriations shall be paid for the period of the lapse in appropriations, and each excepted employee who is required to perform work during a covered lapse in appropriations shall be paid for such work, at the employee’s standard rate of pay, at the earliest date possible after the lapse in appropriations ends, regardless of scheduled pay dates, and subject to the enactment of appropriations Acts ending the lapse.”
  • Legal Analysis from Charles S. Konigsberg, J.D., publisher of Appropriations.com, former OMB Assistant Director, General Counsel at Senate Finance Committee, and Staff Attorney at Senate Budget Committee: There is no ambiguity in the statute. Congress clearly stated that furloughed and excepted employees “shall be paid” at the earliest possible date after a shutdown ends. The final clause, “subject to the enactment of appropriations Acts ending the lapse” means only that employees cannot be paid until appropriations are enacted that end the shutdown.  Therefore, as soon as a CR is enacted ending the shutdown, the furloughed and excepted employees must be paid.
• White House memo says furloughed federal workers aren’t entitled to back pay (Axios) – As reported by Axios, “Furloughed federal workers aren’t guaranteed compensation for their forced time off during the government shutdown, according to a draft White House memo described to Axios by three sources.  Why it matters: If the White House acts on that legal analysis, it would dramatically escalate President Trump’s pressure on Senate Democrats to end the week-old shutdown by denying back pay to as many as 750,000 federal workers after the shutdown.”
• OMB deletes reference to law guaranteeing backpay to furloughed feds from shutdown guidance. An OMB FAQ document now states that only excepted employees forced to work without pay are guaranteed backpay at the conclusion of a lapse in appropriations. – GovExecutive
• Republican leaders clash on emergency troop pay vote. Some lawmakers want to move standalone legislation to deliver military paychecks amid the shutdown. – Politico
• House Dem Leader rules out short-term extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies – CNN
• Democrats are winning the shutdown fight. Turns out Republicans still haven’t figured out the politics of health care.  “HERE’S HOW YOU CAN TELL Democrats have the upper hand in the week-old shutdown fight: Marjorie Taylor Greene just endorsed their key demand.” – Bulwark/Cohn

Mon, Oct 6, 2025 – Shutdown Day 6: White House sows fears about mass layoffs, although new analysis explains why RIFs during a shutdown are illegal.

• Today in the Senate:
  • The House-passed CR failed again 52-42 (60 being required).
    CR Text | Summary | GOP Stmt | D-Stmt
  • The Democratic alternative CR failed again 45-50 (60 being required).
    Text | Sec-by-Sec Summ | Fact Sheet | Health Fact Sheet | D-Stm
• White House: Mass layoffs will start if shutdown talks ‘going nowhere’ (Reuters), but see Why RIFs During a Shutdown Are Illegal
• The Senate returns with no shutdown deal in sight. The House has no votes planned this week, as Republicans try to pressure Senate Democrats to give in and open the government. – WP
• For ACA subsidies, deadline is now, experts say – The Hill
• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday there are no pending bipartisan talks over expiring health insurance subsidies despite a claim from President Donald Trump. – Politico
• Some are eyeing Oct. 15 — when active-duty military members could miss a paycheck — as the next deadline for action. – Politico

Sun, Oct 5, 2025 – Shutdown Day 5:

• The shutdown conversation no one wants. Partisan bickering overshadows real questions about taxes and the size of America’s government. – WP Editorial Bd.
• Transcript: House Speaker Mike Johnson on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” – CBS

Sat, Oct 4, 2025 – Shutdown Day 4:

• Lawmakers have left Washington with no end to government shutdown in sight – CNN
• The Oval Office meeting didn’t stop a shutdown, but the Trump 2028 hats and a sombrero set a tone – AP
• What to know about the threats to fire federal workers amid the government shutdown – NPR

Fri, Oct 3, 2025 – Shutdown Day 3:

Thurs, Oct 2, 2025 – Shutdown Day 2:

