Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations for FY2026
Congressional research reportApr 21, 2026
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Transportation, Housing and Urban
Development, and Related Agencies (THUD)
Appropriations for FY2026
Updated April 21, 2026
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
R48728
SUMMARY
Transportation, Housing and Urban
Development, and Related Agencies (THUD)
Appropriations for FY2026
The House and the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related
Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Subcommittees are charged with providing annual
appropriations for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and certain related agencies.
R48728
April 21, 2026
Maggie McCarty
Specialist in Housing Policy
Jennifer J. Marshall
Analyst in Transportation
Policy
On February 3, 2026, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (P.L. 119-75) was signed into
law, which included as Division D the Transportation, HUD, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act, 2026. It included the following:
•
For DOT, $25.1 billion in new discretionary funding (-0.4% relative to FY2025 enacted). When paired with
$83.3 billion in mandatory funding, total DOT funding in the bill is $108.4 billion in FY2026 (+1.5%
relative to FY2025 enacted). Additionally, the law includes transfers involving supplemental funding
totaling $2.3 billion.
•
For HUD, $77.3 billion in net new discretionary funding (+12.6% relative to FY2025 enacted, including
emergency-designated funding for regular program operations).
•
For the related agencies typically funded in the THUD bill, $425 million (-1.8% relative to FY2025
enacted).
Prior to enactment of final full-year THUD appropriations, funding for THUD was maintained at FY2025 levels via a
continuing resolution (Division A of P.L. 119-37), which was enacted following a government-wide funding lapse that lasted
from October 1, 2025, through November 12, 2025.
Before the start of the fiscal year, the House and Senate took various appropriations actions.
On July 17, 2025, the House Appropriations Committee marked up its FY2026 THUD appropriations bill (H.R. 4552;
H.Rept. 119-212), following subcommittee markup on July 14. The committee reported the bill on July 21. It included the
following:
•
For DOT, $21.8 billion in new discretionary funding (-13.7% relative to FY2025 enacted). When paired
with $83.3 billion in mandatory funding, total DOT funding in the THUD bill would have been $105.1
billion in FY2026 (-1.6% relative to FY2025 enacted).
•
For HUD, $67.8 billion in net new discretionary funding (+11.6% relative to FY2025 enacted, including
emergency-designated funding for regular program operations).
•
For the related agencies typically funded in the THUD bill, $366 million (-15.5% relative to FY2025
enacted).
Forgoing initial subcommittee markup, the Senate Appropriations Committee marked up and reported its FY2026 THUD
appropriations bill (S. 2465; S.Rept. 119-47) on July 24, 2025. It included the following:
•
For DOT, $26.5 billion in new discretionary funding (+5.1% relative to FY2025 enacted). When paired
with $83.3 billion in mandatory funding, total DOT funding in the THUD bill would have been $109.8
billion in FY2026 (+2.8% relative to FY2025 enacted).
•
For HUD, $73.3 billion in net new discretionary funding (+20.7% relative to FY2025 enacted, including
emergency-designated funding for regular program operations).
•
For the related agencies typically funded in the THUD bill, $424 million (-2.1% relative to FY2025
enacted).
The annual appropriations process generally begins with the release of the President’s budget, which is due in February. The
second Trump Administration’s FY2026 budget release was delayed due to the presidential transition and other factors. A
Congressional Research Service
THUD Appropriations for FY2026
skinny budget was released in early May 2025, with more details—including Congressional Budget Justifications—released
later. For the agencies that comprise the THUD budget, it proposed the following:
•
For DOT, $26.7 billion in net new discretionary funding (+5.6% relative to FY2025 enacted). When paired
with $83.3 billion in mandatory funding, total DOT funding in the THUD bill would be $109.9 billion in
FY2026 (+3% relative to FY2025 enacted).
•
For HUD, $36.6 billion in net new discretionary funding (-46.8% relative to FY2025 enacted, including
emergency-designated funding for regular program operations).
•
For the related agencies typically funded in the THUD bill, $293 million (-32.3% relative to FY2025
enacted).
Congressional Research Service
THUD Appropriations for FY2026
Contents
About the THUD Bill ...................................................................................................................... 1
Overview of the FY2026 Appropriations Process ........................................................................... 2
President’s budget ..................................................................................................................... 3
House Committee Action .......................................................................................................... 3
Senate Committee Action .......................................................................................................... 3
Funding Lapse and Continuing Resolution......................................................................... 4
Full-Year Appropriations Enacted....................................................................................... 4
Title I: Department of Transportation .............................................................................................. 6
Additional Funding for FY2026 Provided in the IIJA ............................................................ 13
IIJA Transfers .......................................................................................................................... 14
Selected FY2026 DOT Appropriations Topics........................................................................ 15
Funding by Agency ........................................................................................................... 15
IIJA Transfers .................................................................................................................... 21
Earmarks ........................................................................................................................... 24
Selected Administrative Provisions .................................................................................. 25
Selected General Provisions for DOT ............................................................................... 27
Title II: Department of Housing and Urban Development ............................................................ 28
Overview ................................................................................................................................. 28
Selected FY2026 HUD Appropriations Topics ....................................................................... 32
Rental Assistance .............................................................................................................. 32
Homeless Assistance ......................................................................................................... 35
Native American Programs ............................................................................................... 35
Proposed Elimination of Grant Programs ......................................................................... 36
Earmarks ........................................................................................................................... 38
Select General Provisions ................................................................................................. 38
Title III: Related Agencies ............................................................................................................. 40
U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness ..................................................................... 41
Figures
Figure 1. Distribution of THUD Funding by Title .......................................................................... 2
Tables
Table 1. THUD Appropriations by Bill Title, FY2025-FY2026...................................................... 5
Table 2. Department of Transportation, FY2025-FY2026 Detailed Appropriations ....................... 7
Table 3. FY2026 Supplemental DOT Funding Provided by the IIJA ........................................... 13
Table 4. Total Funding Provided by P.L. 119-75 by Account Including IIJA Transfers,
FY2025 and FY2026 .................................................................................................................. 14
Table 5. Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending for FY2024,
FY2025, and FY2026 ................................................................................................................. 24
Table 6. Department of Housing and Urban Development,
FY2025-FY2026 Detailed Appropriations ................................................................................. 29
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THUD Appropriations for FY2026
Table 7. Rental Assistance Funding............................................................................................... 33
Table 8. THUD Related Agencies, FY2025-FY2026 Detailed Appropriations ............................ 41
Contacts
Author Information........................................................................................................................ 42
Congressional Research Service
THUD Appropriations for FY2026
he House and the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related
Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Subcommittees are charged with providing annual
appropriations for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and certain related agencies.
T
This report describes action on FY2026 annual appropriations for THUD, including detailed
tables for each major agency and a brief overview of selected issues. (Rounded funding figures
are presented in the report, but unrounded figures are used to calculate percentages throughout.)
About the THUD Bill
The THUD bill funds two federal departments—DOT and HUD—and several smaller related
agencies. Of the 12 regular appropriations bills, THUD is typically the fourth largest in terms of
discretionary funding and it typically contains the largest number of Community Project
Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending projects (earmarks).1
As shown in Table 1 and Figure 1, the distribution of funding within the THUD bill differs
depending on the inclusion or exclusion of mandatory funding associated with the bill. Including
both mandatory and discretionary funding, DOT’s budget is larger than that of HUD’s and the
related agencies make up a small share of total funding. Conversely, when looking only at net
discretionary budget authority—the funding that counts for congressional scorekeeping purposes,
which accounts for savings from offsets and rescissions but excludes mandatory funding—HUD’s
share is larger than DOT’s share.
1 The House and Senate use various terms when referring to these spending directives. The House Committee on
Appropriations refers to this type of funding as Community Project Funding, and the Senate Committee on
Appropriations refers to it as Congressionally Directed Spending. Both chambers have disclosure rules that these
spending directives be disclosed in committee reports accompanying appropriations bills. Collectively, this type of
spending is commonly known as “earmarks” and sometimes referred to as such for commonality and brevity. This
report uses the terms Community Project Funding (CPF) when referring to disclosed House spending and
Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) when referring to disclosed Senate spending. These disclosed spending
projects collectively are referred to as CPF/CDS or earmarks throughout the report. See CRS Report RS22866,
Earmark Disclosure Rules in the House: Member and Committee Requirements, and CRS Report RS22867, Earmark
Disclosure Rules in the Senate: Member and Committee Requirements.
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THUD Appropriations for FY2026
Figure 1. Distribution of THUD Funding by Title
FY2025 Enacted
Source: Comparative Statement of New Budget (Obligational) Authority table, as published in H.Rept. 118-584.
Notes: Discretionary funding reflects net discretionary funding. Excludes emergency funding, except emergency
funding provided for regular program operations.
Overview of the FY2026 Appropriations Process
The annual appropriations process generally begins with the release of the President’s budget in
February. The Trump Administration’s FY2026 budget release was delayed. A skinny budget was
released in early May 2025, with more details—including Congressional Budget Justifications—
released beginning at the end of May. Part of the delay may be attributable to the change in
administration. It may also be attributable to the delayed resolution of the FY2025 annual
appropriations process, which culminated with enactment of a full-year continuing resolution
funding agencies at FY2024 levels, with some anomalies (including for THUD), on March 15,
2025 (P.L. 119-4).
In order to begin congressional deliberation of individual appropriations acts, generally an
agreement is reached via a budget resolution or other vehicle to establish both a top-line funding
level for annual appropriations (called a 302(a) level) as well as individual appropriations
subcommittee allocations (called 302(b) allocations). As of the cover date of this report, no such
formal topline agreement for FY2026 had been reached in either the House or the Senate. On
June 11, 2025, the House Committee on Appropriations ordered reported draft interim allocations
for four of its 12 subcommittees, pending publication of the Appropriations Committee’s 302(a)
allocation in the Congressional Record by the Chair of the House Committee on the Budget;
those draft allocations were subsequently revised, including on July 17, when an allocation for
THUD was adopted. The House THUD allocation was set at $89.9 billion, a 4% increase over the
FY2025 enacted level. As of the cover date of this report, no formal allocations for FY2026 were
established for the Senate Committee on Appropriations or its subcommittees.
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THUD Appropriations for FY2026
The following provides a brief overview of action on FY2026 THUD appropriations, including
Table 1, which provides comparable funding levels at the THUD bill title level. That is followed
by more detail, organized by bill Title.
President’s budget
For the agencies that comprise the THUD budget, the President’s FY2026 budget requested the
following:
•
•
•
For DOT, $25.2 billion in net new discretionary funding (+4% relative to
FY2025 enacted). When paired with $83.3 billion in mandatory funding, total
DOT funding would have been $108.4 billion in FY2026 (+1.5% relative to
FY2025 enacted).
For HUD, $36.6 billion in net new discretionary funding (-46.8% relative to
FY2025 enacted, including emergency-designated funding for regular program
operations).
