Continuing Appropriations and Extensions and Other Matters Act, 2026
This bill combines a year-long stopgap funding package for FY 2026 with a broad set of extensions and miscellaneous measures across multiple federal programs and agencies. Division A provides continuing appropriations at the FY 2025 funding levels to keep government operations running into FY 2026, with a default end date of October 31, 2025 or upon enactment of a full appropriations bill, whichever comes first. Division B adds temporary extensions for specific programs (notably health care extenders) and a variety of targeted policy and budget actions (emergency designations, security-related funding, oversight provisions, and select program adjustments). The overall aim is to prevent a lapse in funding while giving Congress time to negotiate full-year appropriations, though it also imposes certain spending restraints and special designations. Key features include limits on new Defense procurements not funded in 2025, temporary funding extensions for health centers and related programs, additional security and judiciary funding, and several tailored budgetary adjustments and oversight requirements. The act also designates certain funding as emergency requirements and contains a number of specific, sometimes controversial, spending tweaks (e.g., support for national security, space, and housing programs) that would become effective if the bill is enacted.
Key Points
- 1Continuation of funding for FY 2026 at FY 2025 levels (Division A). The Act authorizes appropriations to cover government operations for the 2026 fiscal year and makes those funds available under the same general terms as the relevant prior-year appropriations, with a sunset/exit condition tied to enactment of a full appropriations bill or October 31, 2025, whichever occurs first.
- 2Defense procurement restrictions (Sec. 102). Funds made available under the continuation are not to be used to start new defense production not funded in FY 2025, to raise production rates above FY 2025 levels, or to initiate/continue multi-year procurements unless specifically appropriated later. Also restricts certain advance procurement unless later funded.
- 3Health extenders (Division B, Sec. 2101). Temporary extension of funding for key public health programs, including:
- 4- Community Health Centers: adds a specific additional amount for Oct 1–Oct 31, 2025.
- 5- National Health Service Corps: adds a specific amount for Oct 1–Oct 31, 2025.
- 6- Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education (GME): includes a short-term funding extension for Oct 1–Oct 31, 2025.
- 7Security/Judiciary funding and oversight (various sections). The bill provides additional emergency funding for:
- 8- Supreme Court protection of justices’ residences.
- 9- Court security improvements for courthouses and facilities.
- 10- U.S. Marshals Service (including a separate appropriation for security-related purposes).
- 11Budget process and emergency designation mechanics. The bill includes numerous provisions to designate certain amounts as emergency requirements, adjust apportionment/obligation rules, and modify or extend certain existing budget enforcement and accounting rules. It also authorizes various targeted transfers and program-specific adjustments (e.g., energy, space/defense, disaster relief, and housing programs) and requires reporting to appropriations committees.