On February 3, the House approved the Senate-passed (by a vote of 71 to 29) government funding minibus, S.7148. The House vote was 217 to 214. The process was full of drama and there still remain knotty immigration enforcement issues to work out by February 13. But with the exception of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the federal government is now fully funded through September 30, 2026.
The $1.2 trillion government funding bill provides funds for the Departments of Labor, Health & Human Services, Treasury, the Securities and Exchange Commission and others. It also provides an extension of the National Flood Insurance Program through 9/30/26.
Driven by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) concerns and discontent, the DHS funding bill was pulled from the six-bill House-passed minibus and replaced with a temporary funding patch that lasts until February 13, 2026. Hence, intense negotiations over DHS funding have already begun and will dominate Congressional attention until the immigration enforcement issues are resolved.
Prospects: Now that most of the fiscal year (FY) 2026 funding legislation is complete, Congress can and will turn its attention to other priority issues. In addition to DHS funding, those issues could include health reform, another all-GOP reconciliation bill to further cut federal spending, and other issues (like, for example, Greenland and Venezuela).
NAIFA Staff Contacts: Diane Boyle – Senior Vice President – Government Relations, at dboyle@naifa.org; Mike Hedge – Senior Director – Government Relations, at mhedge@naifa.org; or Jayne Fitzgerald – Director – Government Relations, at jfitzgerald@naifa.org.