Johnson expects on-time passage of all govt funding bills as two more head to floor

By Thérèse Boudreaux
The Center Square

Congress has less than a month to pass the remaining appropriations bills providing fiscal 2026 funding for federal agencies, but House Republicans are convinced it’s possible.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters Tuesday that he believes lawmakers can pass the remaining nine of 12 funding bills by the Jan. 30 deadline, negating the need for a Continuing Resolution to prevent a government shutdown.

“We cannot govern by CR or omnibus. And when we do that, it also loses Congress’s opportunity and credibility,” Johnson added. “It’s taken a while, but we are finally moving that boulder uphill.”

Following Johnson’s remarks, lawmakers on the House Budget Committee sent two more appropriations bills in the form of a minibus to the floor for a vote this week.

The minibus provides a total of $76 billion for the departments of State and Treasury, the IRS, the Executive and Judiciary branches, national security agencies, and others.

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers made compromises in the bill, but it received broad bipartisan support among committee members.

“Is this appropriations package perfect? No. No appropriations bill ever is. But it does avoid another lapse in funding, and it rejects some very bad ideas,” Ranking Member Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said.

McGovern and other Democrats specifically praised the $30 billion increase in election security grants and $5.5 billion allocated for international humanitarian assistance programs.

Republicans, meanwhile, championed the taxpayer savings in the minibus, which cut $9.3 billion from last year’s funding levels, a 16% spending reduction.

“Is this my idea of a perfect bill? Of course not. But I’m happy for bills that pass and stay within lines, and these bills have stayed within the lines,” House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., said.

“My goal is to get them all done before January 30, and get them done in a way that people on both sides of the aisle are comfortable voting for them, knowing that they didn’t get everything they want but knowing that their worst fears and nightmares did not come true,” he added, echoing Johnson’s optimism.

Only three fiscal year 2026 appropriations bills — together funding Veterans Affairs, military construction, the Department of Agriculture and rural development, and the Legislative branch — have become law.

Three more funding bills passed the House last week in the form of a three-bill minibus, granting appropriations for the departments of Commerce; Justice; Energy; Interior; and the Environmental Protection Agency, among others.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters he plans to keep lawmakers in town until the upper chamber passes that minibus and sends it to President Donald Trump’s desk. If senators pass any amendments, however, the package will have to go back to the House for final approval.