The House Appropriations Committee announced on July 17 that it has advanced all twelve fiscal year 2027 appropriations bills through the full committee and passed three across the floor, moving to introduce the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2027 as a proactive measure to avoid a government shutdown this fall.
According to the committee, while work continues toward passing full-year funding measures, Senate Democrats have not advanced any fiscal year 2027 appropriations bills in the upper chamber. The newly introduced legislation is described as a clean continuing resolution that extends government funding until December 4, 2026. The act aims to maintain uninterrupted operations for federal programs such as SNAP, WIC, TANF, National Flood Insurance, wildfire suppression efforts, disaster relief fund, small business support, and livestock reporting programs.
Chairman Tom Cole said, “The House has spent months doing the work the American people sent us here to do – holding hearings, advancing every appropriations bill through committee, and moving full-year funding measures on the floor. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of Senate Democrats, who won’t even allow markups to progress on the other side of the Capitol. The September deadline isn’t changing, but how Congress plans for it can. This bill takes partisan politics and posturing off the table, denying anyone the opportunity to manufacture leverage from the calendar before elections. This short-term, clean stopgap prevents harmful disruptions to our national security and the vital programs our constituents rely on at the end of September, allowing for runway in the closing months of the 119th Congress.”
The committee outlined that this step does not halt ongoing efforts toward passing full-year appropriations bills but removes uncertainty by preventing a potential shutdown near September’s deadline. Republicans reiterated their support for transparent and orderly government funding processes and stated their opposition to last-minute omnibus spending packages.
According to the official website, notable personnel include Republican members such as Harold Rogers and Democratic members like Steny Hoyer on the House Committee on Appropriations. The committee handles drafting of annual spending bills that allocate federal funds for government operations; provides guidance for community project funding requests; influences policy through legislation like continuing resolutions; and is currently chaired by Tom Cole—the forty-third person in this role.