Senate Republicans are moving to finalize a major package of fiscal 2026 spending bills before the August recess, aiming to avert a looming government shutdown at the end of September and demonstrate progress on bipartisan appropriations, The Hill reported.
Senate Republicans are racing to pass a package of three full-year appropriations bills, covering a wide swath of federal agencies and departments, including Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, Commerce, Justice, the Food and Drug Administration, and military construction.
The package, totaling more than $250 billion in discretionary spending, has gained traction following breakthroughs in internal negotiations. Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Tuesday that Republicans had cleared key obstacles.
"We have essentially resolved the holds that have to do with appropriations," Collins told reporters, praising the "great progress" made by negotiators.
A central issue was a hold from Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who opposed language that would have downgraded the military hospital at Fort Leonard Wood to a clinic.
"We've got a deal, I think," Hawley said, describing the proposed downgrade as a "disaster" and "stupid," given the significant taxpayer investment in the rural Missouri facility.
"We need to protect it," he said.
"There will be language in this bill now that will protect it, and there will be language in this bill that will force the Army to come up with a plan to replace all of the housing at Fort Leonard Wood that needs it. It's a good outcome."
In a separate development, Republican appropriators removed language from the agricultural funding bill that would have closed what they called a "hemp loophole" created by the 2018 farm bill. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., led efforts to strike the provision, which was supported by Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., a senior appropriator.
Paul said the original proposal would have harmed farmers by regulating hemp plants too harshly.
"If there's going to be one, it's one [of] the products that humans use, and not the plant, because the plants vary a lot in potency," Paul said. "It's a terrible way to regulate this thing."
McConnell's spokesperson said the senator "wants to pass all the appropriations bills before the end of the fiscal year — and doesn't want to hold up the process — so he is working with the committee on a path forward."
Senate Democrats have remained largely silent about whether they will support the package.
"We made proposals, and the ball is in Republicans' court," said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.
The minibus plan includes about $133 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction, $80 billion for the Justice and Commerce departments and science agencies, and $27 billion for the USDA, FDA, and rural development.
Republicans are also discussing a slate of noncontroversial nominees, hoping to confirm some before leaving town. Although some senators expressed interest in Trump's recess appointments, such moves remain unlikely due to procedural constraints and a lack of consensus.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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