Senate Vote on House-Passed Spending Package Stalled as Senate Democrats Seek Separate Vote on DHS Funding Bill, Increasing Likelihood of Partial Government Shutdown
Jan 26, 2026
By Kim Johnson, NLIHC Senior Director of Policy
Senate Democrats are demanding the removal of the fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from a broader FY26 “minibus” spending package that includes five other appropriations bills, including the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) spending bill, funding HUD’s affordable housing, homelessness, and community development programs.
The House of Representatives passed, on January 22, a final FY26 spending bill for HUD programs as part of a three-bill spending package released last week, with overwhelming bipartisan support, 341-88. House members held a separate vote on the DHS funding bill, which ultimately passed 220-207. After passing the House, the spending bills were combined into a broader spending package in the Senate that includes all six remaining spending bills, totaling over $1.2 trillion in federal spending.
It is not clear whether the Senate will be able to remove the DHS funding bill from the broader spending package. The current continuing resolution (CR) funding many federal programs expires after January 30; without full-year funding bills in place, there will be a partial government shutdown. Senate Appropriations Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) said in a statement the “DHS bill needs to be split off from the larger funding package before the Senate,” and noted it would take bipartisan cooperation to do so; similarly, Senator Angus King (I-ME) encouraged his colleagues to hold a separate vote on the DHS funding bill to avoid a government shutdown.
The FY26 spending bill provides $77.3 billion for HUD programs, an over $7.2 billion increase from the previous fiscal year, and boosts funding for several key programs, including housing vouchers, homelessness assistance, and Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA). The bill also includes important language to facilitate the renewal of Continuum of Care (CoC) grants and to help transfer Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) holders to other rental assistance programs. Unfortunately, the bill decreases funding for public housing operations and capital needs, despite a growing backlog of needed repairs in the nation’s public housing stock. Read NLIHC’s full analysis of the final FY26 spending bill and view our updated budget chart.
Take Action
The Senate needs to vote on the THUD bill before the current CR expires on January 30. With bipartisan, bicameral agreement on THUD and other important funding bills, Senators should hold a separate vote on the DHS funding bill to ensure continued funding for HUD and other vital federal programs and services.
Use NLIHC’s toolkits and resources to contact your members of Congress and urge them to pass a final FY26 HUD spending bill with increased funding for HUD’s programs!
- NLIHC’s advocacy toolkit, “Opposing Cuts to Federal Investments in Affordable Housing,” includes talking points, advocacy materials, engagement ideas, and more resources for advocates to weigh in with their members of Congress on the importance of these vital resources!
Email or call members’ offices to share the importance of affordable housing, homelessness, and community development resources to you, your family, your community, or your work. You can use NLIHC’s Take Action page to look up your member offices or call or email them directly!
Share stories from those directly impacted by homelessness and housing instability. Storytelling adds emotional weight to your message and can help lawmakers see how their policy decisions impact actual people. Learn about how to tell compelling stories with this resource.
Visit NLIHC’s Advocacy Hub for more information and resources that can help you take action and help protect the affordable housing programs people rely on.