Seeking to avoid another crippling government shutdown and moving closer to the goal of passing 12 separate appropriations bills, the House Appropriations Committee has released text of proposed legislation combining roughly $75 billion to $80 billion in discretionary spending.
Importantly, the full fiscal year 2026 discretionary funding for the two pieces on national security and financial services combined are below projected levels under the current continuing resolution.
Department of Homeland Security funding — under fire amid deportation forces and last week's fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis — was not included in this package and will have to come separately.
"Vision becomes direction with appropriations," House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., wrote in a statement. "It is where policy is given force, priorities are focused, and American mandates are implemented."
"With this package, we are advancing President [Donald] Trump's vision of a golden age defined by security, responsibility, and growth," added Cole.
The first targeted national security, Department of State, and related programs: historically falls in the $60 billion to $65 billion range annually, and committee summaries indicate this bill is in line with or slightly below recent enacted levels.
"We shield our nation across every front — strengthening cyber defenses and dismantling the financial and criminal networks that enable terrorism, drug trafficking, and bad actors," Cole's statement continued. "Guided by peace through strength, we realign our diplomacy and national posture to deter threats before they reach our shores.
"Reinforcing American leadership by countering adversaries, standing with our allies, and upholding our role as a force for stability and liberty is non-negotiable."
Then financial services and general government: typically totals $15 billion to $18 billion, covering Treasury, the Judiciary, D.C. federal payments, and independent agencies.
"Our financial system will be protected, small businesses and entrepreneurs supported, and consumer freedom safeguarded," Cole's statement added.
Taken together, that places the combined legislation at approximately $76 billion, give or take a few billion depending on scoring of offsets, rescissions, and mandatory-like adjustments.
Subcommittee Chairs David Joyce, R-Ohio, and Mario Díaz-Balart, R-Fla., negotiated the appropriations with Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
"Our Subcommittee Chairmen Joyce and Díaz-Balart ensured this measure serves a clear purpose – safety, strength, and freedom," Cole wrote. "We look forward to sending these bills to President Trump's desk."
The initiative advances Trump's "America First" agenda through fiscal restraint, the removal of Biden-era mandates, and targeted investments aimed at economic growth, entrepreneurship, and national security, according to Republicans.
The bills maintain legacy riders related to abortion and Second Amendment protections and include no so-called "poison pill" provisions.
Lawmakers are expected to continue moving remaining fiscal year 2026 spending bills in the weeks ahead as Congress works to finalize full-year funding and avoid future shutdown threats before the Jan. 30 CR expiration.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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