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Appropriations

All articles tagged with #appropriations

Congress Rebuffs Trump's Deep Budget Cuts, Preserving Core Programs
politics10 days ago

Congress Rebuffs Trump's Deep Budget Cuts, Preserving Core Programs

President Trump proposed sweeping, historically deep cuts to many federal programs, but Congress largely blocked those plans for 2026, leaving education, health, housing and research programs funded at or near prior levels. Preliminary data show about $1.6 trillion in discretionary spending for 2026, only modest changes from 2025. While the White House used tools like rescissions and pursued unilateral budget maneuvers and thousands of federal workers were affected, lawmakers preserved funding for Pell Grants and housing vouchers and rejected sharp reductions for agencies such as Education, the EPA and NIH. The episode underscores the persistent political friction around austerity and the ongoing battle between the presidency and Congress over spending priorities.

politics18 days ago

Smoke and Strategy: Cole’s House Spending Breakthrough

From a smoke-filled room off the House floor nicknamed the “Cigar SCIF,” Rep. Tom Cole steered a $1.6 trillion government funding package through the House by leaning on old‑school, relationship‑driven diplomacy rather than sweeping new cuts. Facing hard‑liner pressure and a lingering DHS funding fight, he kept totals steady, empowered subcommittee chairmen, and secured buy‑in from leadership and bipartisan partners (Collins, DeLauro, Murray), earning grudging respect for reviving a traditional, bill-by-bill process. Eleven of the 12 annual appropriations bills have been signed into law so far, with DHS still unresolved, marking a rare political win in a tense moment while averting another shutdown.

politics25 days ago

House Democrats Divide Over $1.2 Trillion Funding Bill Ahead of Floor Vote

Senior House Democrats are split on a $1.2 trillion funding package heading to the floor, with Rosa DeLauro signaling support to secure five full-year bills and a 10-day DHS stopgap, while Jim McGovern opposes due to immigration-enforcement concerns. Neither leader is expected to vote for the rule, and Republicans face pressure to attach the SAVE Act, which could prolong the shutdown. Speaker Mike Johnson is pushing to pass the package Tuesday, as a newly sworn-in Christian Menefee gives Republicans a slim 218-214 edge.

politics1 month ago

White House pushes six-bill funding package despite Minnesota controversy

The White House urged the Senate to pass a six-bill appropriations package that includes DHS funding and said DHS money should not be separated amid ongoing Minnesota immigration-policy debates; the story also covers Rand Paul seeking DHS officials to testify after the Minneapolis shooting, Democrats pushing investigations and impeachment talk against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and Republicans warning against a shutdown while weighing tweaks to the DHS bill and broader funding package.

House Clears Broad Spending Package Amid ICE Controversy
politics1 month ago

House Clears Broad Spending Package Amid ICE Controversy

The House narrowly approved a broad government funding package—covering the Department of Homeland Security, the Pentagon and other agencies—while Democrats protested ICE funding in the wake of the Renee Good shooting; the bill rejects deep Trump cuts, keeps ICE funding roughly flat, and now moves to the Senate before a Jan. 30 deadline to avert a shutdown.

politics1 month ago

House Advances DHS Funding as ICE Backlash Grows

The House narrowly approved the Homeland Security funding bill (through Sept. 30) 220-207 amid Democratic objections to Trump-era immigration enforcement, while also advancing a larger six-bill package for Pentagon and key domestic agencies. The DHS measure funds ICE, CBP, Coast Guard, FEMA and others and includes new guardrails like body cameras and DHS oversight, but many Democrats say it doesn’t go far enough to constrain ICE after Minnesota incidents. Senate action on the broader six-bill package is expected next week as lawmakers weigh spending levels and guardrails amid ongoing immigration debate.

politics1 month ago

House advances four FY2026 spending bills, with DHS vote split and ethanol talks

The House moved the four FY2026 spending bills (Defense; Labor-HHS-Education; Transportation-HUD) toward Senate passage and set up a separate vote for Homeland Security. Conservative leaders secured amendments to kill some earmarks and block enforcement of vehicle kill-switch tech, and a congressional working group on ethanol policy was created to appease farm-state Republicans ahead of the Jan. 30 funding deadline, while DHS funding remains politically contentious over immigration enforcement.

