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News and updates

Shutdown Updates

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Negotiations continue to intensify between the White House and Senate Democrats as they attempt to reach a last-minute agreement over how to advance the remaining appropriations bills.

During a 45-55 test vote this morning, Democrats voted to block the package, as they continue to push for an agreement to separate Homeland Security from the rest of the legislation, allowing them to approve the five other bills which would fund the majority of the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year. A handful of Republicans also opposed the package, citing various spending objections.

The list of demands from Senate Democrats include ending roving patrols, requiring body cameras, preventing agents from wearing masks, and requiring them to work more closely with local law enforcement.

A partial government shutdown beginning at midnight on Friday is now almost certain.

Partial government shutdown looms

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The听likelihood of a partial government shutdown has increased, as Senate Democrats face pressure to block听Department of Homeland Security funding following the fatal shootings of听U.S. citizens听Alex Pretti and Renee Good听by听federal immigration officers听in听Minneapolis this month.听Congress has until January 30 to pass a spending resolution, to avoid shutting down听large portions听of the government.听听

On January 22, the House sent the听$1.2 trillion听appropriations package to the Senate, which included听roughly听$10 billion听for ICE听(full details are in the听previous听blog post).听The DHS funding bill received a separate vote听in the House, narrowly passing by a vote of 220-207. Only seven Democrats voted in favor, as听public pressure mounts to听rein in ICE following large-scale protests in Minnesota.听听

The听package听seemed poised to pass听the Senate with at least 60 votes,听but following the听shooting of听Alex Pretti听on January 24, Senate Democrats have听vowed听they will not fund DHS without new guardrails.听听

Weather-related听disruptions听from the winter storm have complicated听matters;听the Senate vote scheduled for听January 26听has been听rescheduled听until at least听January 27.听Senate Minority Leader Chuck听Schumer hopes to separate the DHS听bill听from the rest of the measures, which have overwhelming bipartisan support. However, even if Senate Democrats can convince听Republicans to听separate听it, the legislation would need approval again in the House, which is on recess until February 2.听All听this听points towards a听likely shutdown听beginning Friday.听

Unlike the last government shutdown, many government operations would remain operational.听Congress has already passed six out of the 12 full-year appropriations bills, which have been signed into law by President Trump.听This includes funding for the Departments of Justice, Commerce, Agriculture, Interior, Veterans Affairs, and the Legislative Branch.听听

More details to come.听

Final FY26 Appropriations Bills Released

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As plenty of current events grab the national headlines, appropriators on the Hill have been quietly negotiating the remaining FY26 funding bills, ahead of the January 30th shutdown deadline. These bills largely reject the massive cuts proposed by President Trump to HHS, NIH, NOAA, EPA, USGS, and NASA, among many other federal agencies. Congress has also rejected proposals to eliminate multiple federal programs and reorganize agency structures, while looking to rebuild staffing levels after the Trump administration slashed workforces across numerous agencies last year.

Tuesday morning, the Senate and House Appropriations Committee released as one package text of the four remaining FY26 bills: Defense; Homeland Security; Labor, Health and Human Services, Education; and Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development. Full bill text is available .

These bills will now need to pass both the House and Senate. The Homeland Security bill is expected to be a point of major contention, as the bill includes modest reforms to ICE (including funding for body cameras and de-escalation training), but does not include broader structural reforms many Democrats have proposed. House Committee on Appropriations Ranking Member Rose DeLauro announced yesterday morning she expects it to receive a separate vote in the House.

These bills include:

  • $116.8 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services ($210 million increase from FY25)
  • $48.7 billion for the National Institutes of Health ($415 million increase from FY25)
  • $79 billion for the Department of Education ($217 million increase from FY25)
  • $1.19 billion for TRIO and $388 million for GEAR UP (level with FY25)
  • Retains the full $7,395 maximum grant amount for Pell Grants
  • $838.7 billion for the Department of Defense, including $145.9 billion for research, development, testing, and evaluation functions ($4.7 billion increase from FY25)

Last week, the Senate joined the House in passing a minibus of three bills: Commerce, Justice, Science; Interior and Environment; and Energy and Water Development. These bills now go to President Trump to be signed into law. Text of the three-bill package is available While most agencies face minor reductions, they are far below the levels President Trump proposed in his budget request.

The bills include:

  • $8.7 billion for the National Science Foundation (a 3% cut from FY25)
  • $7.25 billion for NASA Science (a 1% cut)
  • $8.4 billion for the Department of Energy Office of Science (a 2% increase)
  • $350 million for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy (a 24% cut)
  • $207 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts (same funding level as FY25)

Senator Murray visits UW, celebrating $10M federal funding for AI research

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On Friday, Senator Patty Murray visited the UW’s eScience Institute to speak with students about how they are harnessing AI in their research. Senator Murray recently secured $10 million in federal funding for the UW to expand its secure computing and data infrastructure for AI research. This funding, part of the Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill, will support Tillicum, the UW’s next-generation computing platform which launched in October.

鈥淚f you don鈥檛 have the computers, if you don鈥檛 have the basic infrastructure, you鈥檙e stymied,鈥� Murray said in an interview with GeekWire. 鈥淪o this benefits everybody 鈥斕齱hether it鈥檚 creating jobs, whether it鈥檚 creating better healthcare, whether it鈥檚 creating more innovators who come here to Washington state to be able to create jobs for the future and make a better way of life for all of us.鈥�

Read more about the visit听

Photo Credit: Kate Rich

Topline Agreement Reached

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Just in time for the holidays, House Appropriation Chair Tom Cole (OK) and Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (ME) have announced a topline agreement for the remaining appropriations bills.

When lawmakers return from their year-end recess, Congress will have four weeks to close out a funding deal before the late-January shutdown deadline. The topline amounts have not been made public, but an agreement is critical to begin negotiations between House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats before the current Continuing Resolution expires at the end of January.

Details per the release:

  • Under this agreement, total FY26 spending will be below the level projected in the current continuing resolution set to expire in the coming weeks, delivering real savings for American taxpayers.
  • Full-year appropriations are necessary to implement Republican priorities aligned with the Trump Administration.
  • Gone are the days of Christmas omnibuses. Funding decisions will move through a deliberate, member-driven process that emphasizes transparency, accountability, and timely consideration.