District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 2026

Key Points

• This law provides the money needed to run the federal government through September 2026. It covers almost every part of daily life, including paying for the military, fixing highways, funding local schools, and keeping national parks and airports running.
• For healthcare, the bill extends popular rules that allow patients to see their doctors through video or phone calls (telehealth). It also provides billions of dollars for cancer research, programs to prevent mothers from dying during childbirth, and community health centers that serve rural areas.
• The policy targets high prescription drug costs by requiring more transparency from 'pharmacy benefit managers'—the middleman companies that negotiate drug prices. It requires these companies to pass along more of the discounts they get from drug makers to help lower the overall cost of insurance plans.
• For students and families, the bill funds Pell Grants to help with college tuition and provides billions for childcare and Head Start programs. It also includes money for rental assistance vouchers and programs to help people who are homeless find permanent housing.
• The military receives significant funding for member pay, new equipment like ships and aircraft, and security assistance for allies. This includes $3.3 billion for Israel, $1.65 billion for Jordan, and $1 billion for Taiwan to help them buy defense equipment.
• To help pay for these programs, Congress is 'rescinding' or taking back over $25 billion in unspent money from previous years, including funds originally set aside for the IRS and various pandemic-related programs.

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