For the related agencies typically funded in the THUD bill, $293 million (-32.3%
relative to FY2025 enacted).2
House Committee Action
On July 17, the House Appropriations Committee marked up its FY2026 THUD appropriations
bill (H.R. 4552; H.Rept. 119-212), following subcommittee markup on July 14. The committee
reported the bill on July 21. It included the following:
•
•
•
For DOT, $21.8 billion in new discretionary funding (-13.7% relative to FY2025
enacted). When paired with $83.3 billion in mandatory funding, total DOT
funding was proposed at $105.1 billion in FY2026 (-1.6% relative to FY2025
enacted).
For HUD, $67.8 billion in net new discretionary funding (+11.6% relative to
FY2025 enacted, including emergency-designated funding for regular program
operations).
For the related agencies typically funded in the THUD bill, $366 million (-15.5%
relative to FY2025 enacted).
Senate Committee Action
Forgoing initial subcommittee markup, the Senate Appropriations Committee marked up and
reported its FY2026 THUD appropriations bill (S. 2465; S.Rept. 119-47) on July 24. It included
the following:
•
For DOT, $26.5 billion in new discretionary funding (+5.1% relative to FY2025
enacted). When paired with $83.3 billion in mandatory funding, total DOT
funding was proposed at $109.8 billion in FY2026 (+2.8% relative to FY2025
enacted).
2 Related agencies include U.S. Access Board, Federal Maritime Commission, Amtrak Inspector General, National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation (NeighborWorks America), Surface
Transportation Board, and Interagency Council on Homelessness. These agencies are discussed in the “Title III:
Related Agencies” section of this report.
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THUD Appropriations for FY2026
•
•
For HUD, $73.3 billion in net new discretionary funding (+20.7% relative to
FY2025 enacted, including emergency-designated funding for regular program
operations).
For the related agencies typically funded in the THUD bill, $424 million (-2.1%
relative to FY2025 enacted).
Funding Lapse and Continuing Resolution
Prior to enactment of FY2026 full-year appropriations, most federal agencies—including DOT,
HUD, and the related agencies typically funded in the annual THUD appropriations act—were
funded under a continuing resolution (CR).3 The CR was enacted as Division A of the Continuing
Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and
Extensions Act, 2026 (P.L. 119-37). It was signed into law on November 11, 2025, ending a
funding lapse and government shutdown that began at the start of FY2026 (October 1, 2025). The
CR extended FY2025 funding levels through January 30, 2026. It contained three anomalies
affecting THUD accounts:
•
•
•
Section 161 allowed HUD to use unobligated balances from specific set-asides
within the tenant-based rental assistance account to meet renewal needs in the
Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program as necessary to prevent the
termination of assistance to current program participants due to insufficient
funding. This anomaly was requested by the Administration, which contended
that without the provision, resources may be inadequate to sustain housing
vouchers for up to 40,000 families.
Section 162 provided that amounts made available by Section 101 for DOT’s
Essential Air Service program, funded by the Office of the Secretary’s Payments
to Air Carriers account, could be apportioned at a rate necessary to maintain
program operations. The program provides subsidies to air carriers for operation
of routes that connect smaller airports to larger airports in 181 communities
throughout the United States.
Section 163 extended the statutory termination date for DOT’s Motor Carrier
Safety Advisory Committee through the duration of the CR.
Full-Year Appropriations Enacted
On February 3, 2026, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (P.L. 119-75) was signed into
law, which included as Division D the Transportation, HUD, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act, 2026. It included the following:
•
•
For DOT, $25.1 billion in new discretionary funding (-0.4% relative to FY2025
enacted). When paired with $83.3 billion in mandatory funding, total DOT
funding in the bill is $108.4 billion in FY2026 (+1.5% relative to FY2025
enacted).
For HUD, $77.3 billion in net new discretionary funding (+12.6% relative to
FY2025 enacted, including emergency-designated funding for regular program
operations).
3 For more information about continuing resolutions, see CRS Report R46595, Continuing Resolutions: Overview of
Components and Practices.
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THUD Appropriations for FY2026
•
For the related agencies typically funded in the THUD bill, $425 million (-1.8%
relative to FY2025 enacted).
Table 1. THUD Appropriations by Bill Title, FY2025-FY2026
(dollars in millions)
FY2025
Enacted
Title I: DOT
FY2026
Request
FY2026
House
Comm.
FY2026
Senate
Comm.
FY2026
Enacted
106,785
108,436
105,078
109,807
108,426
Discretionary
25,246
25,151a
21,793
26,522
25,136e
Mandatory
81,539
83,285
83,285
83,285
83,290
60,690b
36,568c
67,751
73,278d
77,320d
433
293
366
424
425
167,908
146,158
173,195
183,509
186,171
Total Discretionary
86,369
62,012ca
89,910
100,224
102,881
Total Mandatory
81,539
83,285
83,285
83,285
83,290
Emergency Appropriations for
Regular Program Operations
(HUD)
8,000
—
—
—
—
Supplemental Emergency
Disaster Funding
20,125
—
—
—
—
Other Supplemental Funding
(IIJA; DOT)f
36,811
36,811
36,811
36,811
36,811e
Title II: HUD
Title III: Related Agencies
Total
Sources: “FY2026 House Comm.” figures are taken from the Comparative Statement of New Budget Authority
table, as published in H.Rept. 119-212 and text of H.R. 4552; “FY2026 Senate Comm.” figures are taken from the
Comparative Statement of New Budget Authority table, as published in S.Rept. 119-47 and text of S. 2465.
“FY2025 Enacted,” “President’s budget” and “FY2026 Enacted” figures are taken from the funding table in Book
II of the Explanatory Statement published in January 22, 2026, Congressional Record (pp. H1888-H1909) and text
of P.L. 119-75, as well as President’s budget documents.
Notes: Values may not sum to totals or exactly match source materials because of rounding. Amounts noted as
“emergency” are excluded when calculating total funds countable toward 302(b) allocations.
a. The President’s FY2026 budget documents included a request for funding for FHWA-Highway
Infrastructure Programs account for the Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects grant program,
also known as Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA), and rescission of funding to MARAD-Title XI
account. This request is not reflected in the “President’s budget” column of the funding table included in the
Explanatory Statement that accompanied the final FY2026 appropriations law, but is included here for
comparability purposes.
b. Excludes $8 billion in appropriations for rental assistance programs designated as emergency spending in the
bill, which are shown under “Emergency Appropriations for Regular Program Operations” later in this table.
c. The Comparative Statement table accompanying the FY2026 law does not include, in the column reflecting
the President’s budget request, HUD’s request for $36.2 billion in funding for a proposed new State Rental
Assistance Program (SRAP) designed to replace the existing rental assistance program, for which no new
funding was requested. The amount requested for SRAP is added here for comparability purposes.
d. Includes a rescission of $2 million from prior-year emergency designated spending.
e. P.L. 119-75 included IIJA transfers totaling $2.3 billion. These transfers are not reflected in this total. For
more information, see the “IIJA Transfers” section in this report.
f.
P.L. 119-75 made changes to current and prior year IIJA funds. These transfers are not reflected in this
total. For more information, see the “IIJA Transfers” section in this report.
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THUD Appropriations for FY2026
Title I: Department of Transportation
DOT is responsible for the federal regulation and funding of most modes of U.S. transportation.
Among its various responsibilities, DOT operates the nation’s air traffic control system; regulates
aviation, commercial trucking, and motor vehicle safety; and provides grants to support aviation,
highway, transit, and passenger rail infrastructure as well as highway, maritime, and pipeline
safety.
DOT is organized into 11 units. Five operating administrations each oversee a mode of
transportation: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Federal Transit Administration (FTA);
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA); Maritime Administration (MARAD); and, Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Three operating administrations oversee
certain aspects of roadways: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA); Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration (FMCSA); and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Two offices have department-wide responsibilities: Office of the Secretary (OST) and Office of
Inspector General (OIG). The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
(GLSDC) is the wholly owned government corporation that operates and maintains two locks on
the St. Lawrence Seaway and other aspects of navigation infrastructure.4
The source of most of DOT’s annual funding is provided by two periodic authorization acts, one
for surface transportation programs and one for aviation programs. The Infrastructure Investment
and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-58) authorized programs and funding for surface transportation
programs for FY2022-FY2026. The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 (P.L. 118-63) authorized
Aviation and Airways Trust Fund (AATF) taxes and revenue collections and civil aviation
program expenditures through FY2028. Most of the funding for the programs in those acts is
drawn from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) and the AATF, respectively. HTF revenues come
largely from fuel taxes and increasingly from transfers from the general fund of the Treasury.5
AATF revenues come largely from taxes on passenger tickets and aviation fuel and some general
fund money.6
Most of the funding drawn from the HTF, and a portion of the funding drawn from the AATF, is
in the form of contract authority, a type of budget authority that is considered mandatory (rather
than discretionary). In addition to providing regular annual discretionary appropriations, the
THUD bill includes obligation limitations on this mandatory budget authority. That mandatory
budget authority does not count against the THUD bill’s 302(b) discretionary suballocation.
Table 2 provides the detailed appropriations for DOT by agency and account showing the
FY2025 enacted funding levels, the FY2026 President’s budget request, the FY2026 funding
proposals from both the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Appropriations
Committee, and FY2026 enacted funding levels. Total appropriations and net discretionary
budget authority rows of the table reflect new discretionary budget authority. In addition to the
total of budgetary resources provided at the conclusion of Table 2, the IIJA (P.L. 117-58,
Division J) appropriated to DOT $36.8 billion in supplemental advance appropriations per year
for various programs for each of FY2022-FY2026 (as shown Table 3). P.L. 119-75 included
transfers of funding from P.L. 117-58 that totaled $2.3 billion. These transfers are not reflected in
the total discretionary budget authority for DOT. Transfers are listed by account in Table 4 and
4 For background on DOT modal agencies, see CRS Report R48651, U.S. Department of Transportation: Background
on Modal Administrations, coordinated by John Frittelli.
5 For more information, see CRS Report R48472, The Highway Trust Fund’s Highway Account, by Ali E. Lohman.
6 For more information, see CRS Report R44749, The Airport and Airway Trust Fund (AATF): An Overview, by Rachel
Y. Tang and Bart Elias.
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THUD Appropriations for FY2026
the source accounts of funding are described further in the “IIJA Transfers” section of this report.
Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending for 2026 is discussed in the
“Earmarks” section of the DOT part of this report (and shown in Table 5).
Components of DOT Funding
DOT’s budget is made up of a combination of mandatory funding largely provided outside the annual appropriations
acts via authorizing statutes, and discretionary budget authority largely provided in the annual THUD appropriations
acts.
DOT uses two main trust funds: the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) and the Airport and Airways Trust Fund (AATF).
The majority of programs that are administered by the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit
Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
are funded via the HTF. Some programs administered by the Federal Aviation Administration are funded by the
AATF. Some of the funding from the AATF is disbursed as contract authority (mandatory), but the majority of it
relies on an appropriation (discretionary).
DOT’s mandatory funding includes contract authority, which is a special type of budget authority linked to trust
funds that is authorized for obligation via an authorization act (such as surface transportation acts). Contract
authority does not require further congressional action for DOT to incur obligations. This type of budget
authority is considered to be mandatory spending. Congress typically sets a limitation on obligations of this
mandatory budget authority during the annual appropriations process.
