Washington just dodged a fiscal faceplant as the U.S. Senate finally pushed through some long-overdue spending bills.
According to The Hill, on Friday, August 1, 2025, the Senate managed to pass the first three fiscal 2026 appropriations bills, a feat not accomplished before the August recess since 2018, despite a tangle of bipartisan bickering and last-minute deal-making.
This achievement, while overdue, came after a multiday standoff that had lawmakers sweating through their suits. The package combined Military Construction-VA and Agriculture-FDA funding, passing with a robust 87-9 vote. A separate legislative branch funding bill squeaked through at 81-15, but not without some serious pushback.
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, played a key role by allowing the legislative branch funding to be voted on separately. This move came at the insistence of Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, who balked at its hefty $7.1 billion price tag. It’s refreshing to see someone question the endless budget bloat, even if it’s just a drop in the D.C. swamp.
Speaking of Kennedy, he didn’t mince words about the spending spree. “Every bill that has come out of the Appropriations Committee has represented an increase in spending,” he said. Well, no kidding—when has Washington ever tightened its belt without a fight? Kennedy also added, “I think we can do better.” That’s the understatement of the year, Senator, as taxpayers watch their hard-earned dollars fuel a 6% hike in legislative costs, the biggest jump among these measures.
Amid the chaos, two amendments slipped through by voice vote, showing at least some common sense. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama pushed for a VA staffing report to ensure veterans get timely, quality care, while Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Alex Padilla of California safeguarded the Veterans Crisis Line from cuts. These are small wins, but vital for those who’ve served.
The road to this vote wasn’t exactly paved with unity. Senate Republicans initially faced flak from both sides over a plan to bundle a broader package, including Commerce-Justice-Science funding, only to hit a wall over hemp rules and military project priorities. Meanwhile, some Democrats grumbled about abortion and food safety provisions, proving once again that everyone’s got an axe to grind.
That bundled mess stalled progress until Sen. Collins negotiated a new path forward, splitting the bills to get something—anything—across the finish line. It’s a classic Washington compromise: less than ideal, but better than a shutdown. Still, one wonders if we’d be here if fiscal restraint weren’t treated like a dirty word.
Let’s not forget the bigger picture—Congress couldn’t even pass a full budget for fiscal 2025, relying instead on three stopgap continuing resolutions to keep the lights on through September 30, 2025. That’s not governance; that’s kicking the can down a very expensive road. Taxpayers deserve better than this patchwork nonsense.
Republicans had hoped to move annual appropriations after a key legislative act became law, but a $9 billion rescissions package—passed strictly along party lines—sent many Democrats packing from bipartisan talks. It’s no surprise that when the going gets tough, the tough get tribal. This kind of gridlock only fuels public distrust.
Government funding is set to expire again on September 30, 2025, and lawmakers are already bracing for another short-term fix since the full set of 12 appropriations bills won’t likely be ready in time. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota hinted that Republicans hadn’t “ruled out” staying in session into August if no deal emerges. That’s code for more late-night pizza and posturing, folks.
Don’t expect these current bills to become law as they stand—they’re more of a rough draft for negotiations between the House, Senate, and both parties. It’s a starting point, sure, but one that’s likely to be rewritten by the time the ink dries. Let’s hope the final version prioritizes needs over political pet projects.
Meanwhile, senators are sticking around Washington through the weekend to hash out a separate deal on confirming a backlog of Trump administration nominees. It’s about time some of these positions get filled, though one can’t help but wonder if the delay is just another partisan power play. Efficiency shouldn’t be this hard.
At the end of the day, this Senate vote is a small step forward in a fiscal marathon that’s far from over. While it’s good to see progress before the August break, the underlying issues—spending hikes, partisan divides, and stopgap measures—remind us that Washington’s addiction to drama over discipline isn’t going away anytime soon. Here’s hoping for more accountability before the next deadline looms.
