HR 5371: Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026

HR 5371 in plain English: This act ends the federal government shutdown that began on October 1, 2025, by providing continuing appropriations at FY2025 funding levels for most federal agencies through January 30, 2026, while providing full-year FY2026 funding for agriculture, military construction and veterans affairs, and legislative branch programs. It also extends various expiring programs and authorities.

Stated purpose

This act ends a federal government shutdown that began October 1, 2025, by providing temporary funding for most federal agencies through January 30, 2026, while providing full fiscal year 2026 funding for agriculture, military construction, veterans affairs, and legislative branch programs, and extending various expiring programs and authorities.

Key points

• Funds most federal agencies at FY2025 levels through January 30, 2026, ending the government shutdown
• Provides $200,000,000 for the Air Force E-7 Wedgetail program and up to $199,676,000 for rapid prototyping activities
• Appropriates funds for multiple Navy shipbuilding programs, including $289,761,000 for the Virginia Class Submarine Program (2018)
• Provides $30,000,000 in additional funds for the U.S. Marshals Service and $30,000,000 for Capitol Police mutual aid reimbursements
• Delivers full-year FY2026 appropriations for agriculture, military construction, veterans affairs, and legislative branch programs

Arguments supporters make

• Ending the shutdown quickly restores government services and pay for federal workers, preventing real harm to people who depend on those services.
• Providing full-year funding for agriculture, veterans, and military construction gives those programs stability and certainty rather than repeated short-term uncertainty.
• Extending expiring health and veterans programs prevents gaps in coverage and care for vulnerable populations.

Arguments opponents make

• Funding most agencies at prior-year levels through only January 30, 2026, simply delays the hard budget decisions rather than resolving them, likely leading to another funding crisis in weeks.
• Continuing resolutions that lock in prior-year spending levels limit the government's ability to adjust funding up or down to reflect current needs or changed priorities.
• Bundling full-year spending for several departments with a short-term CR for others creates an uneven process that bypasses the normal detailed review each appropriations bill would receive.

Tradeoffs

Ending the immediate harm of a shutdown comes at the cost of deferring long-term budget decisions, meaning most agencies face renewed funding uncertainty in a matter of weeks; separately, locking most spending at prior-year levels trades flexibility and updated priorities for speed and stability.

Current status in Congress: Became law.

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