• HHS that employees of the federal agency were instructed to blame Democrats for the government shutdown in their out-of-office messages. – CNN
• Govt shutdown expected to last into next week as White House warns of mass firings – CNN
• US government shutdown heads for third day amid partisan standoff. The shutdown will persist at least until Friday, when the Senate next convenes to address the issue. – Reuters
• Trump Eyes Firing Thousands of Federal Workers Over Shutdown – Bloomberg
• Trump’s Budget Chief, Slayer of Big Government, Moves Quickly in Shutdown. Russell Vought is taking aim at Democratic priorities and projects. – WSJ
• Trump Promises Cuts to ‘Democrat Agencies.’  President Trump redoubled his threat to use the shutdown to slash the federal bureaucracy as Democrats and Republicans dig in for an extended battle. – NYT
• Federal shutdowns usually don’t do much economic damage. There are reasons to worry about this one. – AP
• Senior government officials privately warn against firings during shutdown. The Trump administration has said mass firings are coming, but officials have quietly warned several agencies that the move could violate appropriations law. – WP
• Thune warns Democrats about Russ Vought: ‘We don’t control what he’s going to do’. The Senate majority leader spoke out as some Republicans express qualms about the White House slash-and-burn campaign. – Politico
• Rank-and-file senators began discussing potential solutions Wednesday, though a compromise remains out of reach. – WP
• This shutdown won’t be like the others. The political theatre might look similar. The dynamics underneath are different. – Politico

Wed, Oct 1, 2025 – Shutdown Day 1:

• Today in the Senate:
  • The House-passed CR failed again 55-45 (60 being required).
    CR Text | Summary | GOP Stmt | D-Stmt
  • The Democratic alternative CR failed again 47-53 (60 being required).
    Text | Sec-by-Sec Summ | Fact Sheet | Health Fact Sheet | D-Stm
• Government shutdown 2025: A guide to what’s still open, what’s closed and what’s fuzzy. While Social Security checks, mail and student loan bills will still be delivered, millions of workers are still set to suffer financial hardship. – Politico
• Trump shields immigration and trade from shutdown fallout. The president is attempting to exact maximum pain on Democrats by pinning the fallout on them while ensuring his own priorities continue unimpeded. – Politico
• Government shutdown takes hold with mass layoffs looming and no end in sight. – AP
  
• Looming health insurance spikes for millions are at the heart of the government shutdown – AP
• These 6 charts explain why the government shut down – NYT
• Republican senator outlines working group’s ideas for extending Obamacare subsidies. Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska is the latest Republican to confirm his participation in negotiations. – Politico
• White House freezes funds for Democratic states in shutdown – Reuters
• White House Uses Shutdown to Maximize Pain and Punish Political Foes – NYT
• What to Expect From the Federal Government Shutdown. – WSJ
• Parts of government halt services in first shutdown since 2019. The Senate voted Wednesday on whether to reopen the government, but Democrats held firm against a Republican plan to extend funding until Nov. 21. – WP
• Trump Plans to Use Shutdown to Fire Federal Workers This Week – Bloomberg

Tues, Sept 30, 2025:

• Today in the Senate:
  • The House-passed CR failed 55-45 (60 being required).
    CR Text | Summary | GOP Stmt | D-Stmt
  • The Democratic alternative CR failed 47-53 (60 being required).
    Text | Sec-by-Sec Summ | Fact Sheet | Health Fact Sheet | D-Stm
  • Therefore the Federal Government Will Shutdown at Midnight.
• Mass email tells federal employees not to blame Trump for government shutdown – FNN
• US government on brink of shutdown after last ditch Senate vote fails – BBC
• Trump Tells Generals the Military Will Be Used to Fight ‘Enemy Within’.  President says some U.S. cities he considers dangerous should become training grounds for American troops – WSJ
• Trump Says Government Shutdown Likely as No Last-Minute Deal Emerges. Funding will lapse at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday unless Congress passes a stopgap spending bill. – WSJ
• Trump Threatens ‘A Lot’ Of Firings as Shutdown Deadline Nears – Bloomberg
• Trump warns Democrats of ‘irreversible’ actions in government shutdown – Reuters
  • Democrats push for health benefits extension amid shutdown threat
  • Trump threatens federal workforce layoffs amid shutdown uncertainty
• Here are some effects of a government shutdown if Congress, Trump don’t reach a deal – AP
• Potential Effects of a Federal Government Shutdown – CBO
• What Trump told POLITICO about the impending government shutdown – Politico
• Republicans decry WH moves to defund oversight activities – Politico
• Trump Administration defunds federal watchdog office – NYT
• Trump and Vought Illegally Defund Nonpartisan Government Watchdogs – Approps/DeLauro
• Senator Murray Takes to Floor to Lay Out How Republicans Are Forcing a Shutdown, Refusing to Prevent Americans’ Health Care Costs from Exploding – Approps/Murray
• There’s only one way to win a shutdown. – NYT/Gingrich

Mon, Sept 29, 2025:

