The Senate has approved a five-bill funding package for the 2026 fiscal year, following a 71 to 29 vote. The package provides full-year funding for defense, financial services and general government, labor, health and human services, education, national security, the Department of State and related programs, as well as transportation, housing and urban development.
Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released a statement after the passage. “This evening, the Senate passed legislation that includes full-year funding for five important Appropriations bills. These bills will support our national security interests through investments in our U.S. military service; strengthen court security and invest in oversight of federal programs; support lifesaving biomedical research; modernize our nation’s outdated air traffic system and address the air traffic controller shortage; and support America’s workforce, and children and families. Additionally, this legislation continues funding for the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks to allow us additional time to negotiate that funding bill, in the wake of last weekend’s tragic shooting of Alex Pretti.”
Collins also said: “When we pass this package and when it is signed into law, on top of the previous packages, we will have funded 96 percent of all of government. This marks an important milestone and shows that Congress can work together in a bipartisan manner to carry out our Article I responsibilities and deliver results for the people we are honored to represent.”
The Senate Appropriations Committee is responsible for managing federal government operations through legislation addressing topics such as trade, international affairs, program oversight and budgeting. The committee's work contributes to fiscal policy while promoting transparency in how public funds are spent (https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/). It oversees federal expenditures as mandated by law to ensure accountability (https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/), produces appropriations bills like those included in this recent package (https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/), and draws its authority from constitutional requirements that all spending be authorized by law (https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/).
The committee began its operations in 1867 with subcommittees dedicated to various appropriation topics (https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/) and was formally established by resolution on March 6 of that year (https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/). Over time it has influenced federal spending through oversight on budgets covering areas such as homeland security appropriations (https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/) and broader government efficiency efforts.
With this latest legislative action providing nearly complete government funding for FY26 except for ongoing negotiations over Homeland Security appropriations, Congress moves closer toward fulfilling its annual budgetary responsibilities.
