by After months of delays, lawmakers have released five additional annual appropriations bills for fiscal year 2026, moving them forward for markup in Appropriations subcommittees over the coming days. The new bills propose funding levels for a wide range of federal departments and agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, State Department, and Department of Housing and Urban Development.
More than half of the 12 annual appropriations bills required to fund the federal government have now been drafted. However, only one has passed the House so far. If Congress fails to pass all the bills by September 30—the end of the current fiscal year—the federal government will enter a shutdown.
Key Details from the Five New Appropriations Bills:
- Environmental Funding Bill ($37.9 billion):
- EPA would receive $7 billion, a 23% cut from FY 2025.
- Environmental programs and management cut by nearly 29%.
- Hazardous Substance Superfund funding remains unchanged.
- Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement gets $132 million (about half of last year’s request).
- National Park Service allocated over $3 billion.
- Wildland fire management gets $1.5 billion; Bureau of Land Management gets $1.2 billion.
- Bill likely to receive strong opposition from Democrats.
- Energy and Water Infrastructure Bill ($57.3 billion):
- Department of Energy receives $48.7 billion.
- Significant cuts to renewable energy funding (reduced by roughly two-thirds).
- Army Corps of Engineers receives $9.8 billion, including $2 billion for flood and storm reduction projects.
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission allocated $971 million.
- State and National Security Funding Bill ($46.2 billion):
- Global health programs cut to $9.5 billion (down from $521 billion in FY 2025).
- Calls for the phasing out of PEPFAR support from U.S. funding.
- Peace Corps receives over $400 million (Trump had proposed eliminating it).
- Eliminates $437 million in funding for International Organizations and Programs.
- Provides $3.3 billion in aid to Israel.
- Democrats expected to strongly oppose due to foreign aid cuts.
- Transportation, Housing, and Development Bill ($90 billion):
- Department of Transportation gets $22 billion in discretionary funding.
- Federal Highway Administration: $64 billion.
- Federal Railroad Administration: $3.1 billion.
- Federal Aviation Administration: $23.2 billion (includes upgrades to air traffic control systems).
- Department of Housing and Urban Development: $67.7 billion for rental assistance and public housing.
- May receive bipartisan support.
- Commerce, Justice, and Related Agencies Bill ($76.8 billion):
- FBI receives $10 billion; DEA receives $2.8 billion.
- Minority Business Development Agency funding cut by 76% (Trump requested full elimination).
- May serve as a partial compromise with Democrats.
What Happens Next:
- All 12 appropriations bills must pass both chambers of Congress before the start of the new fiscal year on September 30 to avoid a government shutdown.
- Only one appropriations bill has passed the House so far.
- Contentious issues such as environmental cuts and foreign aid reductions are expected to fuel partisan debate.
Lawmakers now face a tight timeline to negotiate and pass the remaining bills, with the risk of a government shutdown looming if no agreement is reached.
