Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026
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This enacted law provides full-year fiscal year 2026 appropriations for the Departments of Commerce, Justice, Energy, and the Interior, along with NASA, the National Science Foundation, the EPA, the Forest Service, the Indian Health Service, and dozens of related agencies, totaling hundreds of billions of dollars.
As one of three combined regular appropriations bills enacted together, it keeps these agencies funded and operating through September 2026, sets policy riders on issues from abortion funding to firearms exports to China-related research, and rescinds or redirects billions in unobligated prior-year funds.
What this law does
What it does
This law enacts three of the twelve regular fiscal year 2026 appropriations bills as a single consolidated package: the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act; the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act; and the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. It funds agencies including the Departments of Commerce, Justice, Energy, and the Interior, NASA, the National Science Foundation, the Army Corps of Engineers civil works program, the EPA, the Forest Service, and the Indian Health Service, specifying exact dollar amounts for thousands of individual programs, offices, and projects for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026. Beyond setting funding levels, the law attaches hundreds of general provisions and riders governing how the money can be used—covering reprogramming limits, abortion-related restrictions at the Justice Department, firearms and export-control rules, prohibitions on dealings with China at NASA and the Energy Department, wildfire suppression funding structures, and Indian Health Service and tribal program requirements. It also rescinds specified unobligated balances from several accounts and transfers other unobligated funds between programs.
Key provisions
- 1Provides FY2026 appropriations for the Department of Commerce, Department of Justice, and science agencies including NASA and NSF, specifying funding levels for each bureau and program.
- 2Provides FY2026 appropriations for the Army Corps of Engineers civil works program, the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation, the Department of Energy, and independent energy-related agencies.
- 3Provides FY2026 appropriations for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Forest Service, the Indian Health Service, and related cultural and regulatory agencies.
- 4Restricts Justice Department funds from being used to pay for abortions except in cases of life endangerment, rape, or incest, and bars funds from requiring anyone to perform or facilitate an abortion.
- 5Prohibits NASA and the Office of Science and Technology Policy from using funds for bilateral collaboration with China or hosting official Chinese visitors without specific new legal authorization.
- 6Permanently rescinds specified unobligated balances from Commerce and Justice Department accounts, including Economic Development Administration and Assets Forfeiture Fund balances.
- 7Establishes wildfire suppression operations reserve funds for the Department of the Interior and Forest Service, allowing transfers between agencies to cover firefighting costs.
Who is affected
Federal employees and contractors across the funded departments and agencies; grant recipients including state, local, and tribal governments; federal law enforcement and drug agencies; national laboratories and research institutions; National Park and public land visitors; Indian tribes and health facilities served by the Indian Health Service; and businesses receiving Commerce Department trade, patent, or economic development assistance.
Why it matters
Because agencies cannot legally spend money without an appropriation, this law is what keeps Commerce, Justice, Energy, Interior, NASA, the EPA, and related agencies operating and paying staff through the fiscal year. Its policy riders also shape day-to-day agency conduct—restricting abortion funding, foreign engagement with China, firearms policy, and wildfire and grant program operations—affecting millions who interact with these agencies and their programs.
What changed
Changes to existing law
Amends Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (Sec. 203, Div. B)
Increases the authorized funding cap under section 9504(e) from $920,000,000 to $1,000,000,000.
Amends Northwestern New Mexico Rural Water Projects Act (Sec. 209, Div. B)
Increases the authorized funding ceiling from $870,000,000 to $1,815,000,000 and revises the City's repayment obligation cap.
Amends Legal Services Corporation Act (via Public Law 105-119) (Div. A, Title IV)
Modifies governing body composition requirements, substituting a 33 percent attorney representation requirement for the prior 60 percent.
Reauthorizes Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014 (Title I, Div. B)
Continues and funds direct and guaranteed loan programs for water infrastructure and levee projects for FY2026.
Amends Payments in Lieu of Taxes program (31 U.S.C. 6906) (Sec. 114, Div. C)
Updates the statutory reference year from fiscal year 2019 to fiscal year 2026 for PILT payment calculations.
