APPROPRIATIONS NEWS AND STATUS CHART

FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2026 APPROPRIATIONS & SHUTDOWN UPDATES:

Welcome to our 4,000 new visitors!

Get a FREE Subscription to our newsletter TRILLIONS, HERE.
Once a week, a concise, factual, and nonpartisan review of federal government, economic, and legal developments. 

On Monday, Nov. 10, the Senate passed 60-40 the Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026 as an amendment to HR 5371. On Wed, Nov. 12, the House passed the funding bill 222-209, clearing the bill for the President.  The bill was signed late Wednesday evening.  Nine-of-12 bills remain unfinished and the agencies funded under those bills have stopgap funding through January 30, 2026.  A partial shutdown will occur if any of the bills remain unfinished and additional stopgap funding has not been provided.

Tues, Dec 2, 2025:

In a December 1st letter to OMB Director Russell Vought (who also authored “Project 2025”), House Budget Committee Ranking Democrat Brandan Boyle said: “At your behest, OMB has disregarded Congress’ power of the purse, including the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (ICA). The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has already found eight instances of the Administration disregarding Congressional spending decisions and violating the ICA. This includes impounding lifesaving National Institutes of Health research grants… GAO also found that the Administration illegally withheld funds for Head Start, infrastructure, and public-school improvements, further straining the economy and undermining programs families count on…
In addition, a legal requirement in our jurisdiction…requires OMB to publicly post information on all apportionment decisions. OMB illegally hid this information and violated the law. Today, it only partially posts this required information, even after a court order…
Likewise, the Administration has spent money without Congressional appropriations. During the shutdown, the Administration engaged in non-excepted activities [illegal activities during a shutdown] to RIF federal employees, produced messages blaming Democrats for the shutdown, and promulgated regulations… [bracketed explanation added]
If you fail to appear before this Committee before the end of the year, this will be the only Administration in the last 50 years to not send the OMB Director.”  Link to related press release.

Mon, Dec 1, 2025:

• Citizens for Ethics calls for congressional leadership to investigate potential violations of the Anti-Deficiency Act – CREW
• Thune casts doubt on passing government funding bills before Christmas. Lawmakers had hoped to advance more appropriations measures this month. – Politico
• Takeaways from the Senate Energy-Water spending bill. The Republican-drafted legislation proposes cuts to clean energy and funding increases for water programs. – Politico E&E
• Using Up the Post-Shutdown Breathing Room – Bloomberg
• Appropriations Outlook Ahead Of Jan. 30, 2026, Continuing Resolution Deadline – H&K

Sun, Nov 30, 2025:

• Congress races against 3-week deadline to tackle massive year-end legislative agenda. Obamacare subsidies, defense authorization and government funding bills top lawmakers’ priority list – Fox 

Tues, Nov 25, 2025:

• As judges face more threats, only the Supreme Court gets new security funds – WP
• Senate Republicans pitch spending cuts in energy and water bill – The Hill
• Senate unveils spending bill that cuts clean energy; House and Senate appropriators will work on reconciling their versions of the fiscal 2026 Energy-Water bill in the coming weeks. – Politico

Mon, Nov 24, 2025:

• Senate Approps Republicans release Energy-Water bill without bipartisan agreement: Text | Rpt | Dem Stmt
• Senate Approps Republicans release Financial Services General Govt bill without bipartisan agreement: Text | Rpt | Dem Stmt

Fri, Nov 21:

• How to End the Shadow Budget and Protect Congress’s Power of the Purse – Just Security
• Appropriators bullish about Interior-Environment bill despite obstacles – Politico
• Senate appropriators aim to unveil unreleased spending bills. Energy-Water bill is considered the most likely to emerge. – Roll Call

Thurs, Nov 20:

• Little sign of spending progress as top appropriators meet. Appropriators remain at odds over size, shape of next spending package. – Roll Call
• Statement on Four Corners Meeting – Approps/DeLauro
• Letter to HUD Secretary to Prevent 170,000 People from Losing Homes in Dead of Winter – Approps/DeLauro and Clyburn

Wed, Nov 19:
Amid Appropriations Season, the Bipartisan Earmark Party Is in Full Swing – NTU

Tues, Nov 18:
Statement on Trump Admin. renewed attemps to dismantle Dept. of Education – Approps/DeLauro

Mon, Nov 17:

• Statement on Trump Administration Plan to Slash and Delay Funding for Housing Assistance – Approps/DeLauro
• Key Bridge rebuild could top out at $5.2B, memo shows. The cost of rebuilding the collapsed Baltimore bridge has more than doubled. – Politico
• SNAP is back, but trust is broken. – TNR
• Appropriations back on track?  CQ podcast

Sun, Nov 16:

• FAA lifts order slashing flights, allowing airlines to resume their regular schedules – AP
• How the government shutdown hurt military personnel – The Hill

Sat, Nov 15:

• Food stamps are back, but millions will soon lose benefits permanently. – Politico
• The longest government shutdown in U.S. history is over. Here’s what you need to know – NPR
• The government shutdown is over. The air traffic controller shortage is not – CNBC

Fri, Nov. 14:

