Budget

Senate Dems demand immigration agents unmask, wear body cameras and carry IDs as shutdown looms

The lawmakers say the measures are needed to increase transparency and accountability within Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.

Broken policy breaks budgeting even more

COMMENTARY | The latest funding standoff underscores why budget experts are calling for a radical overhaul of a process that no longer reliably funds the government.

Path to averting a shutdown remains elusive as lawmakers debate DHS funding

About half of the federal government would cease full operations if Congress cannot come up with a plan by Friday night.

Congressional appropriators won’t codify Trump’s ban on gender-affirming care for feds after all

Compromise minibus appropriations legislation unveiled Sunday removes a provision that would have affirmed the Trump administration’s removal of gender-affirming care from federal workers’ health insurance in statute.

A federal workforce census, targeted cuts and more key takeaways from the latest FY26 spending package

The latest "minibus" fully funds some offices Trump sought to zero out, creates a new flexible account for the president and has some suggestions for new federal building designs.

Major takeaways for federal agencies from the latest bipartisan spending package

The new "minibus" rejects many Trump proposals, from reorganizations to program eliminations.

BEAD changes broke the law, federal watchdog finds

The Government Accountability Office found that last summer’s tweaks to the program should be submitted to Congress for approval before they can take effect.

Report: Federal statistical system needs help to meet its ‘basic mission’ in the face of upheaval

Statistical agencies have lost scores of staff under the Trump administration, threatening their ability to meet their mission, according to a new report from the American Statistical Association.

Hegseth hints at higher defense budgets as OMB says another reconciliation bill is possible

Analysts had warned that the $156 billion reconciliation bill might lead to efforts unsustainable without more money.

Agencies will have to contend with tight budgets even after Trump, contracting association predicts

While agencies are currently facing reduced budgets, the Professional Services Council expects that trend will continue due to the potential exhaustion of Medicare and Social Security funding.

Civilian agency spending cratered during shutdown

October spending during the shutdown dropped by as much as 80% for some agencies compared to October 2024.

Lawmakers signal support for using AI to prevent veteran suicides in FY26 VA funding bill reports

“There is a significant need to improve early suicide indicators and detection using artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies that improve operational efficiency and effectiveness throughout veteran service delivery,” according to a House Appropriations panel report.

As health costs spike, a sour and divided Congress escapes one shutdown to face another

Few of the divides that fueled the 43-day shutdown have been resolved, and a fractured Congress is on the clock to find a budgetary solution.

Stopgap spending bill clears Senate, heads to House for vote

The measure aims to reopen the government after the longest shutdown in U.S. history, with lawmakers in the House expected to vote in the coming days.

Major takeaways for federal agencies on the funding deal to reopen government

Congress appears poised to end the longest-ever shutdown later this week with a bill with major implications for several key agencies.