Amends Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act (Sec. 312, Div. B)
Adjusts a funding cap reference to be indexed for inflation going forward.
Amends Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (Sec. 407, Div. C)
Clarifies that the Forest Service is not automatically in violation for forest plans exceeding 15 years without revision, absent bad faith.
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- The whole Act
- Appropriations cover the fiscal year
Funding and costs
- $4,540,392,000
NOAA operations, research, and facilities
- $10,609,456,000
FBI salaries and expenses for crime detection and investigation
- $8,400,000,000
Department of Energy Office of Science activities
- $20,378,000,000
National Nuclear Security Administration weapons activities
- $4,409,609,000
State and Tribal Assistance Grants including water infrastructure revolving funds
- $4,789,731,000
Indian Health Service indian health services account
- $2,426,111,000
Forest Service wildland fire management including suppression
- $60,000,000
Rescission of unobligated Economic Development Administration balances
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates H.R. 6938 would provide approximately $205.6 billion in total discretionary budget authority and $215.1 billion in outlays for fiscal year 2026 across three appropriations divisions.
CBO's January 7, 2026 estimate covers Divisions A through C of H.R. 6938, which provide full-year fiscal year 2026 discretionary appropriations for agencies under the Commerce/Justice/Science, Energy and Water Development, and Interior and Environment subcommittees. In total, the bill provides approximately $205.6 billion in new budget authority and $215.1 billion in outlays, combining base spending ($174.7 billion BA / $211.9 billion outlays), designated categories such as wildfire suppression ($2.85 billion BA), and emergency spending ($100 million BA). Prior-year legislation adds another $28.0 billion in budget authority and $2.2 billion in outlays. The estimate covers only discretionary spending (funds set by annual appropriations) and excludes certain amounts — including $3.5 billion in Army Corps of Engineers budget authority — required by statute to be excluded from Congressional Budget Act calculations. CBO did not identify intergovernmental or private-sector mandates in this discretionary appropriations bill.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Became Public Law No: 119-74.
Official CRS summary
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This bill provides FY2026 appropriations to several federal departments and agencies for activities and programs related to commerce, law enforcement, science, energy and water development, public lands, and the environment.
Specifically, the bill includes 3 of the 12 regular FY2026 appropriations bills:
- the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026;
- the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026; and
- the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026.
The departments, agencies, and activities funded in the bill include
- the Department of Commerce,
- the Department of Justice,
- the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA),
- the National Science Foundation,
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers civil works projects,
- the Department of Energy,
- the Department of the Interior,
- the Environmental Protection Agency,
- the Forest Service,
- the Indian Health Service, and
- several related and independent agencies.
The bill also sets forth requirements and restrictions for using funds provided by this and other appropriations acts.
Legislative subjects
Administrative law and regulatory procedures; Advanced technology and technological innovations; Advisory bodies; Alabama; Alaska; Alaska Natives and Hawaiians; Alternative and renewable resources; American Samoa; Appalachian Regional Commission; Appropriations; Aquatic ecology; Arizona; Arkansas; Arms control and nonproliferation; Army Corps of Engineers; Art, artists, authorship; Asia; Assault and harassment offenses; Atmospheric science and weather; Birds; Building construction; California; Census and government statistics; Child health; Child safety and welfare; China; Coal; Colorado; Commemorative events and holidays; Commission of Fine Arts; Commission on Civil Rights; Community life and organization; Competition and antitrust; Competitiveness, trade promotion, trade deficits; Computer security and identity theft; Computers and information technology; Congressional oversight; Correctional facilities and imprisonment; Crime victims; Crimes against children; Crimes against women; Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation; Criminal justice information and records; Criminal procedure and sentencing; Cultural exchanges and relations; Dams and canals; Data collection, sharing, protection; Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board; Delta Regional Authority; Denali Commission; Department of Agriculture; Department of Commerce; Department of Energy; Department of Health and Human Services; Department of Justice; Department of the Interior; Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad; Disability