What's in the Senate's Government Funding Minibus?

When House lawmakers return from their August recess in September, they will have to decide whether to continue down a partisan path in government funding negotiations or unite to pass all 12 appropriations bills on time, beginning with the Senate’s recently approved minibus package.

Just before leaving for their own break, senators passed a bipartisan but long-debated minibus containing three of the 12 appropriations bills that provide funding for federal agencies in fiscal year 2026, which begins Oct. 1. The package allocates more than $153 billion for military construction and Veterans Affairs — along with hundreds of billions in advance funding and mandatory spending — $27 billion for agriculture and rural development, and more than $2.2 billion for the Legislative Branch.

Appropriations bills are typically passed individually, but the minibus approach emerged due to delays in confirming President Donald Trump’s remaining civilian nominees, which in turn slowed the appropriations process. Ultimately, more than 80 senators voted for the package because of its bipartisan provisions, while the House has passed only two appropriations bills crafted by Republicans without Democratic input, largely along party lines.

With the possibility of a government shutdown looming if funding bills do not pass, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is hoping House Republicans will accept the minibus without changes. The package includes bills from the Appropriations subcommittees on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies; Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; and the Legislative Branch.

The Military Construction-VA bill provides $133.3 billion in non-defense discretionary funding and $19.8 billion in defense spending for military construction and housing. It also authorizes $300.4 billion in mandatory veterans’ programs — spending not counted in the bill’s official cost since it is considered a continuation of current policy. The measure includes advance funding for veterans in fiscal year 2027, with $122.3 billion for medical care and $262 billion for benefits.

The $27.1 billion Agriculture-FDA bill may face resistance from some House Republicans. It rejects several of President Trump’s budget cut requests, including reductions to the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and global food aid programs. The bill funds the FDA at $7 billion, NIFA at nearly $1.7 billion, and provides $1.74 billion for two international food aid programs. It also fully funds domestic nutrition assistance programs such as WIC, CSFP, SNAP, and school meals. SNAP funding may conflict with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which requires states to pay a larger share of the program’s costs.

The Legislative Branch bill funds both chambers of Congress, the U.S. Capitol Police, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Government Accountability Office, among others. It also bans members from obtaining telecommunications equipment from Huawei or ZTE, and prohibits the purchase of Chinese-manufactured drones by the Capitol Police and the Architect of the Capitol. Some House Republicans are expected to oppose certain spending levels, particularly the Senate’s funding for the GAO, which the House’s draft bill had significantly reduced.

If Congress cannot move quickly and reach bipartisan agreement on the remaining appropriations bills, lawmakers may have to pass a Continuing Resolution to keep the government funded temporarily. This would mark the fourth consecutive year Congress has relied on a stopgap measure instead of completing the appropriations process on schedule.