Congressional appropriators will unveil their first draft of the fiscal 2026 federal budget this week, with a House committee mark-up of planned funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction projects.
The VA-Milcon measure is typically less contentious than other sections of the budget, but will likely still feature several points of conflict between Republican and Democratic lawmakers. VA leaders have proposed steep cuts in department staffing next fiscal year, but have not detailed the scope and costs of those plans.
The House Appropriations Committee's initial work on next year's budget will come before White House officials have unveiled their full federal spending request for fiscal 2026. Last month, officials presented lawmakers with a "skinny" budget roughly outlining funding request parameters for each department, but a more detailed budget plan is expected out in the coming weeks.
But appropriators in recent weeks have expressed concerns about the long wait for those details and the approaching end of the current fiscal year. Lawmakers have until Oct. 1 to pass a budget plan for the new year, or pass a short-term extension to avoid a partial government shutdown.