In addition to contract authority, DOT received multi-year, supplemental, emergency-designated advance
appropriations under Division J of the IIJA for each of FY2022-FY2026.
The cost of the new discretionary budget authority provided via annual appropriations acts—as determined by the
Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO’s) scorekeeping process—may be offset, to some degree, by savings derived
from collections from user fees and rescissions of prior-year appropriations. Deducting the savings from fees and
rescissions from the gross discretionary budget authority provided to DOT results in net discretionary budget authority.
Generally, gross discretionary budget authority, along with mandatory funding available in a fiscal year, is the most
useful measure of the new resources being provided for DOT’s programs and activities, whereas net discretionary
budget authority is used for budget enforcement purposes and measuring against 302(b) allocations.
Any funding designated as an emergency requirement provided in the regular annual appropriations acts or in
supplemental spending bills is generally excluded from totals for purposes of budget enforcement.
Table 2. Department of Transportation, FY2025-FY2026 Detailed Appropriations
(dollars in millions)
FY2026
Senate
Comm.
FY2026
Enacted
875
1,119
1,054
200
205
186
200
49
50
44
33
50
National Infrastructure
Investments
345
0
0
250
145
National Surface Transportation
and Innovation Finance Bureau
10
10
9
10
9
Rural and Tribal Infrastructure
Advancement
25
0
0
10
10
Financial Management Capital
5
5
5
5
5
FY2025
Enacted
FY2026
Request
Office of the Secretary (OST)
1,168
507
Salaries and Expenses
191
Research and Technology
Administrations and Accounts
FY2026
House
Comm.
Appropriations
Congressional Research Service
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THUD Appropriations for FY2026
FY2026
Senate
Comm.
FY2026
Enacted
75
60
60
0
0
12
12
21
25
23
34
32
Community Project
Funding/Congressionally
Directed Spending (non-add)
0
0
10
10
—
Working Capital Fund (non-add)
522
0
533
650
765
Small and Disadvantaged
Business Utilization and
Outreach
5
0
0
5
5
Payments to Air Carriers
(Essential Air Service)
450
142
514
514
514
Essential Air Service (Overflight
Fees) (non-add)
162
174
174
174
714
Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA)
16,989
18,007
18,296
18,428
18,209
Operations
13,483
13,842
13,752
13,818
13,710
Facilities & Equipment
3,176
4,000
4,000
4,000
4,000
Research, Engineering, and
Development (Airport and
Airways Trust Fund)
280
165
230
290
290
Airport Discretionary Grants
50
0
314
319
209a
Community Project
Funding/Congressionally
Directed Spending (non-add)
0
0
284
269
542
Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA)
341
770b
969
581
927
Highway Infrastructure Program
341
770b
969
581
927
Community Project
Funding/Congressionally
Directed Spending (non-add)
0
0
954
581
1,515c
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA)
223
223
134
65
71
Operations and Research
223
223
134
65
71d
Federal Railroad Administration
(FRA)
2,925
3,239
347
2,916
2,764
268
268
265
265
265
FY2025
Enacted
FY2026
Request
Cyber Security Initiatives
49
75
Office of Civil Rights
18
Transportation Planning,
Research, and Development
Administrations and Accounts
Safety and Operations
Congressional Research Service
FY2026
House
Comm.
8
THUD Appropriations for FY2026
FY2026
Senate
Comm.
FY2026
Enacted
44
43
40
0
0
75
25e
100
500
38
107
7
0
0
38
52
87f
2,428
2,427
0
2,427
2,427
Northeast Corridor
1,141
850
0
850
850
National Network
1,286
1,577
0
1,577
1,577
Federal Transit Administration
(FTA)
2,408
2,355
309
2,248
1,881
46
0
97
141
23g
0
0
96
59
148
Technical Assistance and
Training
8
0
8
8
8
Capital Investment Grants
2,205
2,205
54
1,950
1,700
Grants to Washington
Metropolitan Area
Transit Authority
150
150
150
150
150
Great Lakes Saint Lawrence
Seaway Development
Corporation (GLSLSDC)
41
41
38
41
38
Operations and Maintenance
40
41
38
41
38
900
1,487
897
1,043
1,045
Maritime Security Program
318
372
380
390
390
Cable Security Fleet
10
0
10
10
10
Tanker Security Program
60
120
91
122
82
Operations and Training
268
240h
272
241
276
126
90
91
143
139
9
105
0
30
35
FY2025
Enacted
FY2026
Request
Railroad Research and
Development
54
44
Federal-State Partnership for
Intercity Passenger Rail
75
Consolidated Rail Infrastructure
and Safety Improvements
Community Project
Funding/Congressionally
Directed Spending (non-add)
Administrations and Accounts
Amtrak Grants
Transit Infrastructure Grants
Community Project
Funding/Congressionally
Directed Spending (non-add)
Maritime Administration
(MARAD)
State Maritime Academy
Operations
Assistance to Small Shipyards
Congressional Research Service
FY2026
House
Comm.
9
THUD Appropriations for FY2026
Administrations and Accounts
FY2025
Enacted
FY2026
Request
FY2026
House
Comm.
FY2026
Senate
Comm.
FY2026
Enacted
Ship Disposal
6
6
6
6
6
Maritime Guaranteed Loan
Program
54
4
4
4
4
Port Infrastructure
Development Program
50
550
43
96
103
Community Project
Funding/Congressionally
Directed Spending (non-add)
0
0
43
21
65
Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration
(PHMSA)
324
324
315
323
310
Operational Expenses
32
32
29
31
29
Hazardous Material Safety
75
75
69
74
66
Pipeline Safety
218
218
218
218
215
Oil Spill Liability Fund
30
30
30
30
30
Pipeline Safety Fund
181
181
181
181
177
Liquefied Natural Gas Siting
Account
*
*
*
*
*
Design Review Fundi
—
—
—
*
*
Underground Natural Gas
Storage Facility Safety
Account
7
7
7
7
7
Office of Inspector General
116
116
105
116
113
Salaries and Expenses
116
116
105
116
113
25,435
25,530
22,286
26,881
26,411
—
(190)
(304)
(170)
(1,090)
OST—ARPA-I (§109A)
—
—
(10)
—
—
OST (§109D-G)
—
—
—
—
(13)
§109E
—
—
—
(1)
—
§109F
—
—
—
(0)
—
§109G
—
—
—
(20)
—
FRA (§155)
—
—
(75)
—
—
FRA (§156)
—
—
—
(2)
—
Total Appropriations
Rescissions
Congressional Research Service
10
THUD Appropriations for FY2026
FY2026
Senate
Comm.
FY2026
Enacted
—
—
(950)
—
(40)
—
—
—
(190)j
(179)
(147)
(128)
Maritime Security Program
—
(27)
(27)
(33)
(38)
Cable Security Fleet
—
(12)
(12)
(12)
(12)
Tanker Security Program
—
(65)
(54)
(77)
(43)
Ship Disposal
—
—
—
(25)
—
Title XI (§171)
—
(86)j
(86)
—
(34)
User Fees
(188)
(188)
(188)
(188)
(185)
PHMSA
(188)
(188)
(188)
(188)
(185)
(181)
(181)
(181)
(181)
(177)
Underground Natural Gas
Storage Facility Safety Account
(7)
(7)
(7)
(7)
(7)
Design Review Fundi
—
*k
—
*
*
Liquefied Natural Gas Siting
*
*
*
*
*
Net Discretionary Budget
Authority
25,247
25,151bhj
21,793
26,522
25,136l
Limitations on Obligations
(Mandatory Funding)
81,539
83,285
83,285
83,285
83,290
FAA—Airport and Airways
Trust Fund
4,000
4,000
4,000
4,000
4,000
FHWA—Highway Trust Fund
61,314
62,657
62,657
62,657
62,657
Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration (FMCSA)—
Highway Trust Fund
909
927
927
927
932
NHTSA—Highway Trust Fund
1,037
1,059
1,059
1,059
1,059
FTA—Highway Trust Fund
14,279
14,642
14,642
14,642
14,642
PHMSA—Emergency
Preparedness Fund (non-add)
47
44
47
47
47
Total Budgetary Resources
(Mandatory + Discretionary)
106,786
108,436bhj
105,078
109,807
108,426
Additional Appropriationsm
44,897n
36,811
36,811
36,811
36,811l
FY2025
Enacted
FY2026
Request
FRA (§158)
—
—
FTA—Unobligated Balances
(§164)
—
MARAD
Administrations and Accounts
Pipeline Safety Fund
Congressional Research Service
FY2026
House
Comm.
11
THUD Appropriations for FY2026
Administrations and Accounts
Net new budget authority
(incl. additional appropriations
from P.L. 118-158 and P.L. 11758)
FY2025
Enacted
FY2026
Request
151,696
145,246bhj
FY2026
House
Comm.
141,888
FY2026
Senate
Comm.
FY2026
Enacted
146,617
145,236
Sources: “FY2026 House Comm.” figures are taken from the Comparative Statement of New Budget Authority
table, as published in H.Rept. 119-212 and text of H.R. 4552; “FY2026 Senate Comm.” figures are taken from the
Comparative Statement of New Budget Authority table, as published in S.Rept. 119-47 and text of S. 2465.
“FY2025 Enacted,” “President’s budget,” and “FY2026 Enacted” figures are taken from the funding table in Book
II of the Explanatory Statement published in January 22, 2026, Congressional Record (pp. H1888-H1909) and text
of P.L. 119-75, as well as President’s budget documents.
Notes: Gross mandatory budget authority does not include $20 million of mandatory budget authority provided
for Asset Concessions to the Office of Secretary in the IIJA. CRS has reorganized accounts when needed. Table
2 does not include proposed transfers from IIJA accounts as discussed in the subsequent sections of the report
and includes new budget authority. An “*” indicates amount rounds to less than $1 million; and “—” indicates
amount is not available or not applicable. Agency subaccounts are italicized to differentiate from agency accounts.
Accounts and subaccounts designated as “non-add” provide additional information about the agency’s budget but
do not impact final discretionary totals.
a. $369 million is made available for FAA-Airport Discretionary Grants by transfer from the IIJA’s FAAAirport Discretionary Grants account ($300 million) and the IIJA’s FAA-Airport Terminal Program account
($68.7 million).
b. The President’s FY2026 budget documents included a request for funding for the FHWA-Highway
Infrastructure Programs account for the Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects grant program,
also known as Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA). This request is not reflected in the
President’s budget column of the funding table included in the Explanatory Statement that accompanied the
final FY2026 appropriations law, but is included here for comparability purposes.
c. $1.469 billion is made available for FHWA-Highway Infrastructure Programs by transfer from several IIJA
accounts.
d. $129 million is made available for NHTSA-Operations and Research by transfer from the IIJA’s NHTSASupplemental Highway Traffic Safety Programs account ($79 million) and the IIJA’s NHTSA-Crash Data ($50
million).
e. $40 million is made available for FRA-Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail by transfer from
the IIJA’s FRA-Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grants account.
f.
