Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026
Click any stage to learn more about the legislative process.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 funds five of the twelve annual federal spending bills — including Defense, Labor-HHS-Education, Transportation-HUD, Financial Services, and State/National Security — for the rest of fiscal year 2026, while keeping the Department of Homeland Security running on a short-term stopgap through February 13, 2026.
It also extends dozens of expiring programs, from flood insurance and TANF to trade preferences and health care authorities, meaning its reach touches nearly every part of the federal government and a wide range of everyday federal services.
What this law does
What it does
This enacted law provides full-year fiscal year 2026 appropriations for the Department of Defense, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of the Treasury, the Executive Office of the President, the federal judiciary, the District of Columbia, the Department of State, and related independent agencies. It sets detailed funding levels for military personnel and procurement, Medicaid and Medicare program management, K-12 and higher education programs, housing assistance, foreign aid, and diplomatic operations, among thousands of individual line items and general provisions restricting or directing how the money can be used. For the Department of Homeland Security, the law does not provide full-year funding; instead it enacts a continuing resolution that keeps DHS operating at fiscal year 2025 levels through the earlier of February 13, 2026, or enactment of a full DHS appropriations act. The law also reauthorizes or extends a long list of expiring authorities — including the Grain Standards Act, the National Flood Insurance Program, TANF, certain trade preference programs, and various health care and cybersecurity authorities — while leaving the seven remaining regular appropriations bills for other agencies to be addressed separately.
Key provisions
- 1Provides full-year fiscal year 2026 appropriations for the Department of Defense, including military personnel, operations and maintenance, procurement, and research and development accounts.
- 2Funds the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education for fiscal year 2026, including Medicaid, Medicare program management, NIH research institutes, and K-12 and higher education programs.
- 3Provides fiscal year 2026 funding for the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, including highway, aviation, transit, and housing assistance programs.
- 4Funds the Department of the Treasury, the Executive Office of the President, the federal judiciary, the District of Columbia, and independent agencies such as the SEC, FCC, and Small Business Administration.
- 5Provides fiscal year 2026 funding for the Department of State, foreign aid, international organizations, and national security assistance programs including foreign military financing.
- 6Establishes a continuing resolution funding the Department of Homeland Security at fiscal year 2025 levels through February 13, 2026, or enactment of a full-year DHS appropriations act, whichever is earlier.
- 7Extends numerous expiring programs and authorities, including the U.S. Grain Standards Act, the National Flood Insurance Program, TANF, certain immigration and health care authorities, and trade preferences for Haiti and sub-Saharan Africa.
Who is affected
Federal employees and contractors across defense, health, education, transportation, housing, and diplomatic agencies; Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries; military service members and their families; federal student aid recipients; public housing residents and Section 8 voucher holders; DHS employees and programs operating under the temporary stopgap; and recipients of flood insurance, TANF, and trade preference programs.
Why it matters
Because this is enacted, funded appropriations law rather than a proposal, it determines actual spending levels and operational authority for most of the federal government through the rest of fiscal year 2026. Agencies gain certainty to plan programs, sign contracts, and pay staff, while DHS faces renewed funding uncertainty in mid-February 2026 unless Congress acts again.
What changed
Changes to existing law
Reauthorizes National Flood Insurance Program (Division I)
Extends the program's authorization so flood insurance policies can continue to be issued.
Reauthorizes Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program (Division I)
Extends TANF block grant funding and authority for states to continue operating the program.
Reauthorizes U.S. Grain Standards Act (Division I)
Extends the statutory authority underlying federal grain inspection and standards services.
Reauthorizes Trade preference programs for Haiti and sub-Saharan Africa (Division I)
Extends preferential trade treatment authorities that were otherwise set to expire.
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- The Act's appropriations generally take effect
- The Department of Homeland Security continuing resolution funds DHS
Funding and costs
- $54,538,366,000
Military personnel, Army
- $41,770,246,000
Defense Health Program medical and health care programs
- $508,148,791,000
Grants to states for Medicaid
- $593,817,000,000
Payments to Medicare Hospital Insurance and Supplementary Medical Insurance trust funds
- $19,127,790,000
Education for the disadvantaged (Title I and related ESEA programs)
- $9,358,236,000
Department of State diplomatic programs
- $34,438,557,000
Section 8 tenant-based rental assistance (housing vouchers)
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates discretionary spending under H.R. 7148's Divisions A, B, and D for fiscal year 2026, and estimates the budgetary effects of Divisions E and F (treated as authorizing legislation) over the 2026–2035 period.
