Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026

This section appropriates funds for the pay, allowances, clothing, subsistence, travel, and retirement contributions for active duty and reserve personnel across all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, including the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, and National Guard. It ensures that military members and their families receive their entitled compensation and benefits.

This section provides over $56 billion for the day-to-day operations and maintenance of Department of Defense activities and agencies outside the individual military departments. It includes funding for combatant commander initiatives, emergency expenses, APEX Accelerators (supporting small businesses), network optimization, classified activities, and security cooperation programs for foreign forces.

This section appropriates over $27 billion for the construction, acquisition, or conversion of naval vessels, including submarines (Columbia and Virginia Class), aircraft carriers (CVN-80, CVN-81), destroyers (DDG-51, DDG-1000), frigates (FFG, FF(X)), and various support ships. It also covers long lead-time components, plant equipment, and completion of prior year shipbuilding programs.

This section appropriates over $41 billion for medical and health care programs for the Department of Defense. This includes significant funding for operation and maintenance (including TRICARE contracts), procurement of medical equipment, and research, development, test and evaluation, with specific allocations for congressionally directed medical research programs and HIV prevention activities.

This section appropriates nearly $4 billion for various employment and training services under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and the National Apprenticeship Act. This includes grants to States for adult, youth, and dislocated worker activities, national programs like the dislocated workers assistance national reserve, Native American programs, migrant and seasonal farmworker programs, YouthBuild, ex-offender activities, and significant funding to expand registered apprenticeships.

This section appropriates over $3.5 billion for global health activities, including child survival and maternal health, immunization, nutrition, water and sanitation, and programs for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, polio, malaria, and other infectious diseases. It also includes funding for family planning/reproductive health, with specific provisos regarding coercive abortion/sterilization and medically accurate information on condoms.

This section appropriates over $50 billion across various NIH institutes and centers for basic and applied scientific research. Major allocations include funding for the National Cancer Institute, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (including universal flu vaccine research), National Institute on Aging, and the Office of the Director (including the Common Fund and Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes study). It also includes $350 million for buildings and facilities and $1.5 billion for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).

This section appropriates over $7 billion for mental health and substance abuse treatment and prevention programs. Key allocations include funding for the Mental Health Block Grant, National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, Children's Mental Health Services, Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness, and significant amounts for substance abuse treatment (including State Opioid Response Grants and section 1003 of the 21st Century Cures Act). It also funds the 988 Lifeline and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics.

This section appropriates over $508 billion for grants to States to carry out the Medicaid program, which provides medical assistance to low-income individuals. It includes forward funding for the last quarter of fiscal year 2026 and the first quarter of fiscal year 2027 to ensure continuous state operations.

This section appropriates over $8.8 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 1990. These funds are intended to supplement, not supplant, State general revenue for child care assistance for low-income families. It includes provisions for technical assistance and a reservation of not less than 5 percent for payments to Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations.

This section appropriates over $19 billion for programs under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which provides financial assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs) for disadvantaged students. It includes funding for basic grants, concentration grants, targeted grants, and education finance incentive grants, with forward funding for the 2026-2027 academic year. It also allocates funds for subpart 2 of part B of title II of ESEA and section 418A of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

This section appropriates over $15.4 billion for carrying out the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act of 2004. It includes significant forward funding for the 2026-2027 academic year for grants to states to support the education of children with disabilities. It also includes provisions for distributing funds when a state's allocation is reduced due to non-compliance.

This section appropriates over $13.7 billion for the necessary expenses of the FAA, including operations and research for commercial space transportation, administrative expenses for R&D, establishment and maintenance of air navigation facilities, and various aviation safety and air traffic organization activities. It includes specific funding levels for aviation safety, air traffic organization, commercial space transportation, finance, NextGen, security, and staff offices.

This section provides over $2.3 billion for various highway infrastructure programs, including significant amounts derived from unobligated balances from prior acts. It allocates funds for Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending, Tribal transportation programs, Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects (specifically for commercial motor vehicle parking), pollinator-friendly roadsides, national scenic byways, and competitive highway bridge programs for certain states and county-owned bridges. It also includes funding for research on stormwater management and reconnecting communities.