$130 million is made available for FRA-Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements by transfer
from the IIJA’s FRA-Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements ($20 million) and the IIJA’s
FRA-Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grants account ($110 million).
g. $188 million is made available for FTA-Transit Infrastructure Grants by transfer from several IIJA accounts.
h. The President’s FY2026 budget documents included $240 million in funding to MARAD-Operations and
Training account. This request is not reflected in the President’s budget column of the funding table
included in the Explanatory Statement that accompanied the final FY2026 appropriations law, but is included
here for comparability purposes.
i.
The Senate Appropriations Committee proposed a Design Review Fund Account for FY2026.
j.
The President’s FY2026 budget documents include an $86 million recission from MARAD’s Title XI
account. This request is not reflected in the President’s budget column of the funding table included in the
Explanatory Statement that accompanied the final FY2026 appropriations law, but is included here for
comparability purposes.
k. The President’s FY2026 budget documents did not include a Design Review Fund User Fee., but the
President’s budget column of the funding table included in the Explanatory Statement that accompanied the
final FY2026 appropriations law included a user fee of $200,000.
l.
P.L. 119-75 included IIJA transfers totaling $2.3 billion. These transfers are not reflected in this total. For
more information, see the “IIJA Transfers” section in this report.
Congressional Research Service
12
THUD Appropriations for FY2026
m.
n.
P.L. 119-75 made changes to current and prior year IIJA funds. These transfers are not reflected in this
total. For more information, see the “IIJA Transfers” section in this report.
For FY2025, DOT received $8.1 billion in appropriations for emergency relief through the American Relief
Act (P.L. 118-158). With the advance appropriations provided by the IIJA, FY2025’s total of “Additional
Appropriations” is $44.9 billion. For FY2026’s “Additional Appropriations,” these funds come from advance
appropriations provided by the IIJA. See Table 3 for their distribution.
Additional Funding for FY2026 Provided in the IIJA
In addition to regular annual appropriations and contract authority, some DOT agencies and
programs receive supplemental advance appropriations. Specifically, DOT received $184.1
billion from Division J, Title VIII of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 11758). These supplemental funds were provided in FY2022 as an advance appropriation, divided
into equal portions ($36.8 billion total) that become available each year of the authorization
period (FY2022-FY2026), for DOT programs authorized in Divisions A-C and J of the IIJA. That
$36.8 billion in annual supplemental funding equals slightly over one-third of the FY2026
funding recommended for DOT in the THUD FY2026 appropriations bills. Table 3 shows the
distribution of the supplemental funding available to DOT during FY2026. The House and the
Senate committee bills propose transferring some FY2026 IIJA funding between accounts
(discussed later in this report; see the “IIJA Transfers” section).
Table 3. FY2026 Supplemental DOT Funding Provided by the IIJA
(dollars in millions)
DOT Accounts
Office of the Secretary (OST)
FY2026
3,800
National Infrastructure Investments
2,500
Safe Streets and Roads for All grants
1,000
National Culvert Removal, Replacement, and Restoration grants
200
Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation Grant Program
100*
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
5,000
Facilities and Equipment
1,000
Airport Infrastructure Grants
3,000*
Airport Terminal Program
1,000*
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Highway Infrastructure Programs
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
9,454
9,454*
134
Motor Carrier Safety Operations and Program
10*
Motor Carrier Safety Grants
125
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
322
Crash Data
150*
Vehicle Safety and Behavioral Research Programs
110
Supplemental Highway Traffic Safety Programs
62*
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements
Congressional Research Service
13,200
1,000*
13
THUD Appropriations for FY2026
DOT Accounts
FY2026
Northeast Corridor Grants to Amtrak
1,200
National Network Grants to Amtrak
3,200
Railroad Crossing Elimination Program
600
Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grants
7,200*
Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
4,250
Transit Infrastructure Grants
2,050*
Capital Investment Grants
1,600*
All Stations Accessibility Program
350
Electric or Low-Emitting Ferry Program
50*
Ferry Service for Rural Communities
200*
Maritime Administration (MARAD)
450
Port Infrastructure Development Program
450*
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)
200
Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization Grant Program
Total Other Appropriations
200
$36,811
Source: These funds were provided in Division J, Title VIII of the IIJA (P.L. 117-58) and are subject to transfers.
Note: Asterisks (*) indicate accounts affected by transfers of FY2026 unobligated balances to other accounts.
IIJA Transfers
The FY2026 appropriations law included a number of provisions affecting funds that were
provided by the IIJA. These provisions fall into two broad categories: provisions that transfer
IIJA funding between program activities within the same agency and provisions that rescind and
reappropriate IIJA funding for which the obligation period would otherwise be expiring. Table 4
provides the total funding available for agencies that had accounts that received transfers of IIJA
funding in FY2026, excluding obligation limitations. The table shows the agency total, the
specific agency accounts that received transfers in FY2026, and the source of funding for the
included accounts (new discretionary budget authority from the General Fund or IIJA transfers).
Table 4. Total Funding Provided by P.L. 119-75 by Account Including IIJA Transfers,
FY2025 and FY2026
(in millions)
Account
FY2025
FY2026
16,989
18,577
50
577
General Fund
50
209
IIJA Transfer
—
369
341
2,396
341
2,396
341
927
FAA
Airport Discretionary Grants
FHWA
Highway Infrastructure Program
General Fund
Congressional Research Service
14
THUD Appropriations for FY2026
Account
FY2025
FY2026
—
1,469
223
200
Operations and Research
223
200
General Fund
223
71
IIJA Transfer
—
129
2,940
2,000
75
65
General Fund
75
25
IIJA Transfer
—
40
100
137
General Fund
100
7
IIJA Transfer
—
130
2,408
1,881
46
211
General Fund
100
23
IIJA Transfer
—
188
IIJA Transfer
NHTSA
FRA
Federal-State Partnership for Intercity
Passenger Rail
Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety
Improvements
FTA
Transit Infrastructure Grants
Source: FY2025 and FY2026 figures are taken from the funding table in Book II of the Explanatory Statement
published in the January 22, 2026, Congressional Record (pp. H1888-H1909) and text of P.L. 119-75.
Selected FY2026 DOT Appropriations Topics
Funding by Agency
Office of the Secretary (OST)
The Secretary of Transportation leads DOT and is the principal adviser to the President on
transportation and federal transportation programs. OST develops and oversees national
transportation policy and administers some grant, research, and credit programs. OST houses the
Office of the Under Secretary for Policy, which oversees the Offices of Transportation Policy;
Multimodal Freight and Infrastructure Policy; and Research, Development, and Technology. OST
is funded by contract authority, annual appropriations, and multiyear advance appropriations
(IIJA, Division J).
For OST, FY2026 enacted funding levels are about 10% below FY2025. The FY2026 President’s
budget had proposed a 57% reduction in funding for OST.
Neither the President’s budget request nor the House committee bill proposed funding for the
Rural and Tribal Infrastructure Advancement account or the Office of Civil Rights account. The
FY2026 appropriations law provided funding for both accounts below FY2025 levels, matching
the Senate committee’s proposal. The Rural and Tribal Infrastructure Advancement account
received a 60% decrease and the Office of Civil Rights account saw about a 36% decrease in
funding from FY2025 to FY2026.
Congressional Research Service
15
THUD Appropriations for FY2026
The FY2026 appropriations law included $145 million for the National Infrastructure Investments
account for the local and regional project assistance grant program defined under Section 6702 of
Title 49 of the U.S. Code, a 58% decrease in additional funding compared to FY2025 enacted
levels (-$200 million). This program is currently called BUILD, or Better Utilizing Investments
to Leverage Development.7
For Research and Technology, the final FY2026 funding level is 52% above FY2025. The
President’s budget had proposed a 2% increase above FY2025. The House and Senate committee
bills proposed reductions for this account of 10% and 33%, respectively, relative to FY2025.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
FAA programs are funded under four broad budget accounts: Operations and Maintenance (such
as air traffic control and aviation safety functions); Facilities and Equipment (such as control
towers and navigation beacons); grants for airports under the Airport Improvement Program
(AIP); and Research, Engineering and Development. Some important issues for the FAA are the
age and operation of the air traffic control system, including the air traffic controller workforce,
and aviation safety, including airline safety and aircraft certification.8
For the Airport Discretionary Grants account, the President’s FY2026 request included no new
funding. The House committee bill proposed a 527% increase in funding and the Senate
committee bill proposed a 539% increase in funding relative to FY2025. Of the funding proposed
for this account, the House committee bill proposed to set aside 90% for Community Project
Funding and the Senate committee bill proposed to set aside 84% for Congressionally Directed
Spending.
The FY2026 appropriations law included a 317% increase in new discretionary budget authority
relative to FY2025 for Airport Discretionary Grants. The law also transferred $369 million in
prior-year unobligated funds from the IIJA to this account. This transfer increased funding
available in the account for FY2026 to 1,056% above FY2025 levels. Of that total funding, 94%
is directed to Community Project Funding and Congressionally Directed Spending projects. The
remaining budget authority ($35 million) is available for Airport Discretionary Grants.
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Federal funding for highway infrastructure is provided primarily through the federal-aid highway
program administered by FHWA.9 The majority of funding for the federal-aid highway program
is provided through an authorization of appropriations from the Highway Trust Fund’s highway
account.10 For FHWA, the annual appropriations process provided funding for activities
including, but not limited to, large infrastructure grants, rural highway construction, and
Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending projects.
7 For more information, see CRS Report R48863, Local and Regional Project Assistance Program: Background and
Selected Considerations, by Jennifer J. Marshall.
8 For more information, see CRS Report R47608, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Issues for
the 118th Congress, coordinated by Bart Elias and Rachel Y. Tang.
9 For more information, see CRS Report R47022, Federal Highway Programs: In Brief. In FY2025, FHWA received
11% of total budget authority in annual appropriations with ten percent ($8.1 billion) being emergency relief
appropriated through the American Relief Act, 2025 (P.L. 118-158). For more on emergency relief see CRS Report
R47724, Emergency Relief Program for Disaster-Damaged Highways and Bridges, by Ali E. Lohman.
10 For more information, see CRS Report R48472, The Highway Trust Fund’s Highway Account, by Ali E. Lohman.
Congressional Research Service
16
THUD Appropriations for FY2026
The FY2026 President’s budget requested $770 million for the Highway Infrastructure Programs
account solely for grants under the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America Program (INFRA; 23
U.S.C. §117). The FY2026 appropriations law made $200 million available for INFRA grants.
For the Highway Infrastructure Programs account, the House Appropriations Committee
proposed a 185% increase in funding compared to FY2025. The Senate Appropriations
Committee proposed a 71% increase for FY2026 compared to FY2025. The FY2026
appropriations law included $927 million for the Highway Infrastructure Programs account,
which is 172% of FY2025 funding levels, nearly matching the House committee’s funding
proposal.
