Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), who leads the Senate Budget Committee, announced on Friday that the Chamber of Commerce is set to advance the initial segments of the 2026 government funding bill.
The plan includes a three-year funding strategy that will cover various sectors, such as Veterans Affairs, the Agriculture Division, the Food and Drug Administration, Legislative Branch Operations, and Military Construction and Rural Development.
Before finalizing the vote—anticipated for Friday night—Collins will first support a series of amendments from both parties as part of the legislative procedure.
“A lot of effort, good faith, and negotiations went into reaching this point,” Collins remarked from the Senate floor during her announcement.
This announcement follows a period of uncertainty regarding whether the Chamber of Commerce would be able to pass the funding bill before the upcoming August recess.
The package has seen several changes this week. Some Republican leaders expressed irritation over certain funding levels for legislation, while Democrats pushed back against the Trump administration’s proposal to relocate the FBI headquarters, complicating progress on the annual Department of Justice funding bill.
During her speech, Senator Patty Murray, a prominent Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, emphasized that the bill represents “an essential achievement for the people,” also referencing concerns about potential future funding solutions known as Continuing Resolutions (CR).
“We can’t allow another CR that hands more power to Trump,” she argued.
Overall, the bill will allocate over $180 billion in discretionary funding for the fiscal year 2026.
Congress aims to establish additional funding measures when they reconvene in September, as the upcoming budget discussions are likely to become contentious, especially regarding the government’s funding past the start of the October fiscal year.
