House Unveils Major Spending Package as Congress Races to Avert Shutdown

By Ginika Igboke

Congress is continuing work on annual appropriations bills to fund federal operations, covering everything from missile defense and immigration enforcement to security for major international events such as the World Cup.

On Jan. 20, the House Appropriations Committee released a sweeping spending package that would fund the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development.

Lawmakers are under pressure to pass all 12 required appropriations bills for the fiscal year. So far, four have been signed into law by President Donald Trump. The newly released package includes some of the largest and most consequential funding items still awaiting congressional action.

The current deadline to avoid a government shutdown is Jan. 30, though leaders in both parties have said they want to prevent a repeat of last year’s 43-day shutdown.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) praised the legislation, describing it as a reflection of national priorities.

“America has always been a nation of builders—of ideas, infrastructure, opportunity, and security,” Cole said in a statement, adding that the bill emphasizes military readiness, public safety, education, health systems, and modern transportation while limiting wasteful spending.

Below is a breakdown of what’s included in the package.

Defense

One bill would provide $839.2 billion for the Department of War, keeping funding roughly in line with fiscal year (FY) 2025 levels.

Of that amount, about $13.4 billion is allocated for missile defense and space programs tied to the proposed Golden Dome missile defense network. Another $4.5 billion is dedicated to hypersonic weapons development, including testing infrastructure.

The bill includes a 3.8 percent pay raise for all U.S. service members and allocates $193.3 billion for active-duty, reserve, and National Guard personnel—an increase of $10.8 billion over FY 2025.

Operations and maintenance funding totals $294.4 billion, supporting military readiness, base operations, and initiatives such as the Counter-ISIS Train and Equip Fund. An additional $1.1 billion is designated for counter-drug programs.

Procurement funding totals $167.5 billion, including $7.6 billion for 47 F-35 fighter jets and $440 million for F-35 and F135 engine spare parts.

The bill also provides international security assistance, including $1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative, $150 million to replace defense articles and reimburse services provided to Taiwan, $500 million for Israeli missile defense cooperation, $202.5 million for joint U.S.-Israel defense efforts, and $40 million in security assistance for the Philippines.

Looking ahead, Trump has proposed $1.7 trillion in defense spending for FY 2027, though that debate will occur in a future budget cycle.

Homeland Security

Another high-profile bill would provide $64.4 billion for the Department of Homeland Security, including $3 billion for defense-related activities, keeping funding near FY 2025 levels.

The legislation allocates $10 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a key agency in the administration’s efforts to arrest and deport illegal immigrants, particularly those with criminal records. ICE funding includes $3.8 billion for detention and deportation operations, $743.9 million for transportation and removal, and $165 million for fugitive operations.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection would receive $18.3 billion, including $513 million to support staffing levels of up to 22,000 Border Patrol agents. The bill eliminates funding for certain border management programs that critics argue contributed to higher levels of illegal crossings. The administration has said border security has improved since Trump took office in January 2025.

The measure also sets aside $25 million for security related to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and events commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary. To counter China’s influence, $116 million is directed to expand U.S. Coast Guard operations in the Indo-Pacific region.

Additional funding includes $11.8 billion for the Transportation Security Administration and $123 million for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education

The third bill funds the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.

The Labor Department would receive $13.7 billion, a significant increase from roughly $10.7 billion in FY 2025, while cutting about $62 million from the federal bureaucracy. The bill also includes approximately $13 million in reductions to federal labor law enforcement agencies, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

It provides $285 million to support Trump’s executive order aimed at expanding apprenticeship programs nationwide.

The Department of Health and Human Services would receive $116.6 billion, slightly below FY 2025 levels. The bill includes roughly $100 million in bureaucratic reductions. Of the total, $49 billion is allocated to the National Institutes of Health, and $418 million is dedicated to rural health programs, particularly hospitals facing possible closure.

The legislation eliminates funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s work on “social determinants of health,” which Republicans argue promotes social engineering rather than focusing on disease prevention.

The Department of Education would receive $79 billion, largely holding funding at FY 2025 levels, despite Trump’s request for cuts. The bill includes $500 million for charter schools and maintains current funding levels for Pell Grants.

Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development

The fourth bill provides about $25 billion for the Department of Transportation, slightly below last year’s funding. Combined with $83 billion in obligation limitations for highways and airports, total transportation funding would reach about $108.3 billion.

The Federal Aviation Administration would receive $22 billion, including $10 billion to fully fund air traffic control operations and replace retiring staff. The Federal Highway Administration would receive about $64 billion, a $1.9 billion increase over FY 2025.

The bill also allocates more than $4 billion for railroad safety and operations, including $2.4 billion for Amtrak. It includes $950 million in spending rescissions, most of which come from cuts to high-speed rail grants.

Finally, the legislation provides $77.3 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, with the majority of funds directed toward federal housing and rental assistance programs.