The House of Representatives has finally pushed through its last batch of 2026 funding bills, marking a pivotal moment in a long and contentious budget battle.
The Hill reported that on Thursday, the House passed a three-bill minibus package with a vote of 341-88, covering key agencies like the Department of Defense and Health and Human Services, while separately approving a divisive Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill by a narrow 220-207 margin, with plans to send the combined package to the Senate ahead of a Jan. 30 deadline.
Despite deep partisan rifts and internal GOP disagreements, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) hailed the votes as a major step forward in restoring Congress’s ability to handle its core duty of funding the government.
Johnson pushed hard against extending another continuing resolution, opting instead for new full-year funding levels, a move not seen since an omnibus bill was signed in March 2024 under former President Biden.
The fiscal year kicked off with the longest government shutdown in history, a 43-day ordeal that ended in November with a stopgap measure, only to be followed by more hurdles in December due to holiday timing and competing legislative priorities.
The DHS bill became the lightning rod of the funding fight, with Democrats decrying insufficient oversight of ICE, especially after the tragic loss of Renee Good.
While the bill incorporated reforms like a $115 million cut to ICE operations, a reduction of 5,500 detention beds, and a $1.8 billion slash to Border Patrol funding, only seven Democrats crossed the aisle to support it.
House Appropriations Committee ranking member Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) captured the frustration, saying, “it’s clear that more must be done.”
Speaker Johnson, undeterred by the pushback, celebrated the achievement at a press conference, declaring it “the most significant sign of progress in these halls in years.”
Progress, sure, but at what cost when hard-line conservatives grumbled over earmarks and programs they deem wasteful, while Democrats felt shortchanged on critical agency oversight?
Still, House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) doubled down, noting “months of hard work” paid off in avoiding yet another temporary fix.
With the House bundling this week’s four bills alongside a two-bill minibus passed last week, the full package now heads to the Senate, which returns from recess next week to face the Jan. 30 deadline.
A curious bipartisan twist emerged with a last-minute amendment to repeal a law letting senators sue for hefty sums over unnotified phone record subpoenas—a jab at the Senate tied to past grievances over a 2020 election probe.
While appropriators worked overtime this month to wrap up all 12 funding bills, the lingering question remains: will the Senate hold the line, or will this hard-fought victory unravel under the weight of partisan gridlock?
