US EditionSenate Moves Forward on Spending Bills Ahead of Potential Government Shutdown
UNITED STATES, AUG 2 – The Senate approved a $260 billion spending package with 2-5% funding increases to key federal departments to prevent a shutdown before the fiscal year ends Sept. 30.
- In a rare move, the U.S. Senate advanced a package of spending bills late Friday night, breaking a partisan gridlock and passing its first three bills since 2018.
- The Senate Appropriations Committee July 31 advanced the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill after days of negotiations, including votes on amendments by Senate Budget ranking Democrat Jeff Merkley.
- The Senate approved allocations including $133.3 billion for VA—$4.3 billion or 3 percent more—and $48.7 billion for NIH, rejecting an $18 billion White House proposal.
- Looking ahead, Congress must consider a continuing resolution to avoid a shutdown on October 1, as the package heads to the House of Representatives where Republicans are upset it exceeds approved spending levels.
- In the coming weeks, Congress could choose between traditional bipartisan bills or temporary funding measures as the Sept. 30 deadline looms, and neither party wants blame for a shutdown.
14 Articles
14 Articles
U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján Delivers Nearly $190 Million For New Mexico In Senate-Passed Appropriations Bills
From the Office of U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján: Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) announced funding secured for New Mexico in the Senate-passed Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill and Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Bill. In both Senate-passed appropriation bills, …
$455B VA spending bill clears final hurdle in Senate
The Senate on Friday night adopted a 2026 spending bill for the Department of Veterans Affairs that invests in recruiting clinicians at hospitals, provides a large increase to the toxic exposures fund and sets minimum funding levels for rural health care and other critical medical programs.
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BizTocWith FY ’26 Looming, Congress Faces Major Decisions On How Government Is Funded
By George Caldwell, The Daily Signal | July 31, 2025 In the coming weeks, Congress could decide whether government funding is set by traditional bipartisan spending bills, or through temporary funding measures and quick-fix, surgical spending cuts. The Senate is staying in session for part of its typical August state work period, laboring through a hot Washington summer to confirm President Donald Trump’s judicial and executive branch nominees.B…
Senate passes first funding package ahead of shutdown cliff - Overpasses For America
The Senate passed its first three spending bills Friday, taking swift action after leaders struck a bipartisan agreement to package the bills together earlier in the day. The chamber voted 87-9 to pass a two-bill package to fund the departments of Veterans Affairs and Agriculture, along with military construction and the Food and Drug Administration. In a separate 81-15 vote they also passed a third bill to fund Congress itself. With federal cas…
First three fiscal 2026 appropriations bills pass Senate
The Senate passed its first package of fiscal 2026 spending bills Friday, making up for lost time in the long-delayed appropriations process before preparing to head out of town for a monthlong August recess. The package contains the Senate’s Military Construction-VA, Agriculture and Legislative Branch bills, comprising about $260 billion of the more than $1.6 trillion in discretionary spending likely to be approved for the fiscal year that begi…
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