Additionally, the FY2026 appropriations law provided FHWA with $1.5 billion in IIJA transfers
from other accounts for a total funding level of $2.4 billion in FY2026. The $1.5 billion in
transfers of IIJA funding amounts to 97% of the funding provided for Community Project
Funding and Congressionally Directed Spending projects under this account in FY2026 ($1.5
billion). The House and the Senate committees proposed funding for Community Project Funding
($954 million) and Congressionally Directed Spending ($581 million) in this account.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
NHTSA is responsible for motor vehicle safety, highway safety, behavioral safety programs,
motor vehicle information, and automobile fuel economy programs.11
The FY2026 President’s budget included no change in funding for the NHTSA, compared to
FY2025. The House Appropriations Committee proposed a 40% reduction in funding for the
Operations and Research account, the sole account for NHTSA, for FY2026 compared to
FY2025. The Senate Appropriations Committee proposed a 71% compared to FY2025. In the
FY2026 appropriations law, the Operation and Research account received $71 million in funding,
which is 68% below FY2025.
The total funding available for NHTSA is $200 million, which includes the $71 million in new
discretionary budget authority and $129 million in transfers from IIJA accounts. This brings
FY2026 funding levels to 10% below (-$23 million) FY2025 funding levels ($223 million).
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
FRA provides funding to monitor and enforce compliance with rail safety regulations, conduct
rail research and development, subsidize the capital and operating expenses of the National
Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak), and award grants to improve passenger and freight rail
infrastructure, service, and equipment. Amtrak is reliant on annual appropriations to continue
operating its national system of passenger routes, and determining the level of funding available
for Amtrak and rail infrastructure grants is likely to be an issue for appropriators.12
The FY2026 President’s budget included an 11% increase in funding for FRA relative to FY2025
(+$314 million), whereas the House Appropriations Committee proposed an 88% reduction (-$2.6
billion) relative to FY2025 ($2.9 billion). The Senate Appropriations Committee proposed
11 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), “Laws and Regulations,” https://www.nhtsa.gov/laws-
regulations; 49 U.S.C. §301; 49 U.S.C. §303; 49 U.S.C. §321; 49 U.S.C. §325; 49 U.S.C. §327; 49 U.S.C. §329; and
49 U.S.C. §331.
12 For more information, see CRS Report R47260, Intercity Passenger Rail: Federal Policy and Programs, by Ben
Goldman.
Congressional Research Service
17
THUD Appropriations for FY2026
funding for FY2026 was comparable to FY2025. In the final FY2026 appropriations law, FRA
was funded at 5.5% (-$161 million) below FY2025.
FRA administers annual funding for Amtrak, which is divided into separate grants for the
Northeast Corridor (the line connecting Boston, New York City, and Washington, DC) and the
National Network (including short-distance routes that receive operating support from states and
long-distance routes fully funded by Amtrak). The FY2026 appropriations law included a 3%
reduction (-$763,000) in funding for Amtrak grants, including a 26% reduction (-$291 million) in
funding for Northeast Corridor grants and a 23% increase (+$291 million) for National Network
grants, compared to FY2025. The FY2026 President’s budget included and the Senate committee
proposed a 26% reduction in funding for the Northeast Corridor grants and a 23% increase in for
the National Network grants compared to FY2025. The House committee’s proposal included no
funding for grants for the Northeast Corridor or National Network grants.
FRA also administers several grant programs that make funding available for states and/or rail
carriers to improve or expand their infrastructure. These include the Consolidated Rail
Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program established by the Fixing
America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST; P.L. 114-94), which can fund a wide variety of rail
projects. The FY2026 President’s budget included a 400% increase in funding (+$400 million) for
CRISI compared to FY2025 ($100 million). The House committee proposed a 62% reduction in
new discretionary budget authority for CRISI compared to FY2025; the Senate committee
proposed a 7% increase. The FY2026 appropriation law included just over $7 million for CRISI,
which is 93% less than was appropriated in FY2025.
In addition to new regular discretionary appropriations, the House committee proposed the
transfer of $500 million from IIJA Division J appropriations for the Federal-State Partnership for
Intercity Passenger Rail Grants to the CRISI account. The Senate committee also proposed the
transfer of $44.8 million of unobligated balances of the Highway Infrastructure Program account
appropriated to carry out the National Electric Vehicle Formula Program to CRISI for grants. The
transferred IIJA funding would have been derived from unobligated balances previously
appropriated for FY2025 and FY2026 for activities related to financial assistance oversight and
technical assistance under the IIJA’s FRA-CRISI account. The FY2026 appropriation law
transferred $130 million in IIJA funding to CRISI, making $137 million in total funding
available, a 37% increase from FY2025.
The House committee’s proposal of new discretionary budget authority for CRISI was 100% ($38
million) for Community Project Funding. The Senate proposed 48% of new discretionary budget
authority to the CRISI account for Congressionally Directed Spending. In the FY2026
appropriations law, 58% of the $137 million provided is for Community Project
Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending projects.
The Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail program established by the IIJA is
limited to projects that improve or expand intercity passenger (as opposed to commuter or freight)
rail service. The House Appropriations Committee did not propose any new funding for the
Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail account for FY2026. The Senate
Appropriations Committee proposed a funding level for FY2026 that matched the FY2025 level.
The FY2026 appropriations law provides $25 million in new discretionary budget authority and
$40 million in transfers of unobligated balances previously appropriated for FY2026 activities
related to financial assistance oversight and technical assistance for IIJA’s FRA-Federal-State
Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail account.
Congressional Research Service
18
THUD Appropriations for FY2026
Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
Federal funding assistance to public transportation agencies is provided primarily through the
public transportation program administered by the Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit
Administration (FTA).13 The FY2026 appropriations law provided 22% less in new discretionary
budget authority to FTA overall, relative to FY2025.
The FTA’s account for Capital Investment Grants supports state, local, and private investment in
capital projects for new and expanded transit service. The final FY2026 appropriations law
provided Capital Investment Grants with 23% less in new discretionary budget authority in
FY2026 compared to the $2.2 billion authorized in FY2025. The law directed the funds to be
distributed as follows: $1.4 billion to projects authorized under Title 49, Section 5309(d), of the
U.S. Code; $200 million to projects authorized under Title 49, Section 5309(e), of the U.S. Code;
$26 million to projects authorized under Title 49, Section 5309(h), of the U.S. Code; and $100
million to projects authorized under Section 3005(b), of P.L. 114-94 (Fixing America’s Surface
Transportation Act); for a total of $1.7 billion. The law also directed that IIJA funding
appropriated to FTA-Capital Investment Grants account be directed to projects authorized under
Title 49, Section 5309(d), of the U.S. Code ($735 million) and to projects authorized under Title
49, Section 5309(h), of the U.S. Code ($850 million).
The House Appropriations Committee proposed an 87% reduction (-$2.1 billion) in FY2026
discretionary budget authority for FTA compared to FY2025 attributable to a 98% proposed
reduction (-$2.2 billion) to the Capital Investment Grants account compared to FY2025. The
Senate Appropriations Committee proposed a 7% reduction in FY2026 discretionary funding for
FTA compared to FY2025, with the full decrease taken from the Capital Investment Grants
account. Overall, the Senate Appropriations Committee proposed 36 times more in new
discretionary budget authority for the Capital Investments Grants account ($2 billion) than the
House Appropriations Committee ($54 million).
The FTA’s Transit Infrastructure Grants account supports grants for ferry boat service, research
and development, buses, bus facilities, earmarks, and more. The FY2026 appropriations law
provided a combined total of $211 million for the Transit Infrastructure Grants account, including
new discretionary budget authority ($23 million) and transfers of unobligated IIJA balances ($188
million). The Transit Infrastructure Grants account was provided 49% less in new discretionary
budget authority, a reduction of $23 million, compared to FY2025 ($46 million). The IIJA
transfers came from the following accounts: FTA-Transit Infrastructure Grants ($41 million),
FTA-Electric and Low-Emitting Ferry Program ($5 million), FTA-Ferry Service for Rural
Communities ($5 million), and FRA-Federal-State for Intercity Partnership Passenger Rail Grants
($138 million).
The FY2026 appropriations law made $148 million available for Community Project
Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending projects within the Transit Infrastructure Grants
account, accounting for 70% of total funding for the account.
Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLSLSDC)
GLSDC is a wholly owned government corporation that operates and maintains two locks on the
St. Lawrence Seaway at Massena, NY, as well as other aspects of navigation infrastructure.
(Canada owns and operates the other 13 locks on the seaway). GLSDC’s budget is funded entirely
from the Harbor Maintenance Tax, which is an ad valorem tax on imported and domestic cargo
13 For more information, see CRS Report R47002, Federal Public Transportation Program: In Brief, by William J.
Mallett.
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shipped through U.S. coastal and Great Lakes ports.14 The Harbor Maintenance Tax funds the
Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund.
The FY2026 appropriations law provided $38 million to the Operations and Maintenance
account, the sole account for Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
(GLSLSDC). This funding level is a 7% reduction (-$3 million) compared to FY2025 ($41
million). The funding level matches the House Appropriations Committee’s proposal. The Senate
Appropriations Committee proposed a 1% decrease in funding for FY2026 compared to FY2025,
matching the President’s FY2026 request ($41 million).
Maritime Administration (MARAD)
The Maritime Administration (MARAD) supports programs for U.S. shipyards, ports, waterways,
ships and shipping, vessel operations, ship disposal, and maritime education. MARAD also
supports the U.S.-flag ocean shipping fleet and U.S. commercial shipyards.
The FY2026 appropriations law provided a 16% increase in funding for MARAD compared to
FY2025. The FY2026 President’s budget requested a 54% increase in funding for the MARAD,
with the DOT budget documents15 noting that the funding increase would support the
Administration’s executive order “Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance.” The request
reflected a 100% increase for the Tanker Security Program account, a 1,100% increase to the
Assistance to Small Shipyard account ($105 million), and a 1,000% increase to the Port
Infrastructure Development account ($550 million) compared to FY2025 enacted funding levels
($9 million and $50 million, respectively). The request also proposed an increase in grants for
small shipyards (shipyards with fewer than 1,200 employees).16
For the Assistance to Small Shipyards account, the Senate Appropriations Committee proposed
$30 million, which is a 243% increase compared to the FY2025 enacted amount ($9 million). The
House Appropriations Committee proposed no new funding for this account in FY2026. The
FY2026 appropriations law provided a 300% increase (+ $26 million) compared to FY2025.
For the Maritime Guaranteed Loan account, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees
each proposed $4 million, a 93% reduction compared to the FY2025 enacted level ($54 million).
The FY2026 appropriations law funded the account at a 92% reduction (-$50 million) relative to
FY2025.
For the Port Infrastructure Development account, the House Appropriations Committee proposed
a 13% reduction in funding for FY2026 compared to FY2025. All of the funding proposed by the
House Appropriations Committee would be directed to Community Project Funding, comprising
one-third of total funding proposed for MARAD in FY2026. The Senate Appropriations
Committee proposed a 93% increase in funding for this account in FY2026 compared to FY2025.
Of the amount proposed, 22% would be directed to Congressionally Directed Spending. The final
FY2026 appropriations law provided a 107% increase (+$63 million) for the Port Infrastructure
Development account compared to FY2025. Of the total, 63% is directed to Community Project
Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending projects.
14 For more information, see CRS Report R44664, The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway Navigation System: Options
for Growth, by John Frittelli; and CRS Report R47550, Shipping on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway: An
Update, by John Frittelli.
