Senate Committee Advances 2026 Legislative Branch Funding Bill, Freezing Congressional Pay

Senate interns can be financially compensated using the $7,000,000 allocation as offices bring interns on during FY2026.

More interns may be able to take Senate internships without working unpaid or needing outside financial support.

Capitol Police overtime is capped unless appropriations committees are notified; agencies apply the overtime management rules during FY2026.

Security staffing may rely more on scheduling and hiring strategies; overtime spikes can still happen but trigger oversight notice.

Free newspaper access for blind and print-disabled residents can be provided under the National Library Service funding.

Eligible residents may receive newspaper access without paying, improving access to daily news and civic information.

Congress offices and agencies enforce network filtering that blocks pornography on computer networks, with a law-enforcement exception.

On legislative branch networks, many adult sites would be blocked; exceptions can apply for criminal investigation work.

Capitol tour rules limit the ability to restrict staff- and intern-led guided tours unless done through authorized regulations, with security-based temporary suspensions allowed.

Public access through guided tours is more protected from routine cutbacks, but tours can still be limited when security officials say it’s needed.