Congress returned this week from the holiday recess facing a long list of unfinished legislative business. Top on the list is to complete action on the remaining FY 2026 funding bills. In its last action prior to recess, Congress ended the longest government shutdown by passing a package three of the twelve full-year appropriations bills and approving a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the rest the government until January 30, 2026. Nine bills still need to be finalized. The Department of Agriculture legislation was one of the three approved bills so USDA programs are no longer threatened. The transportation appropriations bill was not finalized which could affect some programs; however, highway and bridge construction programs are not directly impacted because they are funded through the Highway Trust fund. Negotiations are ongoing for the remaining bills, but key disagreements, especially on Defense and HHS, suggest another temporary fix (CR) may be needed.
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