COSSA Releases Analysis of House LHHS Bill; Congress Considers Short-Term CR as End of Fiscal Year Approaches

As the appropriations deadline rapidly approaches on September 30, both chambers of Congress remain far from completing their twelve annual spending bills. While individual appropriations bills continue to inch forward (see related article), attention in Congress has turned to drafting a continuing resolution (CR) to prevent a government shutdown in two weeks. Earlier today, the House Republicans released the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026, which, if enacted, would extend funding to November 21 to allow lawmakers additional time to finalize the fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations bills. In their release, Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) also included a section-by-section explainer on the proposed CR. The House vote is expected to take place later this week but is unclear if the Republicans will have the support needed to pass the bill.

In other news, the House Appropriations Committee advanced their Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) appropriations bill on September 9, and has since released the accompanying report and list of amendments. See featured article. In addition, the House Appropriations Committee also advanced the Commerce, Science, and Justice (CJS) bill on September 10 (see COSSA’s coverage).

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