15 For example, see DOT FY2026 Budget Highlights, https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2025-05/
DOT_FY_2026_Budget_Highlights_508c.pdf.
16 Maritime Administration, “Small Shipyard Grants,” https://www.maritime.dot.gov/grants-finances/small-shipyardgrants.
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Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)
PHMSA is responsible for pipeline safety and the safe transport of hazardous materials (hazmat)
by all transportation modes. PHMSA has the primary responsibility for the formulation,
administration, and oversight of onshore pipeline safety regulations in the United States. The
agency carries out such responsibilities through its Office of Pipeline Safety, which oversees
pipeline operators, supports state pipeline safety agencies, and cooperates with other federal
agencies that have pipeline safety responsibilities, among other duties. PHMSA also regulates the
safe packaging of hazmat by road, rail, and water transport and provides grants for training
emergency personnel to respond to hazmat incidents.17
The FY2026 appropriations law reduced funding by 4.3% (-$14 million) for PHMSA compared
to FY2025. The FY2026 President’s budget proposed no change in funding for PHMSA
compared to FY2025 enacted funding levels.
The Senate Appropriations Committee proposed a new account for Design Review for facility
design safety reviews, with funding of $200,000, and that amount of funding was ultimately
provided for this account in the FY2026 appropriations law.
Office of Inspector General (OIG)
OIG conducts independent audits, investigations, and evaluations of DOT programs and
operations, including contracts and grants. The FY2026 appropriations law reduced funding for
OIG by 3% (-$3 million) compared to FY2025. The FY2026 President’s budget proposed no
change in funding for OIG compared to FY2025. The House Appropriations Committee proposed
a 10% reduction in funding for the Salaries and Expenses account relative to FY2025, while the
Senate Appropriations Committee proposed a funding level that matches the FY2025 level.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
FMCSA was established to improve highway safety through regulation of equipment and
operating standards for commercial motor vehicle operators. FMCSA receives budget authority
through the IIJA in the form of contract authority, with funds drawn from the highway account of
the Highway Trust Fund. The IIJA also provided funding to FMCSA through multiyear advance
appropriations from the General Fund. FMCSA does not generally receive regular annual
discretionary appropriations.
IIJA Transfers
As noted earlier, the FY2026 appropriations law included a number of transfers of IIJA advance
appropriation funding. Those transferred funds serve to supplement—or in some cases replace—
regular annual appropriations provided in the bill. The IIJA transfers included in P.L. 119-75 are
summarized below.
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Of the total $2.4 billion in funding made available for FHWA in FY2026, 61% ($1.5 billion)
reflect transfers from other accounts.
17 For more information, see CRS Report R44201, DOT’s Federal Pipeline Safety Program: Background and Issues for
Congress, by Paul W. Parfomak.
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Transfers to FHWA from Other Accounts
The FY2026 appropriations law transferred a total of $375 million in unobligated balances of
amounts appropriated to various accounts and activities in Title VIII, Division J of the IIJA to
FHWA’s Highway Infrastructure Programs account, including the following:
•
•
•
•
$20 million in unobligated balances of amounts appropriated for FY2025 and
FY2026 for FMCSA’s Motor Carrier Safety Operations and Program account.
$204.9 million in unobligated balances of amounts appropriated for FY2022,
FY2023, FY2024, FY2025 and FY2026 for OST’s Strengthening Mobility and
Revolutionizing Transportation Grant Program.
$50 million in unobligated balances of amounts appropriated for Section 801 of
Division J of the IIJA under the Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST)
for the costs of award, administration, or oversight of financial assistance of
discretionary programs administered by the Office of Multimodal Infrastructure
and Freight.
$100 million in unobligated balances of amounts appropriated for FY2026 for
PHMSA’s Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization
Grant Program.
Transfers from FHWA’s IIJA Accounts to FHWA’s Highway Infrastructure
Programs Account
The remaining $1.1 billion of budget authority transferred to FHWA’s Highway Infrastructure
Programs account in FY2026 comes from unobligated balances of amounts appropriated to the
IIJA’s FHWA Highway Infrastructure Programs account. These include the following:
•
$125 million in unobligated balances from amounts appropriated for FY2023, FY2024,
FY2025, and FY2026 for operations and for administration for FHWA activities.
•
$75 million in unobligated balances from amounts appropriated for FY2022 for
the establishment of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation.
$300 million in unobligated balances from amounts appropriated for FY2024,
FY2025, and FY2026 for additional technical assistance to states and localities
administered as discretionary grants under the National Electric Vehicle
Infrastructure Formula (NEVI) program in paragraph (2) of Title VIII of Division
J of the IIJA.
$504 million from unobligated balances as of January 31, 2026, for FY2022,
FY2023, FY2024, FY2025, and FY2026 for the National Electric Vehicle
Infrastructure Formula (NEVI) program for activities in paragraph (2) of Title
VIII of Division J of the IIJA.
$90 million from amounts appropriated for FY2024, FY2025, and FY2026 for
the reduction of truck emissions at port facilities program for activities at
paragraph (5) of Title VIII of Division J of the IIJA.
•
•
•
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
For FAA, the FY2026 appropriations law transfers a total of $369 million in IIJA unobligated
balances, including the following:
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•
•
$300 million in unobligated balances appropriated for FY2023, FY2024,
FY2025, and FY2026 for administration costs for FAA’s Airport Infrastructure
Grants to the Grants-in-Aid for Airports account (Airport Discretionary Grants).
$68.7 million in unobligated balances appropriated for FY2023, FY2024,
FY2025, and FY2026 for administration costs for FAA’s Airport Terminal
Program to the Grants-in-Aid for Airports account (Airport Discretionary
Grants).
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
Of the $65 million provided to the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail account
in the FY2026 appropriations law, $40 million is derived from transfers of unobligated balances
previously appropriated for FY2026 activities related to financial assistance oversight and
technical assistance for IIJA’s FRA-Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail
account.
Of the $137 million made available under the CRISI account in the FY2026 appropriations law,
$130 million (95%) was derived from IIJA unobligated balances previously appropriated for
FY2025 and FY2026 for activities related to financial assistance oversight and technical
assistance under the IIJA’s FRA-CRISI account.
The House committee proposed the transfer of $2.8 billion of unobligated balances of
supplemental funding appropriated by the IIJA to Federal-State Partnership for Intercity
Passenger Rail Grants (49 U.S.C. §24911). Of this amount, the House bill would have transferred
another $500 million in Federal-State Partnership funding to the existing Consolidated Rail
Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) rail grant program, $925 million for the existing
Northeast Corridor Grants to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation account (instead of
appropriating new discretionary budget authority), and $1.39 billion for the existing National
Network Grants to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation.
Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
Of the $211 million made available under the Transit Infrastructure Grants account in the FY2026
appropriations law, $188 million is derived from transfers of unobligated balances previously
appropriated to the following IIJA accounts: FTA-Transit Infrastructure Grants ($41 million),
FTA-Electric and Low-Emitting Ferry Program ($5 million), FTA-Ferry Service for Rural
Communities ($5 million), and FRA-Federal-State for Intercity Partnership Passenger Rail Grants
($138 million).
Further, the law transferred funding previously appropriated to the IIJA’s FTA-Capital Investment
Grants account to projects authorized under Title 49, Section 5309(d), of the U.S. Code ($735
million) and to projects authorized under Title 49, Section 5309(h), of the U.S. Code ($850
million).
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
For NHTSA, the FY2026 appropriations law included transfers totaling $129 million in IIJA
unobligated balances, including the following:
•
$79 million in unobligated balances of amounts appropriated for FY2023,
FY2024, FY2025 and FY2026 for NHTSA’s Supplemental Highway Traffic
Safety Programs account to NHTSA’s Operations and Research account. The
House committee had proposed a transfer of $78 million between the two
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•
accounts. The Senate committee had proposed a transfer of $95 million between
the two accounts.
$50 million in unobligated balances of amounts appropriated for FY2026 for
NHTSA Crash Data account to NHTSA’s Operations and Research account. The
Senate committee had proposed a transfer of funds matching this provision.
The transfer of $129 million and the $71 million in new discretionary budget authority for
“Operations and Research” bring the FY2026 funding levels to 10% below (-$23 million)
FY2025 funding levels ($223 million).
Earmarks
As noted earlier, the THUD appropriations bill is one of the largest sources of Community Project
Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending—commonly referred to as earmarks—in the annual
appropriation process. In FY2025 no earmarks were included in the year-long continuing
resolution. For FY2026, as is common, the President’s budget requested no earmarked funding.
The House Appropriations Committee bill proposed $1.43 billion for Community Project
Funding in FY2006, which is 6.4% of total gross appropriations the bill proposed for DOT. The
Senate Appropriations Committee bill proposed $992 million in Congressionally Directed
Spending projects, which is 3.7% of total gross appropriations that proposed for DOT by the bill.
The FY2026 appropriations law provided a total of $2.4 billion for earmarks, as shown in Table
5. This total is 14% less funding for Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed
Spending than was provided in FY2024.
FAA–Airport Discretionary Grants received nearly 13% more in earmarked funding in FY2026
compared to FY2024. OST–Transportation Planning, Research, and Development received 233%
more funding for earmarked projects in FY2026 compared to FY2024. The following accounts
received less earmarked funding in FY2026 compared to FY2024: FHWA–Highway
Infrastructure Programs (-24%), FTA–Transit Infrastructure Grants (-29%), FRA–Consolidated
Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (-12%), and MARAD–Port Infrastructure
Development Program (-7%).
Table 5. Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending for FY2024,
FY2025, and FY2026
(in millions)
Account
FY2024
FY2025
FY2026
1,884
—
1,515
FAA–Facilities and
Equipment
15
—
—
FAA–Airport
Discretionary Grants
482
—
542
FTA–Transit
Infrastructure Grants
207
—
148
FRA–Consolidated Rail
Infrastructure and Safety
Improvements
99
—
87
FHWA–Highway
Infrastructure Programs
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Account
FY2024
FY2025
FY2026
MARAD–Port
Infrastructure
Development Program
70
—
65
OST–Transportation
Planning, Research, and
Development
3
—
10
2,759
—
2,367
Total
Source: FY2024 figures are taken from the funding table of the Explanatory Statement published in the March 5,
2024, Congressional Record for Division F (pp. S2185-S2207); FY2025 and FY2026 figures are taken from the
funding table in Book II of the Explanatory Statement published in January 22, 2026, Congressional Record (pp.
H1888-H1909).
Note: In FY2025, no Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending was included in the yearlong continuing resolution.
Selected Administrative Provisions
The following summarizes selected administrative provisions, by agency, that were included in
the FY2026 appropriations law.
Federal Aviation Administration
For FAA, there are several administrative provisions addressing air traffic controllers:
•
•
•
Section 119J directs the FAA Administrator to provide a spending plan and
briefing of activities funded by P.L. 119-75 and Section 40003 of P.L. 119-21 for
air traffic control modernization efforts within 30 days of the enactment of P.L.
119-75 and each month thereafter during FY2026.
Section 119G prohibits the use of funds for efforts to privatize or separate air
traffic organization functions in FAA.
