Deadline for Fiscal 2026 Bills Closing In on Congress
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Lawmakers returned from their August recess staring at a deadline to finalize fiscal 2026 funding for the federal government.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said any consideration of fiscal appropriations measures would coincide with the chambers debate on an annual policy bill for the Pentagon. But he noted that the Senate Appropriations Committee made progress over the summer to ensure funding for government agencies before a Sept. 30 deadline.
Weve already done some good work on appropriations in fact, for the first time in years, we went into August having passed three of the 12 appropriations bills, the leader said Sept. 2. The last time that happened, a single appropriations bill passed before the August break, was [2018]. But needless to say there is a lot more to do.
One of those bills was a fiscal 2026 transportation funding bill that would provide $927 million for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The bill also would provide the Federal Highway Administration $63.3 billion, the Federal Aviation Administration $22 billion, the Federal Transit Administration $16.8 billion and the Federal Railroad Administration $2.9 billion. This legislation moved through the appropriations panel in July.
In the end, this bill is fiscally responsible and responsive to our nations needs, adhering to budgetary constraints while making key investments to improve our nations transportation infrastructure, said Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), the bills sponsor and chairwoman of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee.
The Houses legislative version would allocate similar funds for the transportation agencies and provide $200 million specifically for expanding truck parking operations nationwide. Inadequate access to parking is acknowledged as a long-standing concern across the industry.
Beyond the few bills that have advanced, however, congressional leaders have signaled the potential for spirited partisan debates in the House and Senate ahead of the Sept. 30 federal funding deadline. Such debates are likely to trigger talk of a partial government shutdown.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is pointing to a bipartisan path for averting a shutdown. As Ive said for months, Democrats want to keep the government open in a bipartisan, common-sense way. Thats why we supported bipartisan appropriations bills in July, Schumer said Sept. 3, adding: But the ball now is in Republicans' court, in Leader Thunes court, in Speaker [Mike] Johnsons court. Republicans cannot expect Democrats to go along with a partisan bill.
Neither the House nor the Senate has cleared for President Donald Trumps signature full legislation meant to avert a partial government shutdown.
"Republicans cannot expect Democrats to go along with a partisan bill,"泭Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg)
In addition to the debate on funding measures and the Pentagon bill, Thune indicated he would press colleagues to take votes on the presidents nominees for senior administration posts. These include the top jobs at FMCSA, the FHWA and the FRA.
Thune blamed Democrats for delaying the confirmation process.
Im here to tell my Democrat colleagues that their historic obstruction cannot continue, he said.
When voters elect a president, that comes with certain expectations one of which is that a president will be able to fill up his or her administration with his or her nominees. And historically the Senate has reflected that by confirming most of a presidents civilian nominees by unanimous consent or voice vote which means, without obstruction and blocking.
On July 30, Derek Barrs, nominated by Trump to lead FMCSA, was easily approved by the Senate Commerce Committee. A former Florida Highway Patrol chief, he has more than three decades in public safety and is considered an authority on commercial vehicle safety. During a July 16 confirmation hearing, Barrs offered senators a view of how he would approach the job.
I will continue to strengthen relationships between government and stakeholders, working together on our shared goal of improving roadway safety as well as addressing critical safety issues, he said.
Also awaiting votes on the Senate floor are David Fink for the FRA, Jonathan Morrison for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Sean McMaster to run the FHWA.
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