Today, the House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act with a vote of 35 to 28. This bill aims to adjust funding levels for programs that benefit Americans while ensuring efficient use of taxpayer dollars.
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee Chairman Steve Womack (R-AR) highlighted several provisions in the bill. "The FY26 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill presents a critical opportunity to right size funding levels in order to support the programs that benefit Americans most and use taxpayer dollars as efficiently as possible," he stated. The bill includes an additional $2 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), maintains funding for the Community Development Block Grant Program, reduces discretionary spending by 5%, and addresses truck parking shortages.
Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) also emphasized the significance of this legislation. "With today’s FY26 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development bill, we are building America’s future—improving how we travel, where we live, and how we grow as a nation," he said. The bill aims to modernize air traffic control infrastructure and support local communities through economic development programs.
The appropriations bill allocates a total discretionary budget of $89.910 billion, which is $4.458 billion below the previous fiscal year level. It prioritizes air traffic control infrastructure and transportation safety while maintaining essential housing assistance.
Key investments include increasing FAA funding by $2.307 billion over FY25 levels to enhance air traffic control systems and hiring new controllers. The bill redirects funds from Democratic priorities under the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act towards improving safety in freight movement.
Furthermore, it supports U.S. national security by promoting defense readiness capabilities through funding various maritime security programs. The legislation also emphasizes "Buy American" provisions.
During markup sessions, committee Republicans rejected Democrat amendments they deemed wasteful or duplicative while adopting several amendments proposed by Republicans including technical changes made by Womack's Manager’s Amendment; LaLota's amendment prohibiting congestion pricing implementation in New York City; Torres' amendment supporting Regional Infrastructure Accelerator program; Gluesenkamp Perez's directive on headlight brightness safety risks report; Cuellar's urging creation of UAS exclusion zone along U.S.-Mexico border against cartel threats.