Section 119H prohibits the use of funds of the construction of a new Air Traffic
Control Training Academy except for the existing Training Academy at the Mike
Monroney Aeronautical Center.
Federal Highway Administration
For FHWA, Section 124 allows states or territories that have been awarded Community Project
Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending funding to apply funds within 25 miles of the
original general geographic area of a project if less than 10% of project funding available as of
October 1, 2025, has been obligated.
In Sections 125 and 126, the law rescinds and then re-appropriates unobligated balances of funds
provided by the IIJA for Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects program (also
known as INFRA–Infrastructure for Rebuilding America and for the Bridge Investment
Program):
•
Section 125 rescinds unobligated balances appropriated in Division J of the IIJA
to the Federal Highway Administration for the Nationally Significant Freight and
Highway Projects program (also known as INFRA–Infrastructure for Rebuilding
America) at Title 23, Section 117 of the U.S. Code under the IIJA’s Highway
Infrastructure Programs account. Additional new budget authority for FY2026 is
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•
to be provided that is equivalent to the amount rescinded for awards made in
FY2023. The funding is to be made available until September 30, 2031.
Section 126 rescinds unobligated balances appropriated in Division J of the IIJA
to the Federal Highway Administration for the Bridge Investment Program at
Title 23, Section 124 of the U.S. Code under the IIJA’s Highway Infrastructure
Programs account. Additional new budget authority for FY2026 is to be provided
that is equivalent to the amount rescinded for awards made in FY2023. The
funding is to be made available until September 30, 2031.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
For FMCSA, in Section 130, the FY2026 appropriations law prohibits DOT from using funding
to “implement, administer, or enforce” requirements of Section 31137 of Title 49 of the U.S.
Code or regulations related to the use of electronic logging devices by commercial motor vehicle
operators.
Section 131 requires the Secretary of Transportation to update regulations to ensure that noncompliance with Section 391.11(b)(2) of Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations results in an outof-service order. This provision was included in the Senate committee’s bill.18
Federal Railroad Administration
For FRA, Section 156 of the FY2026 appropriations law rescinds $950 million unobligated
balances, including $929 million in funding once directed to high-speed rail corridor development
in California.19
The House committee bill would have prohibited the use of funds on high-speed rail corridor
development in California, high-speed corridor rail development in Texas, and inter-city
passenger corridor rail development in Minnesota.20
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
For NHTSA, Section 141 of the FY2026 appropriations law prohibits the use of funds to
encourage illegal drug or alcohol use in NHTSA’s national impaired driving advertising
campaigns.
Federal Transit Administration
For FTA, Section 164 of the FY2026 appropriations law requires that “none of the funds made
available by the Act be used to impede or hinder project advancement and approval” for Capital
Investment Grant projects where applicants are seeking a 40% federal contribution of project
costs.21 This provision was included in the Senate committee’s bill.
18 S. 2465 §132.
19 Federal Rail Administration terminated cooperative agreements No. FR-HSR-0118-12 and No.
69A36524521070FSPCA, which provided $929 million to California through the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail
(HSIPR) Program grant as detailed in a letter to the California High-Speed Rail Authority on July 16, 2025,
https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2025-07/
FRA%20Acting%20Administrator%20Feeley%20Letter%20to%20Mr.%20Ian%20Choudri%207.16.25.pdf.
20 H.R. 4552 §§153, 156, 157.
21 S. 2465 §164.
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Sections 165 and 166 make $195 million in FTA’s unobligated balances available for activities
related to the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games ($94 million), as authorized by Section
1223(e) of P.L. 105-178, and for the 2026 FIFA World Cup ($100 million).
The FY2026 appropriations law directs that funding for activities related to the 2026 Olympic and
Paralympic Games is to be derived from unobligated balances from the Alternatives Analysis
Program (49 U.S.C. §5339), funding eligible for “bus and bus-related equipment and facilities”
under the Capital Investment Grants program at 49 U.S.C. §5309, and ‘‘Alternative
Transportation in Parks and Public Lands’’ (49 U.S.C. §5320). Further, funding for activities
related to the 2026 FIFA World Cup is to be derived from unobligated balances from the Clean
Fuels Program (49 U.S.C. §5308), the Jobs Access and Reverse Commute Formula Grants (49
U.S.C. §5316), the ‘‘New Freedom’’ program (49 U.S.C. §5317), and the ‘‘Rural Transportation
Accessibility Incentive Program’’ (P.L. 105-178 §5316).
The Senate committee bill would have made $146 million in unobligated balances available for
activities related to the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games ($68 million) as authorized by Safe,
Accessible, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA; P.L. 109-59), and for the
2026 FIFA World Cup ($78 million).22
Selected General Provisions for DOT
Section 194 of the FY2026 appropriations law directs the Secretary of Transportation to issue a
notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) to award unobligated and uncommitted funding provided
under prior appropriations acts and at Section 11101(c)(1)(E) of the IIJA for six new university
transportation centers (UTC).23 The law directs the Secretary to prioritize specific applicants.
Applicants previously selected as a UTC for transportation infrastructure durability and
composite materials research were required to re-compete for funding prior to the end of their
five-year term, and applicants currently participating in DOT’s Advanced Research Projects
Agency—Infrastructure (ARPA-I) program are prioritized for funding in the law. Applicants with
former UTC designations that were cancelled by DOT in May 2025 and have not been reinstated
are also prioritized. Of the 35 UTCs established in 2023, there are currently 6 that focus on
transportation infrastructure durability research.24 DOT cancelled seven grants to UTCs in May
2025.25
22 S. 2465 §§169-169A.; the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21; P.L. 112-141) repealed the
Clean Fuels Program (49 U.S.C. §5308) and the Jobs Access and Reverse Commute Formula Grants (49 U.S.C.
§5316). MAP-21 amended the Alternatives Analysis Program (49 U.S.C. §5339) and the general authority for the
Capital Investment Grants program to remove “bus and bus-related equipment and facilities” as an eligible activity at
49 U.S.C. §5309. Under SAFETEA, funding authorized for these programs was to remain available until expended
(P.L. 109-59 §3036).
23 UTCs are authorized under 49 U.S.C. §5509.
24 As of January 6, 2026, there are six UTCs that focus on transportation infrastructure durability research; DOT, “IIJA
Centers and Grantees,” January 6, 2026, https://www.transportation.gov/utc/iija-centers-and-grantees.
25 DOT, “U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Defunds Woke University Grants,” May 2, 2025,
https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/us-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-defunds-woke-universitygrants.
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Title II: Department of Housing and Urban
Development
Overview
HUD is the nation’s housing agency. The programs and activities it administers are designed
primarily to address housing problems faced by households with very low incomes or other
special housing needs, and to expand access to homeownership.26 The largest share of HUD’s
budget is devoted to its rental assistance programs: Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers; projectbased rental assistance via Section 8, Section 202, and Section 811; and public housing. These
programs, which serve over 4.6 million households, provide subsidies to allow low-income
recipients to pay below-market, income-based rent.
Two flexible block grant programs—the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) and
the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program—help states and local governments
finance a variety of housing and community development activities designed to serve low-income
families. The Indian Housing Block Grant and the Indian Community Development Block Grant
programs provide funds for Indian tribes to address their own housing and community
development needs.
Other more specialized grant programs help communities meet the needs of homeless persons
(through the Homeless Assistance Grants, namely the Continuum of Care and Emergency
Solutions Grants programs), including those living with HIV/AIDS (through the Housing
Opportunities for Persons with AIDS program). Additional programs fund fair housing
enforcement activities and lead-based paint hazard identification and remediation, along with
other healthy homes initiatives.
HUD’s Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insures mortgages made by lenders to
homebuyers with low down payments and to developers of multifamily rental buildings
containing relatively affordable units. FHA collects fees from borrowers with FHA-insured
mortgages, which are used to sustain its insurance funds. The Government National Mortgage
Association (GNMA), or Ginnie Mae, is also a part of HUD and it guarantees securities made up
of federally insured or guaranteed mortgages.
Table 6 provides detailed appropriations information for HUD accounts and selected
subaccounts, comparing FY2025 enacted to FY2026.
Components of HUD Funding
Nearly all of HUD’s funding is provided via discretionary appropriations, generally contained in the annual THUD
appropriations act. (HUD programs may also receive additional resources from supplemental or other funding laws
in some years, most often in response to disasters.) The annual THUD bill provides budget authority via
appropriations for HUD programs and activities for a given fiscal year. The cost of that budget authority, as
determined by the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO’s) scorekeeping process, is generally reduced by offsetting
receipts from the FHA’s loan programs and GNMA’s securitization of federally insured or guaranteed mortgages.
To a lesser extent, other collections and rescissions of prior-year appropriations can also offset the cost of the
HUD budget. Deducting the savings from offsets and rescissions from the gross budget authority provided to HUD
results in net budget authority.
26 For more information about federal housing assistance programs, see CRS Report RL34591, Overview of Federal
Housing Assistance Programs and Policy, by Maggie McCarty, Libby Perl, and Katie Jones.
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Generally, gross budget authority is the most useful measure of the new resources being provided for HUD’s
programs and activities, whereas net budget authority is used for budget enforcement purposes such as measuring
against 302(b) allocations. Any funding designated as an emergency requirement provided in the regular annual
appropriations acts or in supplemental spending bills is generally exempt for purposes of budget enforcement.
HUD’s rental assistance programs also receive advance appropriations, which is funding provided in a fiscal year but
not available until the subsequent fiscal year; the amount available in the fiscal year (which were typically provided
in the prior fiscal year) count for purposes of budget scoring against spending caps.
HUD also generally receives a relatively small amount of mandatory funding outside of the annual appropriations
process, such as statutorily required contributions from two Government Sponsored Enterprises (Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac) to fund the Housing Trust Fund. These mandatory funds are generally not reflected in this report.
Table 6. Department of Housing and Urban Development,
FY2025-FY2026 Detailed Appropriations
(dollars in millions)
FY2025
Enacted
FY2026
Request
FY2026
House
Comm.
FY2026
Senate
Comm.
FY2026
Enacted
1,803
1,469
1,469
1,511
1,800a
—
36,212
—
—
—
Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (Section 8
Housing Choice Vouchers)c
30,041
0d
35,268
37,355
38,439
Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (Emergency
Designated)
6,000
—
—
—
—
Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (inc. emergency)e
36,041
0d
35,268
37,355
38,439
Voucher Renewals (non-add, inc. emergency)
32,145
0d
32,145
33,974f
34,957g
Administrative Fees (non-add)
2,771
0d
1,975
2,906
2,836
Incremental VASH (non-add)
15
0d
0
15
15
Incremental FUP (non-add)
30
0d
30
30
30
8,811
0d
7,334
8,397
8,319
5,476
0d
4,975
4,873
4,687
25
0d
25
214
337
Capital Fund Formula Grants (non-add)
3,200
0d
2,286
3,200
3,200
Operational Performance Evaluation and Risk
Assessments
50
0
50
50
50
Choice Neighborhoods
75
0
0
40
25
Self Sufficiency Programs
196
0
175
211
206
Native American Programs
1,344
887
1,344
1,354
1,354
Native American Block Grants (Formula) (nonadd)
1,111
872
1,111
1,111
1,111
Native American Block Grants (Competitive)
(non-add)
150
0
150
100
125
Indian Community Development Block Grants
(non-add)
75
5
75
125
100
Accounts
Appropriations
Salaries and Expenses (Mgmt. & Adm.)
