Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. French Hill (AR-02) today released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 7148, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, by a vote of 217-214:

“In less than six months, Congressional Republicans have ended a second Democrat shutdown and passed 11 of the 12 appropriations bills needed to fund the government through the end of FY26. I am confident that Speaker Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Thune will soon get the Department of Homeland Security appropriations across the finish line as well, again demonstrating that one party is focused on governing responsibly and delivering for the American people, while the other continues to play political games.

“These bills deliver for our troops and their families, strengthen national security, fund important medical research, and invest in critical infrastructure, all while saving taxpayers money. This is another step toward restoring fiscal discipline and making sure the federal government is working for the people of Arkansas and the country.”

Background:

H.R. 7148, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, provides funding for the FY 2026 federal discretionary budget, including: Defense; Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development; Financial Services and General Government; and National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs.  It also includes a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the Department of Homeland Security through February 13, 2026. The five appropriations bills in the minibus are identical to the funding bills that passed the House earlier this month

Here are a few items of note that were included in the four appropriations bills that passed the House today:

• Supports apprenticeship programs to build strong American working families and increases funding to train workers and educate students in rural America.
• $418 million for rural health, including increased funding for America’s rural hospitals.
• $1.9 billion to support community health centers.
• $49 billion for the National Institutes of Health for biomedical research to find cures for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, rare diseases, and chronic diseases impacting Americans.
• Increases funding by $20 million for special education, including $5 million for rural education.
• $500 million for charter schools.
• Maintains funding for the Pell Grant’s discretionary maximum award level.
• Invests in transportation safety and rebuilds America by increasing funding for the FAA by $1.588 billion, providing the FAA with resources to hire 2,500 new air traffic controllers, and modernizing the Air Traffic Control (ATC) technology.
• Reinforces English language proficiency requirements for truck drivers.
• Champions America’s military superiority and provides a 3.8% pay raise for all service members and a 1% civilian employee pay increase.
• Bolsters public safety and homeland preparedness by enhancing resources to detect and counter the spread of deadly drugs like fentanyl.
• Strengthens U.S. national security and border protections by providing $513 million to sustain 22,000 Border Patrol agents.
• Invests $20 million to hire critical positions at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to counter the threat from China.
• Directs $20 million for the procurement, deployment, and operations of body-worn cameras for agents and officers performing immigration enforcement activities.