Government Funding: Senate Passes Three New Appropriations Bills and Continuing Resolution

On Nov. 12, 2025, the president signed into law three appropriations bills to partially fund the government for the rest of fiscal year 2026 through Sept. 30, 2026, and a continuing resolution to fund the rest of the government through Jan. 30, 2026. The three spending bills in the minibus are Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Agriculture and FDA, and Legislative Branch. The package does not include an extension of Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune has indicated he will hold a vote in mid-December on legislation addressing the credits’ Dec. 31 expiration date.

Continuing Resolution

• Funds government agencies through Jan. 30, 2026, to provide additional time for Congress to negotiate appropriations.
• Reverses layoffs of federal workers enacted on or since Oct. 1, 2025.
• Prevents the Department of Defense from starting new programs or entering into multiyear contracts.
• Pays federal employees who did not receive a paycheck during the shutdown.
• Extends the authorization of the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act and the Development Finance Corporation until Jan. 30, 2026.

Agriculture – FDA

• $26.65 billion in base discretionary funding.
• Prevents the sale of intoxicating hemp products, including Delta-8, from being sold online or in gas stations, while preserving nonintoxicating CBD and industrial hemp products.
• $3.8 billion for agriculture research programs, including $1.6 billion for the Agriculture Research Service and $1.7 billion for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
• $1.2 billion for the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to support inspections of meat, poultry and egg products across the country.
• $1.4 billion for the Farm Service Agency (FSA). Among other functions, FSA provides farm loan guarantees and tracks purchases of farmland by foreign buyers.
• Affirmatively maintains the Secretary of Agriculture’s seat on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which is the clearinghouse for inbound investment by foreign actors.
• $850 million for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, including $50 million for Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations to support locally led water management projects and $3 million for the rehabilitation of aging dam infrastructure.
• $4.1 billion for rural development initiatives.
  • $1.4 billion for revitalization of aging water and wastewater infrastructure grants and loans.
  • $1.8 billion in grants and loans for rural business and industry programs.
• $8.2 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
• $107 billion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
• Refills the SNAP and WIC reserves for payments made during the shutdown.
• $7 billion for the Food and Drug Administration.

Military Construction – Veterans Affairs

• $153.3 billion in base discretionary funding.
• $115.1 billion for veterans medical care.
  • $18.9 for mental health programs.
  • $6.4 billion for telehealth services.
  • $3.5 billion for veterans homelessness programs.
  • $945 million for medical and prosthetic research
• $263.7 billion for mandatory veterans benefits, including disability compensation, education benefits, as well as vocational rehabilitation and employment training.
• $19.7 billion for 300 Department of Defense military construction programs, domestically and around the world.
  • $1.5 billion to support the U.S. Navy’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program to modernize the Navy’s four shipyards.
  • $482 million for U.S. contributions to NATO construction efforts.
• $1.9 billion for construction, operation and maintenance of military family housing
• $1.3 billion for design, renovation and construction of barracks, dorms and other residential buildings for servicemembers.
• Prohibits the VA from purchasing technology manufactured by any Chinese companies included on lists maintained by the Departments of Defense, Treasury, Commerce or Homeland Security.

Legislative Branch

• $7 billion base discretionary funding.
• Continues the member pay freeze that has been in place since 2009.
• $203.5 million for member security.
• $811.9 million for the Government Accountability Office, the internal government oversight agency.
• $74.8 million for the Congressional Budget Office.
• Prohibits bonuses to contractors behind schedule or over budget.
• Bans purchases of drones made in China or any telecommunications equipment manufactured by Huawei or ZTE.