Legislative Branch: FY2026 Appropriations

The legislative branch appropriations bill provides funding for the Senate; House of Representatives; Joint Items; Capitol Police; Office of Congressional Workplace Rights; Congressional Budget Office (CBO); Architect of the Capitol (AOC); Library of Congress (LOC), including the Congressional Research Service (CRS); Government Publishing Office (GPO); Government Accountability Office (GAO); Congressional Office for International Leadership (COIL); and John C. Stennis Center. The FY2026 Budget Appendix volume was submitted on May 30, 2025 ($7.950 billion, or +17.9% from the FY2025 enacted level). The House and Senate Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittees held hearings on the requests in April and May 2025. On June 23, 2025, the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, held a markup of the FY2026 bill and ordered it reported (6-4). On June 26, 2025, the full House Appropriations Committee marked up the bill and reported it by roll call vote (Roll no. 8, 34-28) (H.R. 4249, H.Rept. 119-178). The House-reported bill would have provided $5.005 billion, not including Senate items, a $281.9 million decrease (-5.3%) from the comparable FY2025 enacted level. On July 10, 2025, the Senate Appropriations Committee marked up and ordered reported, by a vote of 26-1, a bill (S. 2257) to provide $4.973 billion in FY2026 funding (not including House items), an increase of $256.96 million (+5.4%). At the beginning of FY2026, neither the regular appropriations bill nor a continuing resolution (CR) had been enacted, and a partial shutdown began on October 1, 2025. The lapse in appropriations ended when P.L. 119-37 was enacted on November 12, 2025. Total legislative branch funding in P.L. 119-37, including Division C (the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2026: +5.6% compared to the comparable FY2025 level), and Division A (the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026: $522,000 for “Payment to Widows and Heirs of Deceased Members of Congress” and $30.0 million for “United States Capitol Police Mutual Aid Reimbursements”) is $7.258 billion (+7.6% including both divisions). Previously The FY2025 level of $6.740 billion represented a decrease of $9.0 million (-0.1%) from FY2024. The FY2024 level of $6.749 billion represented a decrease of $157.7 million, or -2.3%, when compared to the “grand total” for FY2023; or a decrease of $144.0 million, or -2.1%, when considering Title I only. The FY2023 level of $6.899 billion (not including supplemental appropriations of $7.5 million) represented an increase of $975.2 million (+16.5%) from the FY2022 level. The FY2022 level of $5.924 billion represented an increase of $618.8 million (+11.7%) from the FY2021 level, not including the FY2021 supplemental. The FY2021 level of $5.304 billion represented an increase of $255.0 million (+5.1%) from the FY2020 level, not including the FY2021 supplemental. The FY2020 level of $5.049 billion represented an increase of $202.8 million (+4.2%) from the FY2019 level, not including the FY2020 supplemental. The FY2019 level of $4.836 billion represented an increase of $136.0 million (+2.9%) from FY2018, not including the FY2019 supplemental. The FY2018 level of $4.700 billion represented an increase of $260.0 million (+5.9%) from FY2017. The FY2017 level of $4.440 billion represented an increase of $77.0 million (+1.7%) from FY2016. The FY2016 level of $4.363 billion represented an increase of $63.0 million (+1.5%) from FY2015. The FY2015 level of $4.300 billion represented an increase of $41.7 million (+1.0%) from FY2014. The FY2014 level of $4.259 billion represented an increase of $198 million (+4.9%) from FY2013. The FY2013 level of $4.061 billion represented a decrease of $246 million (-5.6%), including the sequestration and rescission, from FY2012. The smallest of the appropriations bills, the legislative branch bill comprises approximately 0.4% of total discretionary budget authority.