This week, the House is set to consider a broad array of legislation, spanning veterans’ affairs, postal reform, natural resources, financial services, and national security. With the August recess fast approaching, the House is working to finalize as much of the appropriations process as they can before adjourning at the end of the week. The Senate, however, will remain in session through August 1.

The annual appropriations process continues to ramp up. So far, the House has passed two of the twelve fiscal year 2026 appropriations bills: the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs (H.R. 3944) and Defense (H.R. 4016). These are generally considered the least controversial of the twelve, though bipartisan support was limited, with only a handful of Democrats voting in favor.

The House Appropriations Committee has advanced the Energy-Water Development bill, which provides discretionary funding for the Department of Energy, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, and related agencies. Republican leadership has emphasized that the bill supports the Trump administration’s energy priorities, including fossil fuels, nuclear energy, and resource development for artificial intelligence. Despite the administration’s request to close the one-billion barrel Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve, the draft legislation instead provides funding needed to maintain it.

Today, the House appropriations committee will take up the Interior-Environment bill, which was approved last week by the subcommittee on a party-line vote (8–5). The measure includes $38 billion in nondefense discretionary funding for the EPA, U.S. Forest Service, Interior Department agencies, Indian Health Service, and other environmental and cultural programs. Notably, the bill proposes a $2.1 billion (23%) cut to EPA funding, and includes provisions to block implementation of several Biden administration regulations, including those targeting emissions from power plants and vehicles.

In the Senate, Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has scheduled a cloture vote on the House-passed Military Construction-Veterans Affairs bill (H.R. 3944) for Tuesday. If debate proceeds, the Senate may substitute its own version and potentially include additional appropriations measures already marked up by the Senate Appropriations Committee. That committee is expected to consider the Interior-Environment and Transportation-HUD bills on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services was in the process of marking up its contentious bill as this article went to publication. The draft legislation proposes significant cuts to the IRS and reductions in funding for agencies overseeing consumer protection, antitrust enforcement, financial markets, and election oversight. The full committee markup is expected to take place after Labor Day.

Committee Hearings of Interest this week:

House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, A Review of Pipeline Safety Policy, at 10:30 AM on Tuesday (details here)

House Committee on Appropriations, Markup: Fiscal Year 2026 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Bill, at 10:30 AM on Tuesday (details here)

House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs, Hearing: “The New Atomic Age: Advancing America’s Energy Future,” at 1:00 PM on Tuesday (details here)

House Appropriations Committee, National Security - State Mark Up, at 10:00 AM on Wednesday (details here)

Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Examining Challenges to Meeting Increased Electricity Demand, at 10:00 AM on Wednesday (details here)

House Committee on Appropriations, Commerce-Justice-Science Mark Up, at 10:00 AM on Thursday (details here)