Committee Approves FY26 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act

September 10, 2025

Washington, D.C. – Today, the House Appropriations Committee met to consider the Fiscal Year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The measure was approved by the Committee with a vote of 34 to 28.

Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) said, "America has been revitalized over the last eight months. Working alongside President Trump, we are charting a course of recovery, growth, and reinforcing our standing on the world stage. Thanks to historic security improvements at the border, driving down illegal immigration and drug trafficking, we can focus on addressing the crime that has been infiltrating our neighborhoods and cities for far too long. While many of our states are now witnessing record reductions in overdose death rates, we must remain vigilant in our work to shut down the Transnational Criminal Organizations that remain a serious threat to the United States and strengthen our law enforcement agencies. This bill also puts American innovation first again through key investments in space science and exploration, maintaining our competitive edge over China. Finally, the deadly natural disasters in Kentucky, Texas and other states this year, have gravely reminded us that we must equip the National Weather Service with better emergency warning systems to keep the American people safe. I applaud Chairman Tom Cole for paving the way for regular order through the complex work of each subcommittee, aiming to right-size the federal government for future generations."

Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) said, "The FY26 CJS bill is about protecting the nation on every front—safeguarding our streets, restoring fiscal discipline, defending constitutional freedoms, and renewing public trust in government. It invests in law enforcement to combat crime and fentanyl, while standing firm against Communist China’s theft of American technology and innovation. It also advances U.S. leadership in space exploration and scientific discovery. At its core, this bill reflects the enduring promise of our nation: safety at home, economic strength and competitiveness, and liberty for every American. The expert leadership of Chairman Rogers has delivered a strong and focused measure that puts security, accountability, and national strength first."

Subcommittee Chairman Rogers' opening remarks are available here.
Chairman Cole's opening remarks are available here.

Fiscal Year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act

The Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act provides a total discretionary allocation of $76.824 billion, which represents a 2.8 percent decrease compared to the total effective spending of the fiscal year 2025 enacted level. The defense portion of the allocation is $6.234 billion, and the non-defense portion of the allocation is $70.590 billion.

The bill appropriately right-sizes federal Executive Branch agencies while refocusing agency programs and operations on their core missions. Importantly, the bill directs funding to support the fight against fentanyl, boosts funding for state and local law enforcement, and invests in efforts to counter the Communist Republic of China, all while safeguarding the constitutional rights of Americans.

Key Takeaways

Supports the Trump Administration and mandate of the American people by:

Preserving Second Amendment rights by maintaining all legacy firearms riders and adding new provisions that strengthen Second Amendment protections.
Continuing the long-standing Hyde-like prohibition that prevents the use of Department of Justice funds to pay for abortion.
Codifying President Trump’s executive actions to end discriminatory Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs by prohibiting funding for DEI efforts and Critical Race Theory.
Supporting President Trump’s executive action to restore free speech by prohibiting the federal government from labeling constitutionally protected speech by a United States person as misinformation, disinformation, or malinformation.
Continuing the prohibition on funding for any discriminatory action against individuals advocating for traditional marriage.
Upholding prohibitions on funding for COVID vaccine and mask mandates.
Ending the Biden Administration’s targeting of everyday Americans by scaling back federal regulation efforts.

Bolsters U.S. national security and border protections by:

Mandating that the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) reinstate case completion performance metrics to increase immigration adjudications and hold immigration judges accountable.
Countering the flow of fentanyl and other opioids by providing funding above the FY25 enacted level for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and appropriately funding the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces to enhance multi-agency efforts to combat transnational organized crime and reduce the availability of illicit drugs.
Maintaining strong support for law enforcement by preserving robust funding for Byrne JAG formula grants and COPS Hiring grants that assist state and local law enforcement agencies.
Focusing DOJ grant funding on programs that assist law enforcement in addressing the opioid crisis, combating child exploitation, eliminating the rape kit backlog, and preventing school violence.

Counters China and maintains America’s competitive edge by:

Directing the re-establishment of the DOJ China Initiative.
Investing in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, quantum, and advanced manufacturing.
Supporting the critical Artemis program to advance American leadership in space and countering China’s malign ambitions to steal American research.
Providing funding for DEA above the FY25 enacted level to curb the flow of China’s illicit export of fentanyl and fentanyl precursors into America.

Safeguards American taxpayer dollars and preserves core functions by:

Supporting the Trump Administration’s efforts to right size the bureaucracy of the federal government by reducing salaries and expenses where appropriate.
Canceling progressive grant programs while maintaining strong support for state and local law enforcement.
Defunding Biden-era executive orders, rules, and memoranda, including ending wasteful DEI initiatives and defunding DEI offices at federal agencies.
Reducing spending on reckless climate change efforts.
Supporting OMB’s request to eliminate the DOJ’s Community Relations Service.

Champions State and Local Law Enforcement by:

Supporting the men and women that serve and protect communities across the nation through significant investments in programs to bolster state and local law enforcement efforts.
Increasing funding for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program and the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring program.
Funding State and Local Law Enforcement Activities at $4,159,898,000, which is $460,896,000 above the FY25 enacted level.

Champions Conservative Priorities by:

Supporting and reinforcing Second Amendment rights by prohibiting the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF’s) rules on pistol braces and privately made firearms.
Maintaining longstanding pro-life protections.
Combating human trafficking and child exploitation by supporting strong funding for state and local law enforcement who combat these crimes.
Eliminating progressive grant programs that support criminal leniency.
Increasing transparency by mandating that Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) interviews be recorded.
Prohibiting the censorship of lawful speech or classifying speech as misinformation.

A summary of the bill is available here.

During the markup, Committee Republicans also stood with the America First agenda and rejected Democrat amendments that would have:

Expanded taxpayer spending without offsets.
Encroached on Second Amendment rights.
Moved to address issues outside of committee jurisdiction.
Hampered efforts to streamline government and reduce bureaucracy.
Reinstituted Biden-era policies.
Promoted Biden-era policies that support abortion.
Sought to limit immigration enforcement efforts.
Restricted the implementation of the America First agenda.

Adopted Amendments

Rogers #1 (Manager’s Amendment) – Makes technical, bipartisan changes to the bill and report.
- The amendment was adopted by voice vote.
Rogers #2 (Republican En Bloc) – Makes technical changes, safeguards Second Amendment rights, blocks federal rate-setting in broadband deployment, protects U.S. fishermen, supports mass spectrometry technology to combat fentanyl, targets CCP-affiliated forced labor, strengthens enforcement against illicit Chinese vape products, enhances DOJ efforts against transnational crime, disrupts gang activity in prisons, reinforces immigration enforcement, addresses prison repair backlog, backs U.S. medical innovation, and defends U.S. tech firms against discriminatory foreign laws.
- The amendment was adopted by voice vote.
Clyde #1 – Ensures campus safety grants protect all women.
- The amendment was adopted by a vote of 31 to 26.
Wasserman Schultz #2 – Supports NOAA weather work.
- The amendment was adopted by voice vote.

Bill text, before adoption of amendments, is available here.
Bill report, before adoption of amendments, is available here.
A table of included Community Project Funding requests is available here.

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