Fiscal 2026 funding discussions to dominate House, Senate agenda

WASHINGTON — Congress once again left for August without clearing a final version of a single appropriations bill, meaning the September agenda will be dominated by partisan wrangling over how to avoid a partial government shutdown in less than a month.

Current government funding expires on Sept. 30, and this year the circumstances are more fraught than usual, with the White House Office of Management and Budget attempting “pocket” rescissions as the end of the fiscal year approaches.

“Any effort to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval is a clear violation of the law,” Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, said in a statement. “Instead of this attempt to undermine the law, the appropriate way is to identify ways to reduce excessive spending through the