Under the House appropriations plan, various agencies may experience substantial reductions in their budgets
The GOP-led fiscal year 2026 appropriations package proposes significant cuts for several government agencies compared to current spending levels, but these cuts are generally less severe than those requested in President Trump's earlier budget proposals.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The House Republican bill proposes a dramatic 23% cut to the EPA's budget for FY26. This reduction is still less drastic than President Trump's proposed cuts, which exceeded 50%. Additionally, the budgets for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service would each be reduced by about 6% under the GOP package. Despite these reductions, all three agency budgets remain higher than Trump’s original FY26 budget requests.
Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
The House bill includes provisions to slash agency workforces, including a 26% workforce reduction at HUD and a 5% cut in staffing for other agencies funded under the Transportation and HUD bill, excluding those related to transportation safety. Funding for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would support hiring 2,500 air traffic controllers, though this funding is less than in the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act.
Legislative Branch
The Senate-approved FY26 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill provides $7.125 billion for congressional operations, maintaining or slightly increasing funding to support the Capitol workforce, constituent services, and facility maintenance. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is funded at $811.9 million, level with FY25, contrasting with House Republican proposals that would have cut the agency. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) receives $71.4 million, a slight increase.
ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives)
According to the Trump administration's FY26 budget proposal, cuts totaling $468 million were planned for the ATF. However, the GOP-led appropriations package details around the ATF funding in FY26 are not fully outlined in the search results.
Other Programmes
Some social programmes like child care saw increases in funding compared to prior years (e.g., Community Development Block Grants raised to $7.37 billion, up from $5.9 billion in FY21), while nutrition assistance programmes face cuts such as SNAP benefits reduced by over $180 billion over 10 years under broader budget reconciliation efforts, though these are not exclusive to the GOP appropriations package.
Other Agencies
The proposed budget cuts for the Department of Justice's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives could reduce the agency's workforce by more than 1,000 employees. The FBI's discretionary budget for 2026 would be $10.1 billion, a 5% reduction from its current enacted budget. The Bureau of Prisons would receive about $513 million more than its current spending levels for 2025, representing a 6% overall increase. However, the U.S. Forest Service would experience a 1.2% budget reduction in 2026, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would face a 6% budget reduction in 2026.
The proposed budget for NSF is more than $2 billion below its current spending allocations. The House Appropriations Committee's spending proposal for the Department of Housing and Urban Development would result in a 26% staffing cut on top of the workforce cuts already underway at HUD.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins expressed concerns about a lack of detail from the Office of Management and Budget about where the rescissions would take place. The Senate Appropriations Committee has advanced two spending proposals - the Agriculture and Legislative Branch bills - with bipartisan support. The Commerce Department would face a 2.5% budget reduction under the House's proposal for 2026.
- The GOP-led fiscal year 2026 appropriations package suggests a 23% cut to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) budget, despite being less drastic than President Trump's proposed cuts.
- The House bill proposes a 26% workforce reduction at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and a 5% cut in staffing for other agencies funded under the Transportation and HUD bill.
- In contrast, the Senate-approved FY26 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill provides increased funding for congressional operations, maintaining or slightly increasing funding for the Capitol workforce, constituent services, and facility maintenance.
- The proposed budget for the National Science Foundation (NSF) is more than $2 billion below its current spending allocations, revealing potential adjustments in the finance sector of this agency as part of the policy-and-legislation changes.