This section appropriates over $34.4 billion for tenant-based rental assistance, primarily for renewals of expiring Section 8 housing choice voucher contracts. It includes funding for administrative expenses of public housing agencies, incremental rental assistance for supported housing programs (HUD-VASH), and the Family Unification Program. It also allows for adjustments to allocations for public housing agencies facing increased costs or unforeseen circumstances.

This section appropriates over $4.4 billion for homeless assistance programs under Title IV of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. It includes funding for Emergency Solutions Grants, the Continuum of Care program (CoC), and programs to address youth homelessness. It prioritizes funding for CoCs that reallocate from lower-performing projects and includes provisions for third-party monitoring of data and performance measures.

This section appropriates over $11 billion across three main accounts for the IRS: Taxpayer Services ($3 billion), Enforcement ($4.9 billion), and Technology and Operations Support ($3.1 billion). It includes specific allocations for Tax Counseling for the Elderly, low-income taxpayer clinics, Community Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, and the Interagency Crime and Drug Enforcement program. It also mandates quarterly reports on IT investments and includes provisions to safeguard taxpayer information and prevent targeting based on ideological beliefs.

This section appropriates $129 million for the OMB, covering necessary expenses for preparing the U.S. Government budget, carrying out chapter 35 of title 44, U.S. Code (related to information collection), and other functions. It includes provisos limiting the use of funds for reviewing agricultural marketing orders and altering congressional testimony or Corps of Engineers work plans. It also sets a 60-day limit for OMB budgetary policy reviews of water resource matters.

This section appropriates over $6.1 billion for the salaries and expenses of judges (excluding Supreme Court Justices and circuit/district judges whose salaries are permanently appropriated) and all other officers and employees of the Federal Judiciary. It covers necessary court expenses, including space alteration projects, furniture, and the purchase of firearms and ammunition. It also includes reimbursement for expenses related to National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act cases.

This section appropriates over $9.3 billion for the Department of State's diplomatic programs, including human resources, overseas operations, diplomatic policy and support, and security programs (Worldwide Security Protection). It allows for transfers between these categories and includes provisions for emergency evacuations and rewards. It also allows for crediting fees from English teaching, educational advising, and exchange visitor programs.

This section appropriates over $3.5 billion for global health activities, including child survival and maternal health, immunization, nutrition, water and sanitation, and programs for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, polio, malaria, and other infectious diseases. It also includes funding for family planning/reproductive health, with specific provisos regarding coercive abortion/sterilization and medically accurate information on condoms. An additional $5.8 billion is appropriated for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and control, including a $1.25 billion contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

This section appropriates over $6.7 billion for national security investment programs, including assistance for countries in Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia, as well as global democracy programs. It includes a specific allocation of not less than 15% for programs in Africa. These funds are available to carry out various chapters of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and related acts, supporting a broad range of development and security initiatives.

This section appropriates $1.4 billion for international narcotics control and law enforcement activities. It allows the Department of State to use excess property from other U.S. agencies for foreign assistance and supports training and technical assistance for foreign law enforcement, corrections, judges, and judicial authorities. It also includes specific funding for programs to counter the flow of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs.

This section appropriates over $6.1 billion for grants to enable the President to carry out the provisions of the Arms Export Control Act, providing nonrepayable financing for foreign countries and international organizations to procure defense articles and services. It includes specific allocations for Israel ($3.3 billion) and Jordan ($425 million + $50 million), with provisos for advanced weapons systems for Israel and procurement in Israel. It also includes funding for demining and administrative expenses.

This section appropriates $339 million for necessary expenses to carry out section 301 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, which supports various international organizations and programs. It includes a requirement for a spend plan detailing proposed allocations and entities to be funded, subject to regular notification procedures. It also includes specific funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) with provisos regarding its use in China and abortion funding.

This section authorizes over $983 million for the DFC's Corporate Capital Account, supporting activities like direct and guaranteed loans, equity investments, and technical assistance in developing countries. It includes $243 million for administrative expenses and $740 million for program activities, with funds remaining available for disbursement for the term of the underlying project. It also allows for fees for project-specific transaction costs to be credited to the account.

This section allows the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, to increase the total number of H-2B nonimmigrant visas for fiscal year 2026 beyond the statutory cap. This increase is permitted if the needs of U.S. businesses for temporary nonagricultural labor cannot be met by U.S. workers, up to the highest number of H-2B returning workers exempted in any prior fiscal year.

