Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026

Purpose & Problem

Is the problem real and worth federal action?

The bill funds most federal agencies at fiscal year 2025 levels through January 30, 2026, ending a government shutdown that began October 1, 2025. It also provides full-year fiscal year 2026 funding for agriculture, military construction, veterans affairs, and the legislative branch.

Scope & Related Provisions

Does it stay focused, or carry unrelated add-ons?

The bill's core purpose is to fund the government, but it also includes several additions beyond that. For example, it reauthorizes over-the-counter drug user fees through 2030, revises the legal definition of hemp products, extends multiple Medicare and Medicaid programs, and provides payments to the families of recently deceased Members of Congress.

Who Is Affected

Who benefits, and who bears the cost?

Federal agencies and their employees receive funding to continue operations. Veterans gain extended health care, housing, and benefits programs. Farmers, rural communities, and food assistance recipients receive full-year appropriations. Over-the-counter drug manufacturers face revised fee structures. States and local governments receive reimbursement for costs they covered during the shutdown.

Cost & Funding

Is it affordable and responsibly funded?

The bill appropriates funds at fiscal year 2025 rates for most agencies through January 30, 2026. Full-year fiscal year 2026 amounts include $107.5 billion authorized for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, $8.2 billion authorized for WIC, and over $52 billion authorized for the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund. It also rescinds about $150 million in prior unobligated balances from several accounts and authorizes up to $437 million for a European bank capital subscription.

Risks & Implementation

What could go wrong in practice?

Because most agency funding expires January 30, 2026, another lapse in appropriations could occur if Congress does not act before that date. The bill bars workforce reductions through January 30, 2026, and requires agencies to reverse any reductions started after October 1, 2025, which agencies must carry out within five days of enactment.

DIVISION A--CONTINUING APPROPRIATONS ACT, 2026

Division A keeps the federal government funded on a temporary basis by continuing spending at previously approved levels until full appropriations are passed. It sets up the overall structure of the bill, which includes separate sections for agriculture, the legislative branch, and military and veterans programs. It also establishes rules for how references and explanatory statements within the bill should be interpreted.

DIVISION A--CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026

This division keeps the federal government funded through January 30, 2026, by continuing spending at roughly the same rates as fiscal year 2025. It sets rules limiting new programs or increased production, especially for the Department of Defense, and includes specific funding amounts for areas like shipbuilding, nuclear weapons transport, disaster relief, and Supreme Court Justice protection. It also bars federal agencies from carrying out layoffs during this period and reinstates any employees who received layoff notices after October 1, 2025.

DIVISION B--AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026

This division funds the U.S. Department of Agriculture and related agencies for fiscal year 2026. It sets specific dollar amounts for programs covering farm loans, crop insurance, food safety inspections, rural housing, agricultural research, and rural community development. It also places conditions on how agencies can spend, transfer, or report on those funds.

DIVISION C--LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026

This division funds the day-to-day operations of Congress for fiscal year 2026, including salaries and expenses for the Senate, House of Representatives, Capitol Police, Library of Congress, Government Accountability Office, and other legislative branch offices. It sets specific dollar amounts for staff pay, building maintenance, security, and intern compensation. It also includes rules on how leftover funds must be returned to the Treasury, restrictions on buying technology from certain Chinese companies, and cybersecurity protections for House computer networks.

DIVISION D--MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026

This division funds military construction and family housing for all branches of the U.S. armed forces, including the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and reserve components, with billions of dollars for building and maintaining bases, barracks, and family housing. It also provides funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs to cover veterans' benefits, health care, construction of VA facilities, and a toxic exposures fund. Rules are included that restrict how the money can be spent, such as limits on land purchases, requirements to notify Congress before starting new overseas installations, and preferences for American steel and U.S. contractors.

DIVISION E--EXTENSION OF AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS

This division extends agricultural programs from the 2018 Farm Bill and related laws through September 30, 2026, keeping existing rules and funding levels in place. It also extends the U.S. Grain Standards Act through January 30, 2026 and makes specific updates to dairy, commodity, energy, and trade programs. Several mandatory funding provisions are excluded from the general extension and must be handled separately.

DIVISION F--HEALTH EXTENDERS

This division extends temporary funding and program authority for a wide range of health programs through January 30, 2026. It continues money for community health centers, the National Health Service Corps, diabetes programs, Medicare payment rules, telehealth flexibilities, Medicaid hospital payments, and several public health programs. It also reauthorizes user fees that drug companies pay to the FDA for reviewing over-the-counter drug products through 2030.

DIVISION G--DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS EXTENDERS

This division extends many Department of Veterans Affairs programs and authorities through September 30, 2026, that were set to expire on September 30, 2025. It covers health care copayments, nursing home care, suicide prevention grants, rural mental health access, homeless veteran housing programs, and adapted housing for disabled veterans. It also makes changes to the VA Partial Claim Program, which helps veterans avoid foreclosure, and requires the Government Accountability Office to report on how that program is working.

DIVISION H--MISCELLANEOUS

This division says that the spending in several parts of this bill will not be counted on the official budget scorecards used to track whether new laws add to the deficit. It also sets the balances on those scorecards to zero at the end of the first session of the 119th Congress, which prevents automatic across-the-board spending cuts that would otherwise be triggered. This is a technical budget rule that affects how the costs of the bill are measured and reported.