Sponsor
Tom Cole
Representative · R-OK
Representative · R-OK
This bill preserves short‑term program continuity, emergency response capacity, and targeted health/veterans support, but does so by extending prior funding levels, rescinding balances, constraining agency flexibility, and weakening budget transparency — trading immediate stability for greater fiscal and operational constraints going forward.
Millions of Americans (benefit recipients, federal employees, and program partners) keep benefits, services, and paychecks because the bill provides continuing appropriations and temporary extensions through early FY2026, avoiding immediate funding gaps or government disruptions.
Veterans, rural patients, and other care-seekers receive sustained and increased health and veterans services (including community health center funding, telehealth flexibilities, VA program appropriations, caregiver and homelessness funding), preserving access to care and supports into FY2026.
The bill prevents immediate across-the-board PAYGO offsets or sequestration triggers tied to these divisions, avoiding abrupt cuts to programs and benefits that would otherwise occur under automatic enforcement rules.
Millions of Americans and program beneficiaries face delayed policy updates and new initiatives because continuing appropriations freeze FY2025/FY2026 funding levels and bar many new program starts or higher production rates, constraining agency flexibility and delaying updated priorities.
The bill increases long‑term fiscal risk and reduces budget transparency by removing PAYGO accounting/safeguards and rescinding prior balances, which can let net deficits grow without automatic offsets and obscure true budgetary costs.
Defense, VA, and other procurement and construction programs face higher costs, slower timelines, and reduced readiness because the bill limits production ramp‑ups, restricts certain contract types, favors domestic suppliers, and tightens reprogramming authority.
Based on analysis of 30 sections of legislative text.
Provides FY2026 continuing appropriations and short-term public health funding, extends many agriculture and VA authorities through Sept 30, 2026, and imposes agency rules and notification requirements.
Introduced September 16, 2025 by Tom Cole · Last progress November 12, 2025
Provides continuing appropriations and targeted funding for federal programs into FY2026 and short-term extensions for specific public health, agriculture, and veterans authorities. It continues FY2025 funding rates and authorities through specified deadlines (largely through Jan 30, 2026, or Sept 30, 2026 for many programs), adds one-time funding for community health centers, National Health Service Corps, teaching health centers, and diabetes programs, and extends multiple USDA and VA statutory authorities for an additional year. Also places programmatic rules and restrictions across agencies: limits certain Department of Defense construction and procurement actions, sets conditions on USDA vehicle purchases and transfers to its Working Capital Fund, directs the VA to stop using Social Security numbers for authentication, requires FDA reporting and guidance changes for OTC topical drugs, and imposes legislative-branch and appropriations process controls (including PAYGO exclusions and House vehicle lease limits).