• Trump posts vulgar deepfake slam of Democratic leaders after White House meeting – Politico
• Firing allowed, training is not: Trump administration shares shutdown plans – Reuters
  The impending shutdown will be different from past government closures because the administration has threatened mass firings of federal staff, adding that it could use the lapse in funding to downsize the federal government. The Office of Personnel Management in a Monday memo said while training and onboarding of new federal employees is not allowed under the law dictating the parameters of a shutdown, the employees who oversee any firings are to continue their work. Unlike in past shutdowns, furloughed federal employees will also be allowed to use their government-issued computers to check for layoff notices in their email, according to OPM. (Publisher’s note:  this position of the OPM is contrary to legal precedent, since RIFs have nothing to do with “safety of human life or the protection of property.”)
• Trump’s Meeting With Democrats Yields No Progress, With Shutdown a Day Away – NYT
• No Deal Reached in Talks to Avoid Shutdown – WSJ
• Vance Says US Headed for Shutdown After Talks With Democrats – Bloomberg
• White House shutdown summit fails to produce a deal – Politico
  Congressional leaders left a high-stakes Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump without a breakthrough Monday, greatly raising the likelihood of a government shutdown starting early Wednesday morning.  Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters at the White House that “there are still large differences between us….Senate Majority Leader John Thune confirmed before leaving for the White House that the Senate will vote (again) on Tuesday on the House-passed continuing resolution.”
• Shutdown nears as Trump meeting yields no breakthrough with Congress. The government will shut down at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday unless lawmakers act. Democrats and Republicans are at a standstill on health care spending and a funding extension. – WP
• Congressional leaders leave White House meeting without deal to avoid government shutdown – AP
• A government shutdown could start Wednesday. Here’s what to know. – WP
• Federal workers unions call on Schumer, Jeffries to hold the line even if it means a shutdown. “Federal workers will willingly forego paychecks in the hopes of preserving the programs we have devoted our lives to administering,” the unions said. – Politico
• Senator Murray Remarks on Senate Republican Bill for Automatic CR – Approps/Murray
• Today, the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) released an analysis showing that the Trump Administration is violating the law by freezing funding for disasters and emergencies – Approps/DeLauro
• Top Watchdog Again Finds Trump Has Illegally Blocked FEMA Funds—Including for Disaster Preparedness Systems – Approps/Murray

Sun, Sept 28, 2025:

• MONDAY  2pm WHITE HOUSE MEETING: Monday afternoon, the bipartisan congressional leadership will meet with President Trump at the White House to discuss the looming shutdown. (Last week Trump canceled a scheduled meeting.) Read more from: WP | WSJ | NYT | Bloomberg
• Which Federal Employees Will Be Classified as “Excepted?”  The answer is: we do not yet know, for most departments. President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget, unlike previous administrations and the first Trump Administration, has failed to post on its website shutdown plans for each of the federal agencies—instead saying only, “In accordance with  Circular A-11, agency contingency plans for a lapse in appropriations are hosted solely on each agency’s website.”  See our shutdown webpage for the latest information we have on agency shutdown plans.
• With three days to go before a U.S. government shutdown, an advocacy group that tracks federal spending warns that about $8 billion approved by Congress for healthcare and education is at risk of going unused, held back by President Donald Trump’s administration. – Reuters

Fri, Sept 26, 2025:

• A federal government shutdown is nearing. Here’s a guide for what to expect. – News from States
• Senate Majority Leader John Thune says Democrats must “dial back” their demands, including extending expiring health care subsidies, to reach a deal. – Bloomberg
• Schumer Sees an Exit Ramp in Standoff Over Shutdown. Senate Democratic leader says extending health-insurance subsidies would be central to any deal. – WSJ
  
• Congress is barreling toward a shutdown, despite the perils. Democrats say they won’t back a GOP bill to extend government funding unless Republicans negotiate with them over health care. – WP
• Democratic Appropriators response to Supreme Court ruling: DeLauro  Murray
• Republicans in Congress must take this spending threat seriously – NYT/GOP opinion
• Supreme Court clears way for Trump to withhold $4B in foreign aid. The ruling could further muddle negotiations over the impending government shutdown. – Politico
• Supreme Court allows Trump officials to freeze billions in foreign aid. The ruling is a victory for the president’s aggressive push to exert greater control over federal spending. – WP
• Supreme Court Allows Trump to Withhold $4 Billion in Foreign Aid. The administration had been trying to run out the clock on paying the funds, with authorization set to expire next week. – WSJ
• Supreme Court Allows Trump to Slash Foreign Aid. The court’s conservative majority allowed the president to cut the funding in part because it said his flexibility to engage in foreign affairs outweighed “the potential harm” faced by aid recipients. – NYT
• Supreme Court allows pocket rescission of $4 billion to stand – SCOTUS

Thurs, Sept 25, 2025:

• Feasibility of RIFs around a government shutdown called into question – FNN
• Senator Murray Statement on OMB Memo Issued Last Night – Approps/Murray
  