House tightens path to funding with final bills ahead of shutdown deadline
politics1 month ago

House tightens path to funding with final bills ahead of shutdown deadline

The House plans a Thursday vote on the final four FY funding bills—Defense; Labor, Health and Human Services, Education; Transportation/HUD; and Homeland Security—as the Jan. 30 deadline to avert a shutdown nears, with GOP leverage and Democratic calls for DHS reforms; after House passage, the measures head to the Senate for swift action to prevent a partial shutdown.

politics1 month ago

Capitol funding sprint tightens as lawmakers rush to finish 12 annual bills

With the Jan. 30 funding deadline looming, the House must pass four major spending bills (Defense, HHS, Labor/HUD, Transportation/Education) and pair them with the Financial Services and State/Foreign Operations package, then send the six-bill package to the Senate for rapid passage. A narrow House majority and conservative opposition over earmarks and policy tweaks threaten the plan, especially for Homeland Security, while the Senate must move quickly in a tight five-day window. Beyond funding, lawmakers weigh a Clinton contempt vote, a mining ban CRA rollback near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters, and a revised crypto bill as they rush to complete the year’s appropriations.

ATC Pay Raise Highlights FY26 Minibus as Ed Budget Stays Flat
government1 month ago

ATC Pay Raise Highlights FY26 Minibus as Ed Budget Stays Flat

Congressional appropriators released a four-bill FY2026 minibus covering Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, HHS, Education, Transportation and HUD, moving toward a full-year budget before Jan 30. Highlights include $1.58B for the FAA and a 3.8% pay raise for air traffic controllers (contingent on efficiency gains), a flat Education Department budget around $79B, maintained or increased HHS/SAMHSA funding, a $15B SSA admin budget, and targeted staffing cuts at Transportation and HUD framed by Republicans as 'right-sizing,' while small agencies stay funded.

Lawmakers Unveil Final Budget Minibus to Avert a Partial Shutdown
politics1 month ago

Lawmakers Unveil Final Budget Minibus to Avert a Partial Shutdown

Lawmakers released the final four-bill budget minibus to fund most of the government ahead of Jan. 30, covering Defense; Labor, Health and Human Services, Education; Transportation and Housing and Urban Development; and Homeland Security. Democrats won new constraints on DHS funding and oversight of ICE (including a $20 million earmark for body cameras), while House votes are planned before recess and the Senate will take up the package next, aiming to prevent another shutdown.

politics1 month ago

Bipartisan funding pact advances to avert looming federal shutdown

Congress unveiled a bipartisan $1.2 trillion funding package to finance the Pentagon and most non-defense agencies ahead of the Jan. 30 deadline, with defense funding around $839 billion and allocations for Health and Human Services, Labor, HUD, Transportation, Education and Homeland Security. Democrats want DHS funding tied to immigration-enforcement changes after a Minneapolis shooting, while House and Senate leaders plan votes this week to avert a partial shutdown.

Budget Cliff Pushes House to Finish Spending Bills Before Recess
politics1 month ago

Budget Cliff Pushes House to Finish Spending Bills Before Recess

With the Jan. 30 funding deadline looming, House Republicans are racing to complete four remaining spending bills (Defense, Transportation-HUD, Labor-HHS-Education, Homeland Security) and may cancel the January recess to avoid a stopgap. The Senate plans a swift, one-week push to wrap all six bills in a final package, but Homeland Security talks linger over immigration policy. The coalition faces additional pressure from debates over Obamacare subsidies, tariff extensions, potential U.S. action on Greenland, and a stalled crypto bill, all adding to the urgency as leadership on both sides negotiates how to finish funding this month.