House, Senate Unveil 3 Bipartisan Funding Bills

The House and Senate Appropriations committees on Monday released text of three bipartisan funding bills less than four weeks ahead of a government shutdown deadline.

The package — covering multiple departments — is designed to fund major portions of the federal government through Sept. 30 and help avert a Jan. 30 funding lapse.

The legislation would finance the departments of Energy, Commerce, Interior, and Justice, along with water programs, the Environmental Protection Agency, and federal science initiatives, according to Politico.

House and Senate appropriators negotiated the compromise after reaching a deal last month on topline spending totals.

GOP leaders are working to lock down votes and bring the package to the House floor as soon as Thursday, three people familiar with the planning told Politico.

Republicans are pitching the bills as proof they can deliver full-year funding through "regular order" instead of the bloated year-end omnibus packages conservatives have long criticized as vehicles for wasteful spending and policy giveaways.

In its release, the House Appropriations Committee said the effort reflects fiscal responsibility, public safety, and national security while making targeted investments to "bolster U.S. energy dominance and nuclear deterrence," strengthen law enforcement and efforts to combat illicit drugs, expand access to critical minerals, and support wildland firefighters and responsible land management.

House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., emphasized that President Donald Trump "set an important foundation" by signing three appropriations bills into law in November and said the new package carries that momentum forward.

Cole argued the measure invests in priorities "crucial to the American people," including safer communities, affordable and reliable energy, and responsible resource management — while delivering community projects and water infrastructure investments that keep commerce moving.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., echoed that theme, saying House Republicans are advancing the next set of fiscal 2026 bills to build momentum toward completing the appropriations process "without a bloated omnibus bill."

Johnson said passage is key to spending less than another continuing resolution, restoring accountability, and advancing Trump's America First agenda.

Maine Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, called the three-bill package "fiscally responsible," saying it restrains spending while funding water infrastructure improvements, strengthening energy and national security priorities, and supporting scientific research needed to keep the U.S. competitive.

Collins highlighted funding for law enforcement, national weather forecasting, oceans and fisheries science, and investments in public lands and tribal commitments.

Democrats are trying to frame the bipartisan deal as a repudiation of Trump-era budget priorities.

In a statement, House Appropriations Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., claimed the bills reject more than $163 billion in proposed cuts to public services and protect Democrat priorities such as clean energy, environmental protection, scientific research, and public safety grants.

She also boasted that Democrats defeated more than 140 Republican policy provisions she labeled "hyperpartisan," including items tied to gun rules, oil and gas leasing, renewable energy, and culture-war issues.

The committee's release, meanwhile, stressed that the package contains "no poison pills" and preserves long-standing riders protecting unborn life and Second Amendment rights — signaling that while Democrats may celebrate stripping conservative add-ons, Republicans believe they protected key baseline priorities.

Politico noted Congress still has six additional funding measures to resolve for fiscal 2026, including major bills covering Defense and the departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Education — issues likely to trigger tougher fights.