The estimate has two main components. Divisions A, B, and D would provide full-year fiscal year 2026 appropriations and authorities for agencies covered by 3 of the 12 annual appropriation acts; CBO's Table 1 details new discretionary budget authority and outlays for FY2026 from those divisions and prior-year enacted appropriations, broken out by base spending, designated categories, and emergency spending. Divisions E and F are treated as authorizing legislation rather than appropriations, and Table 2 compiles their budgetary effects over the 2026–2035 period; Section 5021 of the bill requires that these estimated effects be excluded from the pay-as-you-go scorecards maintained by the Senate and the Office of Management and Budget. CBO did not identify specific dollar totals for the net deficit effect on the publication summary page; the full figures appear in the PDF tables attached to the estimate.
How it works
Because this is a full-year appropriations act rather than a new program, implementation runs through existing agency budget and financial systems: each division's funds are apportioned by the Office of Management and Budget, obligated by agencies under detailed line-item and general-provision restrictions, and subject to reprogramming notification requirements requiring advance notice to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees before agencies can shift funds between programs beyond specified thresholds. Agencies must submit operating plans, spend plans, and quarterly reports to Congress for many accounts. The DHS continuing resolution requires no new agency action beyond continuing FY2025-level spending, but DHS funding will lapse or need renewed action by February 13, 2026 unless a full-year DHS bill or another extension is enacted. Numerous provisions require agencies to notify or consult with the Appropriations Committees before reorganizing offices, opening or closing facilities, or making large transfers.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Became Public Law No: 119-75.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill provides appropriations to several federal departments and agencies for the remainder of FY2026 and provides continuing FY2026 appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through February 13, 2026. It also extends various expiring programs and authorities.
Specifically, the bill includes 5 of the 12 regular FY2026 appropriations bills:
- the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2026;
- the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026;
- the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026;
- the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2026; and
- the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2026.
The departments, agencies, and activities funded in the bill include
- the Department of Defense,
- the Department of Labor,
- the Department of Health and Human Services,
- the Department of Education,
- the Department of Transportation,
- the Department of Housing and Urban Development,
- the Department of the Treasury,
- the Executive Office of the President,
- the judiciary,
- the District of Columbia,
- the Department of State and related programs,
- the administration and oversight of foreign assistance programs,
- bilateral economic assistance,
- international security assistance,
- multilateral assistance,
- export and investment assistance, and
- several related and independent agencies.
In addition, the bill includes a continuing resolution (CR) that provides continuing FY2026 appropriations to DHS through the earlier of February 13, 2026, or the enactment of the DHS appropriations act. The CR funds most DHS programs and activities at the FY2025 levels.
The bill also extends several expiring programs and authorities, including
- the U.S. Grain Standards Act;
- the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s whistleblower program;
- the National Flood Insurance Program;
- the Forest Service's participation in the Agriculture Conservation Experienced Services Program;
- the Transportation Security Administration’s Reimbursable Screening Services Program;
- the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee;
- several authorities and programs related to cybersecurity;
- the technology modernization fund and board;
- the U.S. Parole Commission;
- the special assessment on nonindigent persons or entities convicted of certain offenses involving sexual abuse or human trafficking;
- several immigration-related programs and authorities;
- the authority for the U.S. Sentencing Commission to promulgate certain guidelines or amendments related to the use of unmanned aircraft;
- certain bankruptcy fees;
- trade preferences for Haiti and countries in sub-Saharan Africa;
- the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program; and
- several health care authorities and programs.