• House GOP Statement on Impending Shutdown – Approps/Cole
• Democrats dig in on shutdown after White House layoff threat – Politico
• White House begins plan for mass firings if there’s a government shutdown – WP
• OMB tells agencies to draft mass firing plans ahead of potential shutdown – AP
• What we know about how a government shutdown would unfold – AP
• White House threatens sharp cuts in US workforce if government shuts down – Reuters
• How a U.S. Government Shutdown Would Affect You. Social Security and other payments would continue, though a lapse in funding would furlough hundreds of thousands – WSJ
• Threat of mass firings could lead to large numbers of federal workers losing their jobs and worsen the potential disruption to the economy with an already weakening labor market. – Bloomberg

Wed, Sept 24, 2025:

• OMB MEMO: FULL TEXT OF OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET MEMO
• White House tells agencies to prep mass layoffs for shutdown. Memo says only Trump priority programs are safe if Democrats won’t agree to GOP stopgap funding plan. – Roll Call
• White House budget office tells agencies to draft mass firing plans ahead of potential shutdown – AP
• Schumer hopeful Congress can avoid a shutdown but places onus on Republicans and Trump – Politico
• Jeffries demands ‘ironclad’ health care deal in latest shutdown escalation – Politico
• Trump-Democrats meeting drama fuels risk of shutdown. Fight over health insurance subsidies is the latest battle in standoff as funding deadline nears. – Roll Call
• The government will run out of funding because both sides believe the other will be blamed, and Democrats fear their base. – WP Editorial Bd.

Tues, Sept 23, 2025:

• Trump cancels meeting with Schumer and Jeffries. The president was due to meet with Democratic leaders on Thursday. Speaker Johnson urged Trump to call off the meeting with Democratic leaders.. – Politico
• House centrists are discussing the outlines of a possible compromise to extend Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies in hopes of jump-starting stalled talks over the soon-to-expire tax credits that have also emerged as a key fault line in the brewing government shutdown battle. – Politico
• As US government shutdown nears, Trump administration mum on contingency plans – Reuters
  
• Jeffries: Dems will return to DC during recess to highlight lack of budget talks – The Hill
• The Trump administration would have broad authority to make decisions about spending if the government shuts down next week — and it would also have broad authority to make those decisions if the government stays open under a long-term funding extension. – WP
  “It’s still not clear what parts of the government would close in a shutdown. The White House budget office traditionally publicly posts agency staffing plans as the deadline nears. The Trump administration has not yet shared them on its website this time, and OMB spokespeople did not reply to requests for comment about how much of the government would remain operational if funding lapses.”
  

Mon, Sept 22, 2025:

• Trump to meet with Democratic leaders Thursday with shutdown looming – Politico (but see cancellation above)
• Democrats Can’t Win Another Shutdown Fight – Bloomberg Editorial Bd.
• Democrats Are Picking the Wrong Shutdown Fight – NYT/Nate Silver

Sat, Sept 20, 2025:

• Schumer-Jeffries Letter to Trump: On Saturday, 9/20, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries sent a letter to Trump accusing him of wanting a shutdown and urging Republicans to negotiate.

Fri, Sept 19, 2025 (UPDATED):

• The House on Friday passed the GOP continuing resolution (CR) 217-212 on a nearly party line vote (1 Dem voting yes, and 2 Rs voting no). However, later on Friday the Senate failed to pass the House GOP CR 44-48, and then failed to pass the Democratic alternative (including health provisions) 47-45 (60 votes being required).
• Both the House and Senate are in recess next week. Senators are due back on September 29 and reportedly plan a repeat vote on the House-passed CR, but  absent an effort by the White House to convene the joint leadership to negotiate a bipartisan compromise, the federal government is on track to run out of funding and shut down at midnight September 30.
  • (Senate rejected) House-Passed CR (HR 5371):  CR Text | Summary | GOP Stmt | D-Stmt
  • (Senate rejected) Dem Alternative:  Text | Sec-by-Sec Summ | Fact Sheet | Health Fact Sheet | D-Stm
• Senate derails funding bills in shutdown stalemate. “It’s this or a shutdown,” the Senate’s top Republican told Democrats Friday. – Politico

See Chron for actions prior to the above date. 

Link HERE to appropriations records back to FY 1984

APPROPRIATIONS STATUS CHART:

Click on Links Below for Bills, Reports, Summaries, and SAPs
“Sub” = subcommittee markup | “Full” = full committee markup
“FL” = floor action | “MB” = minibus

*In the 119th Congress, House Appropriations has renamed State-Foreign Ops:  National Security-State.