and health-based discrimination; Disability assistance; Disaster relief and insurance; District of Columbia; Domestic violence and child abuse; Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Drug trafficking and controlled substances; Drug, alcohol, tobacco use; Economic development; Economics and Public Finance; Education programs funding; Educational facilities and institutions; Elections, voting, political campaign regulation; Electric power generation and transmission; Elementary and secondary education; Emergency planning and evacuation; Employee benefits and pensions; Employment and training programs; Employment discrimination and employee rights; Endangered and threatened species; Energy efficiency and conservation; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Environmental assessment, monitoring, research; Environmental health; Environmental regulatory procedures; Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC); Evidence and witnesses; Executive Office of the President; Executive agency funding and structure; Family services; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC); Federal Prison Industries, Inc.; Federal-Indian relations; Firearms and explosives; Fires; First responders and emergency personnel; Fishes; Floods and storm protection; Florida; Forests, forestry, trees; Fraud offenses and financial crimes; Genetics; Geography and mapping; Georgia; Government buildings, facilities, and property; Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management; Government information and archives; Government lending and loan guarantees; Government studies and investigations; Government trust funds; Great Lakes; Guam; Hate crimes; Hazardous wastes and toxic substances; Health care costs and insurance; Health care coverage and access; Health facilities and institutions; Health information and medical records; Health personnel; Health technology, devices, supplies; Hearing, speech, and vision care; Higher education; Historic sites and heritage areas; Historical and cultural resources; Human trafficking; Humanities programs funding; Hybrid, electric, and advanced technology vehicles; Hydrology and hydrography; Idaho; Illinois; Immigration status and procedures; Immunology and vaccination; Indian claims; Indian lands and resources rights; Indian social and development programs; Infrastructure development; Intellectual property; Intergovernmental relations; Internet, web applications, social media; Juvenile crime and gang violence; Kentucky; Lakes and rivers; Land transfers; Land use and conservation; Law enforcement administration and funding; Lawyers and legal services; Lease and rental services; Legal Services Corporation; Legal fees and court costs; Life, casualty, property insurance; Lighting, heating, cooling; Louisiana; Maine; Mammals; Marine Mammal Commission; Marine and coastal resources, fisheries; Marshall Islands; Maryland; Medical research; Mental health; Micronesia; Mining; Minority and disadvantaged businesses; Minority education; Missing persons; Mississippi; Missouri; Montana; Monuments and memorials; Motor vehicles; Museums, exhibitions, cultural centers; National Aeronautics and Space Administration; National Capital Planning Commission; National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities; National Institutes of Health (NIH); National Science Foundation; Natural disasters; Navigation, waterways, harbors; Nevada; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New Mexico; New York State; North Carolina; Northern Mariana Islands; Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC); Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board; Nuclear power; Nuclear weapons; Office of the U.S. Trade Representative; Ohio; Oil and gas; Oregon; Organized crime; Palau; Parks, recreation areas, trails; Pennsylvania; Performing arts; Pollution liability; Prescription drugs; Public contracts and procurement; Racial and ethnic relations; Radioactive wastes and releases; Research administration and funding; Research and development; Rural conditions and development; Science and engineering education; Seafood; Seashores and lakeshores; Sex offenses; Smithsonian Institution; Smuggling and trafficking; Solid waste and recycling; South Carolina; Space flight and exploration; Spacecraft and satellites; Specialized courts; State and local government operations; Strategic materials and reserves; Student aid and college costs; Supply chain; Telecommunication rates and fees; Tennessee; Texas; Trade restrictions; Transportation costs; U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council; U.S. International Trade Commission; U.S. Sentencing Commission; U.S. and foreign investments; U.S. history; U.S. territories and protectorates; User charges and fees; Utah; Vermont; Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation; Violent crime; Virgin Islands; Virginia; War crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity; Washington State; Water quality; Water resources funding; Water use and supply; West Virginia; Wetlands; Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats; Wildlife conservation and habitat protection; Women's health; Women's rights; World history