Where Things Stand on the Senate Approps Process

Senate leadership is continuing discussions on the pending fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations vehicle as Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) aims to pass as many as possible in this first tranche. As of now, the Senate Appropriations Committee has passed six bills out of committee — Agriculture-FDA, Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS), Interior-Environment, Legislative Branch, Military Construction-VA (MilCon-VA), and Transportation-HUD. However, it’s possible that only the MilCon-VA bill moves through the Senate as leadership works through outstanding disagreements over the topline spending figures for the next fiscal year, as well as policy issues tied to specific appropriations bills. Meanwhile, the Senate Appropriations Committee will meet this Thursday at 9:30 AM to mark up the chamber’s FY 2026 spending bills for Labor-HHS-Education and Defense.