The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 is the federal government's main spending bill for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026. Think of it as the government's budget that decides how much money different departments and programs get to operate.

The bulk of this bill funds the Department of Defense and military operations. It provides billions of dollars to pay active-duty soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines across all five military branches—the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force. It also funds reserve components and National Guard units. For example, the Army gets about $54.5 billion just for paying active-duty personnel and covering their basic expenses like housing and food. Beyond personnel costs, the bill funds military operations and maintenance, equipment repairs, training facilities, and base operations across all branches.

The bill also allocates significant funding for military equipment and weapons production, including aircraft, missiles, combat vehicles, and ammunition—billions of dollars spread across these categories to keep the military supplied and modernized. Additionally, it includes money for international military assistance programs, such as training and equipping foreign forces fighting ISIS, humanitarian aid programs overseas, and nuclear threat reduction efforts. The bill also contains various other provisions related to education, transportation, and labor laws, though these are less detailed in the provided text. Essentially, this is Congress's way of saying how much money each part of the government gets to spend over the next year.

Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2026

Cole, Tom

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026This bill provides FY2026 appropriations to several federal departments and agencies. It also extends various expiring programs and authorities.Specifically, the bill includes 3 of the 12 regular FY2026 appropriations bills:<ul><li>the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2026;</li><li>the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations&nbsp; Act, 2026; and</li><li>the Transportation, Housing and&nbsp;Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.</li></ul>The departments and agencies funded in the bill include<ul><li>the&nbsp;Department of Defense,</li><li>the Department of Labor,</li><li>the Department of Health and Human Services,</li><li>the Department of Education,</li><li>the Department of Transportation,</li><li>the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and</li><li>related agencies.&nbsp;</li></ul>The bill also extends several expiring programs and authorities, including<ul><li>the U.S. Grain Standards Act;</li><li>the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s whistleblower program;</li><li>the National Flood Insurance Program;</li><li>the Forest Service's participation in the Agriculture Conservation Experienced Services Program;</li><li>the Transportation Security Administration’s&nbsp;Reimbursable Screening Services Program;</li><li>the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee;</li><li>several authorities and programs related to cybersecurity;</li><li>the technology modernization fund and board;</li><li>the U.S. Parole Commission;</li><li>the special assessment on nonindigent persons or entities convicted of certain offenses involving sexual abuse or human trafficking;</li><li>several immigration-related programs and authorities;</li><li>the authority for the U.S. Sentencing Commission to promulgate certain guidelines or amendments related to the use of unmanned aircraft;&nbsp;</li><li>certain bankruptcy fees;</li><li>trade preferences for Haiti and countries in sub-Saharan Africa;</li><li>the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program; and</li><li>several health care authorities and programs.</li></ul>