Rep. Amodei issued the following statement following his vote in favor of the Senate Amendment to Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026, which extends government funding at current levels through January 30, 2026.
The measure also includes full-year funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), legislative branch operations, and military construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
“It’s unfortunate we’ve reached a point in Washington where some were willing to prolong the pain felt in every congressional district, even after eight senators from their own party said enough is enough,” said Rep. Mark Amodei.
“After more than 40 days of avoidable consequences, the federal government is finally powering back on to serve the American people. While our progress on the appropriations process was deliberately stalled by unrelated demands, this bill gives us the time we need to finish what was started and restore regular order.
“In addition to the continuing resolution, Congress passed three bipartisan, bicameral full-year appropriations bills, ensuring our military is properly equipped, our veterans regain access to uninterrupted care, federal workers and Capitol Police are paid for their work, and essential programs resume so every family can count on having food on the table.
“If one positive can come out of the longest shutdown in American history, I hope it’s that we can all finally recognize there are no winners when the government shuts down. Moving forward, I hope others will act more responsibly and think twice before using the people we were sent here to serve as collateral damage for partisan leverage.”
Background:
On September 19, House Republicans voted to temporarily fund the federal government with no partisan provisions attached.
Additionally, the House voted unanimously to engage in a formal conference with the Senate to negotiate full-year funding solutions during the duration of the stopgap.
If Senate Democrats voted in favor of this measure, the government would never have been shut down and 43 days of needless pain on the American people and significant damage to the economy would have been avoided.
Senate Amendment to Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026 continues government funding at current levels through January 30, 2026, for nine of the 12 annual appropriations bills, and provides full-year funding, through September 30, 2026, for three annual appropriations bills.
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026:
· Provides a total of $26.65 billion in discretionary funding, roughly flat with the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) enacted level, to responsibly invest in America’s rural communities, support our nation’s farmers and ranchers, and keep our food and drug supply secure. Highlights include:
· $3.8 billion for agricultural research programs to ensure that America maintains our competitive edge in agricultural production and innovation.
· $1.2 billion for Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, as requested by the Trump Administration, to help protect more than $325 billion worth of livestock, poultry, field crop, and specialty crop production.
· $1.2 billion for the Food Safety and Inspection Services to promote the safety and productivity of the nation’s $186 billion meat and poultry industry.
· $8.2 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to ensure low-income mothers and their babies have access to healthy and nutritious foods.
Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2026:
· Provides a total of $7 billion in discretionary funding, approximately $200 million below the FY25 enacted level, to support the legislative branch in carrying out its constitutional responsibilities, including $2 billion for House operations.
· Provides an additional $203.5 million for enhanced Member security initiatives. Each chamber is responsible for the allocation of funds for security purposes.
· These initiatives are further supported by a $30 million appropriation for the United States Capitol Police (USCP) Mutual Aid Program carried in the continuing resolution and the underlying investments in the USCP, who protect elected representatives, staff, and visitors to the Capitol Complex.
· Prevents any pay increases in FY26 for Members of Congress. A freeze on Members’ salaries has been in place since 2009.
· Requires that unspent amounts from Members of Congress’ personal office budgets be used for debt and deficit reduction.
Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026:
· Provides a total of over $400 billion in overall funding, including $133.5 billion in discretionary funding, to fully fund veterans’ medical care and mandatory benefits and support critical housing, infrastructure, and facilities for U.S. military forces and their families. Highlights include:
· $115 billion for veterans’ medical care. Combined with $52.6 billion from the mandatory Toxic Exposures Fund, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will have $167.7 billion to fully fund health care for veterans.
· $263.7 billion for mandatory veterans’ benefits, including disability compensation programs, education benefits, and vocational rehabilitation and employment training.
· $19.7 billion for the Department of Defense (DoD) military construction program to support approximately 300 projects at military installations.
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