This section extends several Medicare telehealth flexibilities until December 31, 2027. These include removing geographic requirements and expanding originating sites for telehealth services, expanding eligible practitioners, extending telehealth services for Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics, and allowing for audio-only telehealth services. It also delays in-person requirements for mental health services furnished via telehealth until January 1, 2028, and extends the use of telehealth for face-to-face encounters for hospice care recertification.

This section introduces new requirements for Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) acting on behalf of Medicare Part D prescription drug plans (PDPs) and MA-PD plans, effective January 1, 2028. PBMs must remit 100% of rebates, fees, and other remuneration from applicable entities to the PDP sponsor, with specific rules for incentive payments. It mandates transparency regarding guarantees and cost performance evaluations, requires annual reports to PDP sponsors and the Secretary with detailed drug spending and revenue information, and grants audit rights to PDP sponsors. It also includes enforcement mechanisms and anti-retaliation provisions.

This section modifies the Medicare sequestration rate for fiscal year 2033. It specifies that for the first 5 months of that fiscal year, the payment reduction shall be 2.0 percent, and for the last 7 months, the payment reduction shall be 0 percent. This effectively shifts the timing of the sequestration rather than eliminating it entirely for the fiscal year.

This section increases the appropriation for the Medicare Improvement Fund from $1,403,000,000 to $2,062,000,000. This fund is typically used by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make improvements to the Medicare program, often for initiatives that enhance quality, efficiency, or beneficiary access.

This section extends funding for several critical public health programs. It appropriates $4.6 billion for Community Health Centers for fiscal year 2026 and $1.15 billion for the first quarter of fiscal year 2027. It also extends funding for the National Health Service Corps with $350 million for fiscal year 2026 and $88.2 million for the first quarter of fiscal year 2027. Additionally, it extends funding for Teaching Health Centers that operate Graduate Medical Education programs, providing $225 million for fiscal year 2026, $250 million for fiscal year 2027, $275 million for fiscal year 2028, and $300 million for fiscal year 2029.

This section amends the Public Health Service Act to adjust the funding formula for the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program for fiscal years 2026 through 2040. The new formula multiplies the previous year's amount by 1.07 and by a ratio reflecting changes in the total number of individuals enrolled in the program. It also requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct an assessment of anticipated budget authority and outlays through 2090 and submit a report to Congress.

This section amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to enhance requirements for pediatric cancer investigations for certain drugs. It specifies that such investigations can include the drug alone or in combination with other active ingredients (either approved generics or adult cancer drugs from the same applicant targeting relevant molecular targets). It clarifies that these investigations must yield clinically meaningful pediatric data and applies to applications submitted on or after 3 years from enactment. It also requires the FDA to issue guidance on implementation.

This section establishes new requirements for entities providing Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) services on behalf of group health plans and health insurance issuers, effective 30 months after enactment. It mandates that applicable entities (including manufacturers, wholesalers, and rebate aggregators) agree not to limit or delay disclosure of information to the plan or issuer. PBMs must submit detailed semiannual reports to group health plans, including drug-specific and therapeutic class spending, rebates, and remuneration. For large plans, it requires reporting on affiliated pharmacies and formulary placement rationales. It also includes privacy requirements and enforcement mechanisms with civil monetary penalties for non-compliance.

This section amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require that, for plan years beginning 30 months after enactment, PBMs remit 100% of rebates, fees, and other remuneration received from applicable entities (like drug manufacturers) to the group health plan or health insurance issuer. It specifies remittance timing, disclosure requirements, and audit rights for plans. It also creates an exception for 'innocent plan fiduciaries' who did not know of a PBM's failure to remit funds, provided they take specific actions upon discovery, including notifying the Secretary of Labor.

This section amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the FDA, upon request, to inform generic drug applicants whether their proposed drug is qualitatively and quantitatively the same as the listed reference drug, particularly concerning inactive ingredients. If not the same, the FDA must disclose which ingredients differ and by how much. This determination, once made, cannot be changed unless the listed drug's formulation changed due to safety/effectiveness concerns or a documented error. These disclosures are authorized by law and aim to streamline generic drug development.