U.S. House passes two more govt funding bills, sending to Senate

By Thérèse Boudreaux
The Center Square

In a bipartisan vote Wednesday, the U.S. House passed a minibus containing two more full-year federal funding bills, sending the package to the Senate for final approval.

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.

It also marks the second time this month that the House made real progress on funding the government for fiscal year 2026, having passed five of the annual appropriations bills in January alone. Three of the 12 appropriations bills were already signed into law in November.

“With this latest government funding package, Congress is well on its way to completing our appropriations work,” U.S. Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo., said on X. “This is what responsible governing looks like, prioritizing economic growth, safety, strength, and freedom.”

The minibus contains the national security and foreign affairs bill, costing $50 billion. Among other things, it authorizes $16.6 billion for the Department of State, over $23 billion for national security and global humanitarian programs, and $6.2 billion for foreign military financing, including Israel.

The other bill in the package, funding financial services and general government activities, authorizes $26.3 billion. That includes $13 billion for the Treasury, and $9.7 billion for the Judiciary.

It also allocates tens to hundreds of millions each for the Small Business Administration, Office of Personnel Management, and commissions dealing with election security, trade, and other matters.

Both Democrats and Republicans achieved wins and made compromises. Democrats are highlighting the $30 billion increase in election security grants and $5.5 billion allocated for international humanitarian assistance programs.

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

Last week, the House passed three appropriations bills, also in the form of a minibus. It covered appropriations for the departments of Commerce; Justice; Energy; Interior; and the Environmental Protection Agency, among others.

In order to have a chance of meeting the Jan. 30 funding deadline, the Senate must pass and send to the president’s desk both minibuses by the end of this week, before the chamber takes a week-long break.

If they do so, once President Donald Trump signs them into law, Congress will have knocked out eight appropriations bills, leaving the last four, which are also the thorniest.