• The Federal Shutdown Is Over. What Comes Next for Schools? – Education Week
• Major spending package planned for Senate floor faces doubts. Package could include Defense, HHS spending. – Roll Call
• Federal Shutdown is Over, but January Deadline Looms: What it Means for Local Leaders – NLC
• Trump’s Spending Abuses Are Out of Control. He Shouldn’t Have That Power – NYT
• Tallying up the cost of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history – NPR
• You can end a shutdown overnight — but you can’t reopen a government that fast – AP
• SNAP Interruption Leaves Recipients Shaken – NYT
• Bipartisan group of senators calls for release of funding for low-income heating – Hill
• DOT lowers flight cuts to 3 percent, post-shutdown – Politico
• Another shutdown in January? Some lawmakers are already bracing for it – Hill
• Record-breaking U.S. government shutdown will cast long shadow – SEMAFOR

Thurs, Nov. 13:

• Federal workers to receive backpay by Nov. 19 – AP
  The schedule is as follows, per the Associated Press:
  –Nov. 15: Employees at the General Services Administration and Office of Personnel Management will be paid a “supercheck” that covers the period of Oct. 1 to Nov. 1
  –Nov. 16: Employees at the Departments of Energy, Health and Human Services, and Veterans Affairs will be paid for the period from Oct. 1 to Nov. 1, as well as civilian employees at the Pentagon.
  –Nov. 17: Employees at the Departments of Education, State, Interior, and Transportation, as well as those at the Environmental Protection Agency, NASA, National Science Foundation, Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Social Security Administration will be paid for the period from Oct. 1 to Nov. 1.
  –Nov. 19: Employees from the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Labor, Treasury and the Small Business Administration will be paid for the period from Oct. 1 to Nov. 15.
  
• What to Know as the Government Reopens – WSJ
• The government shutdown is over, but things are not back to normal – CNN
• Special education staff may get their jobs back. But for how long? – NPR
• The Shutdown’s Unseen Victims – Bloomberg
• The Senate GOP’s boneheaded response to Jack Smith’s Jan. 6 probe. House Republicans wisely object to a scandalous $500,000 payday for their counterparts. – WP
• The government shutdown is over, but not everything is back to normal – NPR
• Transportation Department freezes flight cuts at 6% – WP
• Trump administration prepares to fire worker for TV interview about SNAP. The USDA employee warned that the shutdown could have negative impacts on the millions of Americans who rely on the federal government to put food on the table. – WP
• States scramble to send full SNAP food benefits to millions after govt shutdown ends – AP
  
• End of government shutdown won’t stop SNAP mayhem – Hill
• Timing of heating assistance funds’ release to states is uncertain as temperatures drop – AP
• Federal offices reopen as the government shutdown ends – AP
• Federal Employees Return to Work as Government Reopens – NYT
• Airlines optimistic about quick recovery ahead of Thanksgiving once FAA ends flight cuts – AP
• What the end of the government shutdown means for you. Federal employees are returning to work. Museums are reopening. Food assistance will resume. Flight delays could ease — though not immediately. – WP
• The next shutdown threat is around the corner. Most of the federal government will continue running on autopilot through Jan. 30, setting up another showdown. – Politico
• The Office of Personnel Management posted on X that federal workers are expected to be back to the grind on Thursday, with Trump signing a measure ending the record 43-day shutdown. – AP

Wed, Nov. 12 – Shutdown Ended on Day 43

• 10:36pm:  President Trump has signed the bill, ending the government shutdown. – AP
• Today in the House of Representatives:
  • 6:22pm: House passed a procedural measure 213-209 to enable consideration of the shutdown-ending spending bill. 
  • 8:22pm: House this evening passed 222-209 the Senate-passed spending bill to end the shutdown, clearing the bill for the President.
    The bill enacts 3-of-12 full-year appropriation bills for 2026 (Ag-Rural-FDA, MilCon-VA, Leg.Br.), provides temporary funding through Jan. 30, 2026 for agencies funded by the 9 unfinished bills, provides backpay for federal employees, and reverses layoffs announced during the shutdown. Another shutdown could occur if the remaining 9 bills are not completed by January 30, 2026.
    Last night, the House GOP leadership (at the Rules Committee) declined to allow Democrats to offer an amendment during today’s debate to extend enhanced ACA health insurance subsidies which expire at year’s end.
• Shutdown’s End Will Kick Off Long Process of Rebooting US Government – Bloomberg
  –Restarting the federal bureaucracy could take days or more than a week before normal operations resume, with payroll systems needing to be updated and backlogs cleared.
  –Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy saying flight curbs will be lifted within a week after the government reopens.
  –Furloughed workers will receive back pay, but it could take time to recompute paychecks, with some workers potentially waiting weeks or even months to be made completely whole.
  
• Speaker Mike Johnson said the House will vote next week to repeal a provision slipped into the bill to end the shutdown that would allow senators to sue the government for potentially millions of dollars if their data is obtained without their notification. – NBC
• Trump admin will pay full SNAP benefits ‘within 24 hours’ after shutdown ends – Politico
• After a 54-day break, the House is expected to vote on the Senate-passed spending deal. Approval would clear it for President Trump’s signature. – NYT
• House to vote on reopening government after 7-week recess; expected to narrowly pass – WP
• Bill would fund government into January after record-length impasse, while provision on potential $500,000 payouts to senators angers some lawmakers – WSJ
• US House to vote on deal to end longest government shutdown in history – Reuters
• Senate payouts unnerve some in House GOP ahead of shutdown vote – Roll Call
• Provision Senate Republicans included in the funding bill that would deliver millions in taxpayer-funded payouts to 8 Senators investigated for role in the Jan 6  insurrection – Approps/DeLauro

See Chron for recent actions prior to the above date. 

Link HERE to access 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.