Legislative subjects
Abortion; Access Board; Accounting and auditing; Administrative Conference of the U.S.; Administrative law and regulatory procedures; Administrative remedies; Adoption and foster care; Adult education and literacy; Advanced technology and technological innovations; Advisory bodies; Afghanistan; Africa; African Development Foundation; Aging; Agricultural conservation and pollution; Agricultural research; Agricultural trade; Alabama; Alaska Natives and Hawaiians; Allergies; Alliances; American Samoa; Appalachian Regional Commission; Appropriations; Arab-Israeli relations; Arms control and nonproliferation; Asia; Assault and harassment offenses; Australia; Aviation and airports; Bahrain; Birth defects; Blood and blood diseases; Border security and unlawful immigration; Broadcasting, cable, digital technologies; Budget process; Building construction; Burma; Buy American requirements; California; Canada; Cancer; Cardiovascular and respiratory health; Caribbean area; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Central African Republic; Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); Chemical and biological weapons; Child care and development; Child health; Child safety and welfare; China; Citizenship and naturalization; Civics education; Civil actions and liability; Coal; Coast guard; Collective security; Colombia; Commodities markets; Commodity Futures Trading Commission; Community Development Financial Institutions Fund; Community life and organization; Competitiveness, trade promotion, trade deficits; Computer security and identity theft; Computers and information technology; Conflicts and wars; Congo; Congressional oversight; Congressional-executive branch relations; Connecticut; Consumer Product Safety Commission; Consumer affairs; Contracts and agency; Corporation for National and Community Service; Correctional facilities and imprisonment; Criminal procedure and sentencing; Cuba; Cultural exchanges and relations; Currency; Customs enforcement; Dams and canals; Data collection, sharing, protection; Defense spending; Delaware; Delta Regional Authority; Denali Commission; Dental care; Department of Defense; Department of Education; Department of Health and Human Services; Department of Homeland Security; Department of Housing and Urban Development; Department of Labor; Department of State; Department of Transportation; Department of the Treasury; Detention of persons; Digestive and metabolic diseases; Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad; Director of National Intelligence; Disability and health-based discrimination; Disability and paralysis; Disability assistance; Disaster relief and insurance; District of Columbia; Domestic violence and child abuse; Drug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulation; Drug trafficking and controlled substances; Drug, alcohol, tobacco use; Economic development; Economics and Public Finance; Education of the disadvantaged; Education programs funding; Educational facilities and institutions; Egypt; El Salvador; Election Assistance Commission; Elections, voting, political campaign regulation; Elementary and secondary education; Emergency communications systems; Emergency planning and evacuation; Employee benefits and pensions; Employee hiring; Employment and training programs; Employment discrimination and employee rights; Energy assistance for the poor and aged; Environmental health; Estonia; Ethiopia; Europe; Executive Office of the President; Executive agency funding and structure; Export-Import Bank of the United States; Family planning and birth control; Family relationships; Family services; Federal Communications Commission (FCC); Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC); Federal Election Commission (FEC); Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); Federal Labor Relations Authority; Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service; Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission; Federal Trade Commission (FTC); Federal appellate courts; Federal district courts; Federal-Indian relations; Firearms and explosives; Fires; First Amendment rights; First responders and emergency personnel; Floods and storm protection; Florida; Food and Drug Administration (FDA); Food supply, safety, and labeling; Foreign aid and international relief; Foreign and international banking; Foreign labor; Foreign language and bilingual programs; Foreign loans and debt; Fraud offenses and financial crimes; Gaza Strip; General Services Administration; Genetics; Geography and mapping; Georgia; Georgia (Republic); Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae); Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management; Government ethics and transparency, public corruption; Government information and archives; Government lending and loan guarantees; Government studies and investigations; Government trust funds; Grain; Great Lakes; Guam; Guatemala; HIV/AIDS; Haiti; Hawaii; Hazardous wastes and toxic substances; Health care costs and insurance; Health care coverage and access; Health care quality; Health facilities and institutions; Health information and medical records; Health personnel; Health programs administration and funding; Health promotion and preventive care; Health technology, devices, supplies; Hearing, speech, and vision care; Hereditary and development disorders; Higher education; Historic sites and heritage areas; Historical and cultural resources; Home and outpatient care; Homeland security; Homelessness and emergency shelter; Honduras; Hong Kong; Hospital care; Housing and community development funding; Housing discrimination; Housing finance and home ownership; Housing for the elderly and disabled; Housing industry and standards; Human rights; Human trafficking; Idaho; Immunology and vaccination; Indian social and development programs; Infectious and parasitic diseases; Infrastructure development; Intellectual property; Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information; Inter-American Foundation; Interagency Council on Homelessness; Intergovernmental relations; Internal Revenue Service (IRS); International exchange and broadcasting; International law and treaties; International monetary system and foreign exchange; International organizations and cooperation; Internet, web applications, social media; Iran; Iraq; Israel; Jordan; Judges; Kansas; Kazakhstan; Kentucky; Labor standards; Labor-management relations; Lakes and rivers; Laos; Latin America; Latvia; Law enforcement administration and funding; Lawyers and legal services; Lebanon; Legal fees and court costs; Libraries and archives; Lighting, heating, cooling; Lithuania; Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care; Low- and moderate-income housing; Maine