Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act

Full Title:
Continuing Appropriations and Extensions and Other Matters Act, 2026

Summary#

This bill provides temporary funding and extends many program authorities for the period leading into fiscal year 2026. It continues prior-year funding rates and authority for most departments and agencies for projects and activities that were active in fiscal year 2025, and sets an outer date of October 31, 2025 for the temporary funding unless a full-year fiscal year 2026 appropriation is enacted sooner. The bill includes restrictions on how Department of Defense continuing funds may be used, designates some added amounts as emergency or disaster funding, and makes many one-month extensions and targeted funding adjustments across health, veterans, justice, science, energy, transportation, cybersecurity, and other programs. It also contains a provision that changes the premium tax credit rules (an ongoing health insurance tax credit) effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2025, and a section on budget scorekeeping that limits how the bill’s budgetary effects are recorded.

What it means for you#

  • Federal programs and services named in the bill will continue operating at rates and under conditions like those in fiscal year 2025 through October 31, 2025, unless a full fiscal year 2026 appropriation is passed earlier.
  • Health programs receive many short extensions (examples include community health centers, telehealth flexibilities, WIC funding, and other public health programs) so local clinics, patients, and beneficiaries can expect continuity for the month covered.
  • Veterans programs and several veterans benefits and grants are extended through October 31, 2025.
  • Certain national security, law enforcement, and courthouse security programs receive added or continued funding (for example, U.S. Marshals Service amounts and court security funds) and new reporting requirements for protective details.
  • Research and science accounts (National Science Foundation, NASA missions, NOAA research) are continued at rates needed to maintain current activities during the covered period.
  • The bill temporarily preserves prior-year funding for many programs while Congress finishes 2026 appropriations.

Expenses#

The bill text specifies many individual dollar amounts rather than a single total. Selected amounts explicitly in the bill text include:

  • WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children): $8,200,000,000 (sec. 120).
  • Community Health Centers, National Health Service Corps, and Teaching Health Centers: specific one-month appropriation amounts (see healthcare extenders in Division B, Title I).
  • National Health Security and other public health extenders: amounts and date extensions to October 31, 2025 (see Division B, Title I).
  • United States Marshals Service: $30,000,000 (salaries/expenses; sec. 128) and $30,000,000 (construction; sec. 129).
  • Corporation for Public Broadcasting: $490,960,000 (sec. 154).
  • Supreme Court residences protection: $28,000,000 (sec. 144).
  • Court security improvements: $52,000,000 (sec. 145).
  • Congressional security and continuity funds: $90,000,000 (House Sergeant at Arms; sec. 160), $66,500,000 (Senate contingent expenses; sec. 160), and $30,000,000 (Capitol Police mutual aid reimbursements; sec. 160).
  • Office of Management and Budget Inspector General: $20,000,000 initial appropriation (sec. 143).
  • National Nuclear Security Administration weapons activities adjustment: substitute amount $149,244,000 in place of $118,056,000 in a prior provision (sec. 133).
  • Department of Defense: up to $154,000,000 may be apportioned for completion of prior-year submarine programs (sec. 131); $199,676,000 for E-7 Wedgetail research, development, test, and evaluation (sec. 132) plus a $200,000,000 transfer for E-7 prototyping.
  • European Bank for Reconstruction and Development capital increase authorization plus an appropriation authorization of $437,457,804 (sec. 162).
  • Medicare Improvement Fund amount changed to $1,033,000,000 (sec. 2120).
  • Numerous other one-month funding amounts and date extensions appear throughout Division B.

Where the bill uses continuing appropriations language ("such sums as may be necessary" or funding "at the rate for operations as provided for fiscal year 2025"), the bill does not state a single aggregate cost figure. No publicly available information in the bill text provides a single total cost for the entire Act.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.