Appropriations Bills Stalled; Congress to Consider NDAA

As the year approaches its end, Congress is still working to finish the fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations bills. Most of the federal government is currently funded under a continuing resolution (CR) that gives lawmakers until January 30, 2026 to complete their work (reminder: the new fiscal year began on October 1). With the upcoming two-week recess for the holidays, Congress is on a tight deadline. As previously reported by COSSA, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has reiterated that the Senate has plans to consider the Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS), Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS), and Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development (THUD) bills in a single package, using the Defense spending bill as a vehicle to pass the other more controversial bills while the House pushes for smaller packages to be considered. Little movement has been seen on the funding bills since our previous reporting; however, reports indicate the chambers are working behind the scenes to advance the legislation and are expected to review several bills before the holiday recess begins. Reportedly, delays are a result of failed negotiations between the two parties in the Senate.

In other news, earlier this week the House and Senate revealed the bill text for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The House is scheduled to vote on the bill later this week while the Senate is expected to follow with their own vote before the end of the year. While the NDAA is an authorization bill, and the Defense appropriations bill has yet to be released, the NDAA includes a topline number of $900.6 billion that could help in the final negotiations between the two chambers. Further, the SAFE Research Act, a provision that would have created extensive national security barriers to how the Department of Defense can fund research at universities, was not included in the bill despite having been included as an amendment in the House-passed NDAA earlier this year (see previous COSSA coverage). However, the bill could see changes made before being considered by either chamber.

Stay tuned for COSSA’s continued coverage on the appropriations process.