Lawmakers reach deal on three-bill spending package, House to vote this week

The House will vote this week on a bipartisan three-bill spending package negotiated by top appropriators in both chambers.

The package, released Monday, will fund the departments of Energy, Commerce, Justice and Interior, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency through the remainder of fiscal 2026, which began Oct. 1.

If it passes through both chambers, it will be an important step toward averting a partial government shutdown after Jan. 30, when nine of the 12 annual appropriations bills that are currently running on stopgap funding expire.

Congress already passed full-year funding for the other three in November as part of a deal to end the record 43-day government shutdown.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the House advancing the three-bill package this week would “build momentum toward completing the annual appropriations process without a bloated omnibus bill.”

“As these bills come to the floor, we are reaffirming our commitment to return to regular order, restore accountability to the process, and be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars,” the Louisiana Republican said.

The three-bill package totals roughly $180 billion in funding.

Republicans said it includes less spending than would have occurred if lawmakers passed another stopgap measure extending the previous fiscal year levels, known as a continuing resolution.

Democrats said the package spends $35 billion more than Mr. Trump requested in his budget proposal.

The bicameral agreement on the three-bill package likely means the Senate will abandon its plans to try again to advance a five-bill package that stalled before the holidays, since it also included funding for Commerce, Justice and Interior.

Senate Appropriations Chair Susan M. Collins, Maine Republican, praised the deal on the three-bill package, saying it “restrains spending while providing essential federal investments that will improve water infrastructure in our country, enhance our nation’s energy and national security, and spur scientific research necessary to maintain U.S. competitiveness.”

House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, Oklahoma Republican, had wanted to advance the remaining nine spending bills in packages of three throughout January, and Monday’s release reflects the first step of his plan.

“This bipartisan, bicameral package reflects steady progress toward completing FY26 funding responsibly,” he said. “It invests in priorities crucial to the American people: making our communities safer, supporting affordable and reliable energy, and responsibly managing vital resources.”

Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said the package reflects her party’s “forceful rejection of draconian cuts to public services” President Trump and congressional Republicans proposed to the tune of $163 billion.

“As the cost-of-living crisis exacerbated by the Trump administration continues to worsen, this package makes meaningful investments to bring down costs for utility bills and provides substantial funding for clean energy,” she said.

Democrats secured a $3 million increase in funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program that saves families an average of $372 per year on their energy bills through energy efficiency upgrades.

Mr. Trump had proposed eliminating the program in his budget, one of several “heartless cuts” Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said her party prevented.

“This package rejects President Trump’s push to let our competitors do laps around us by slashing federal funding for scientific research by upwards of 50% and killing thousands of good jobs in the process,” she said. “It protects essential funding for our public lands, rejects steep proposed cuts to public safety grants that keep our communities safe, and boosts funding for key flood mitigation projects.”