Minibus Passes, Essential Agencies Now Funded: Defense, Health, and Education - and DHS!

They got it done!

The House of Representatives, on Thursday evening, passed the final funding bills for 2026, a victory for Republican Speaker Mike Johnson (LA-04) and a handful of sand tossed in the eyes of some radical leftists, in and out of Washington. Why? Because DHS got its funding, too.

The House on Thursday approved its final slate of 2026 funding bills, overcoming Democratic demands and GOP divisions and marking a significant milestone for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) as he’s sought to rebuild Congress’s “muscle memory” on government funding.
A three-bill minibus appropriations package passed the House by a vote of 341-88. The package funds the departments of Defense, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Labor, Education and other related agencies.
The most contentious measure, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill, passed the House by a separate vote of 220-207. Democratic leaders opposed the bill as tensions flared in the wake of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer fatally shooting Minneapolis woman Renee Good.

The Hill, being The Hill, doesn't mention that Renee Good almost ran over the ICE officer who fired the fatal shots. But while tensions may have flared, the House got this done. Now, for the next step:

The House will combine the four bills with a two-bill minibus it passed last week and send the full package to the Senate. The upper chamber is expected to take up the bills when it returns from recess next week ahead of a Jan. 30 deadline.

That's cutting it pretty close. But it's doable.

Speaker Mike Johnson took to his official X account to count coup and hand out plaudits:

My joint statement with Leader @SteveScalise, @GOPMajorityWhip Emmer, and @HouseGOP Chairwoman @RepLisaMcClain on fully funding the America First Agenda by completing FY26 Appropriations:

Today, House Republicans completed another monumental achievement by completing Fiscal Year…
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) January 22, 2026

The post continues:

...by completing Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations — without a bloated omnibus bill or another continuing resolution. Despite slim margins, nonstop media noise, and Democrats’ 43-day government shutdown, House Republicans have made significant progress to restore regular order and return the appropriations process to a committee-led, member-driven approach. Chairman Cole and our appropriators worked tirelessly for months to deliver this outcome, and today, the House joined them in getting the job done.
Together, all twelve appropriations bills provide responsible, full-year government funding, spend less than another continuing resolution, and codify reforms to cut waste, fraud, and abuse. Once enacted, any last remnants of Biden-era spending will be replaced with President Trump’s spending levels. Many doubted us, but Republicans have delivered once again in making the America First agenda a reality. We have finally turned the page, and we are not turning back.

Now all eyes will turn to the Senate, where the balance is 53 Republicans vs. 47 Democrats. That's seven short of the votes required to pass cloture, assuming a party-line vote. We note that several Democrats crossed over and voted with the GOP to pass these spending bills, so there's a chance that at least a few Senate Democrats may vote for these - Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), for example, who has vociferously supported cracking down on criminal illegal aliens.

New: House Clears Key Hurdle on $1.2 Trillion Spending Package

Also, there's always the chance that some Democrats, to keep things moving, may vote yes on cloture and then no on the bill, which might have some effect to appease their more radical constituents while avoiding a partial shutdown. Yes, I know, that's counting on Democrats to do what's best for the country instead of just knee-jerk rejection of not only everything Trump, but even things that are Trump-adjacent.

That happens next week. We'll be watching. When we know, you'll know. Stay tuned. And when the little details and fine print of these bills are released, we'll be watching that, too.

Meanwhile, this is a good deal, and that's for sure and for certain. Not a bad early start to the weekend.

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