State Rental Assistance Programb
Public Housing Fund
Operating Fund Formula Grants (non-add)
Operating Fund Shortfall (non-add)
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THUD Appropriations for FY2026
FY2025
Enacted
FY2026
Request
FY2026
House
Comm.
FY2026
Senate
Comm.
FY2026
Enacted
—
10
—
10
10
Indian housing loan guarantee
2
1
2
1
1
Native Hawaiian block grant
22
0
18
22
22
Housing, persons with AIDS (HOPWA)
505
0
505
529
529
Community Development Fund
3,430
0
5,642
4,541
6,995
CDBG Formula Grants
3,300
0
3,300
3,100
3,300
SUPPORT for Patients and Communities
30
0
30
30
30
Grants to Reduce Barriers to Affordable
Housing/PRO Housing
100
0
0
60
50
Economic Development Initiatives
—
0
2,312
1,351
3,615
1,250
0
0
1,250
1,250
Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for
Community Enhancement
10
0
0
10
0
Self-Help Homeownership
60
16
56
70
65
Self-Help and Assisted Homeownership
Opportunity Program
12
0
9
13
12
Section 4 Capacity Building
42
16
42
49
46
Rural Capacity Building
6
0
5
8
7
Accounts
Tribal HUD-VASH (non-add)e
HOME Investment Partnerships
Homeless Assistance Grants
4,051
4,024
4,158
4,530
4,417
Project-Based Rental Assistance (Section 8)h
14,890
0d
17,127
17,804
18,543
Project-Based Rental Assistance—Emergency
Designated
2,000
—
—
—
—
Project-Based Rental Assistance (inc.
emergency)
16,890
0d
17,127
17,804
18,543
Contract Renewals (inc. emergency)
16,422
0d
16,752
17,295
18,034
468
0d
375
509
509
931
0d
950
972
1,031
Housing for Persons with Disabilities (Section
811)
257
0d
262
265
287
Housing Counseling Assistance
58
0
0
58
58
Manufactured Housing Fees Trust Fundi
14
14
14
14
14
Federal Housing Administration (FHA)
Expensesi
150
160
160
160
160
Government National Mortgage Assn. (GNMA)
Expensesi
55
56
55
57
57
Research and technology
139
95
95
131
123
Fair housing activities
86j
26
29
86
86
Lead Hazard Reduction
296
0
296
296
296
Information Technology Fund
383
365
299
365
—a
Contract Administrators
Housing for the Elderly (Section 202)
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THUD Appropriations for FY2026
FY2025
Enacted
FY2026
Request
FY2026
House
Comm.
FY2026
Senate
Comm.
FY2026
Enacted
Inspector General
153
143
143
146
145
Flexible Subsidy Loan Modificationk
—
—
—
3
2
Gross Appropriations Subtotal (non-emergency)
69,061
43,468l,b
75,450
80,229
84,274
Gross Appropriations Subtotal (inc. emergency)
77,061
43,468l,b
75,450
80,227
84,271
-14
-14
-14
-14
-14
FHA
-6,794
-5,251m
-5,251
-5,251
-5,251
GNMA
-1,563
-1,635m
-1,635
-1,635
-1,635
-8,371
-6,900
-6,900
-6,900
-6,900
0
0
-107n
0
0
0
-20o
0
0
0
-672p
-51q
-53r
Accounts
Offsetting Collections and Receipts
Manufactured Housing Fees Trust Fund
Offsets Subtotal
Rescissions
Homeless Assistance Grants
Research and technology
0
Other Unobligated Balances
0
Recissions Subtotal
0
0
-799
-51
-53
Net Discretionary Budget Authority (nonemergency)
60,690
36,568l,b
67,751
73,278
77,320
Disaster Relief Emergency Funding
12,039
—
—
—
—
Emergency Appropriations for Regular Program
Operations
8,000
—
—
—
—
Total (inc. all Emergency Spending)
68,690
36,568l,b
67,751
73,278
77,320
Sources: “FY2026 House Comm.” figures are taken from the Comparative Statement of New Budget Authority
table, as published in H.Rept. 119-212 and text of H.R. 4552; “FY2026 Senate Comm.” figures are taken from the
Comparative Statement of New Budget Authority table, as published in S.Rept. 119-47 and text of S. 2465.
“FY2025 Enacted,” “President’s Budget” and final “FY2026 Enacted” figures are taken from the funding table in
Book II of the Explanatory Statement published in the January 22, 2026, Congressional Record (pp. H1888-H1909)
and text of P.L. 119-75, as well as President’s budget documents.
Notes: Totals may not add due to rounding. “—” = not applicable.
a. Funding for the Information Technology Fund, which had previously been funded in a separate account, was
included the Management and Administration account in FY2026. Of the total $1.8 billion provided for
Management and Administration, $345 million is provided for the Information Technology Fund.
b. The President’s FY2026 budget documents included a request for funding for a new State Rental Assistance
Program, a new state block grant designed to replace several existing HUD rental assistance programs. This
request is not reflected in the President’s budget column of the funding table included in the Explanatory
Statement that accompanied the FY2026 appropriations law, but is included here for comparability
purposes.
c. Total includes $4 billion in advanced appropriations provided in the prior FY. The bill provides an additional
$4 billion in advance appropriations for the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance account in FY2027 that is not
shown.
d. Under the President’s budget request, no new funding would have been provided to HUD’s rental
assistance programs. Instead, the budget requested funding a newly proposed State Rental Assistance
Program (SRAP) block grant.
e. Tribal HUD-VASH has historically been funded in the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) account. The
President’s budget and S. 2465 proposed funding to renew existing tribal HUD-VASH assistance in the
Native American Programs account in FY2026. H.R. 4552 included $10 million to fund tribal HUD-VASH
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THUD Appropriations for FY2026
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
o.
p.
q.
r.
renewals through TBRA renewal amounts. The FY2026 appropriations law adopted the President’s budget
proposal to move HUD-VASH funding to the Native American Programs account.
This amount includes $809 million in funding for the renewal costs of Section 811 vouchers. Funding for
these costs has typically been provided as a separate set-aside. As such, this renewal funding total is not fully
comparable to the House committee total or the FY2025 total, which do not include Section 811 voucher
renewals.
The FY2026 funding law adopts the Senate committee bill’s proposal to include funding for Section 811
mainstream vouchers within the amount provided for voucher renewals. However, neither the bill nor the
explanatory statement specifies how much of the total provided is designated for Section 811 vouchers.
Total includes $400 million in advanced appropriations provided in the prior FY. The bill provides an
additional $400 million in advance appropriations for the Project-Based Rental Assistance account in FY2027
that is not shown.
Some or all of the cost of funding these accounts is offset by the collection of fees or other receipts shown
later in this table.
Section 250 of the General Provisions specifies that if the bill is enacted before the start of FY2026, then
unobligated balances from the Fair Housing Activities account from FY2024 are to be permanently
rescinded, but an amount of new budget authority in an equivalent amount is to be appropriated and is to
be used to complete FY2024 fair housing awards.
The authority to modify these loans, and the accompanying funding for such modifications, was included in
Section 238 of the general provisions of the Senate Committee bill and Section 239 of the HUD general
provisions in the final appropriations law.
Total includes requested funding for HUD’s SRAP proposal, so it may not match other published President’s
budget totals for HUD that exclude SRAP funding.
Reflects Congressional Budget Office re-estimate of offsetting receipts for FY2026, as opposed to estimates
presented in President’s budget documents. The President’s budget documents assumed FHA offsetting
receipts of -$8.684 billion for FHA and -$1.598 billion for GNMA in FY2026.
Would rescind FY2025 funding from the Homeless Assistance Grants account for Youth Homelessness
Demonstration Grants that had not yet been awarded by HUD.
Section 235 proposed to rescind FY2025 competitive grant funding that had not yet been awarded by HUD
from various named accounts, including from the Public Housing Fund (health hazard elimination grants),
Choice Neighborhoods program, CDBG Support Housing program, as well as previous years’ unobligated
balances from the Lead Hazard account and the Manufactured Housing Feed Trust Fund account.
Proposed recission of FY2025 funding from the Research and Technology account for competitive Eviction
Prevention Grants that had not yet been awarded by HUD.
Section 249 of the General Provisions included rescissions of prior year unobligated balances from various
accounts, including some emergency designated funding. It also proposed a rescission of $25 million
provided for Assisted Housing Inspections and Risk Assessments in FY2025.
Section 234 rescinds unobligated balances from a range of accounts, including $22 million in Assisted
Housing Inspections and Risk Assessments that was appropriated in FY2025 and $2 million in emergency
designated funding, along with small amounts of unobligated balances from other accounts.
Selected FY2026 HUD Appropriations Topics
Rental Assistance
Among the largest expenses in HUD’s budget is the annual cost of maintaining assistance for the
nearly 5 million families who are served by rental assistance programs.27 Combined, funding for
HUD’s rental assistance programs accounted for 82% of HUD’s gross discretionary
appropriations in FY2025, most of which is used to maintain assistance for currently-assisted
families. The cost of maintaining, or renewing, rental assistance—particularly in the Housing
27 Rental assistance programs include the Public Housing, Housing Choice Voucher, Section 8 project-based rental
assistance, Section 202 Housing for the Elderly and Section 811 Housing for Persons with Disabilities programs.
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THUD Appropriations for FY2026
Choice Voucher and the project-based rental assistance programs—typically increases each year,
driven largely by rental cost increases outpacing increases in tenant incomes.
The President’s budget for FY2026 requested no new funding for HUD’s rental assistance and
related programs, and instead requested funding for a new State Rental Assistance Program.
According to HUD’s FY2026 Congressional Budget Justifications,28 under this new program,
states would have received allocations based on a formula that would take into account data on
rental assistance in prior years and could favor assistance provided to elderly or disabled residents
over assistance to non-elderly, non-disabled households. The documents also stated that the intent
of the proposal was to allow states to design rental assistance programs that best meet their needs
and to prioritize the housing needs of low-income elderly and disabled households. Under this
proposal, rental assistance to non-elderly, non-disabled households would be capped at two years;
currently, there is no time limit on rental assistance.
The President’s budget documents note that this proposal would require enactment of authorizing
legislation. As of the date of this report, no further details or draft authorizing legislation has been
released.
As shown in Table 7, the amount of funding requested for the State Rental Assistance Program
(SRAP) for FY2026 is 42% lower than the amount of funding allocated to federal subsidies for
rental assistance in FY2025, when HUD’s rental assistance programs received a combined $62.9
billion.
Like the House and Senate Appropriations Committee-reported bills, the FY2026 appropriations
act did not adopt the President’s SRAP request and instead continues to fund each of HUD’s
rental assistance programs. The FY2026 enacted funding level for the rental assistance programs
combined reflects a 6% increase over FY2025.
Table 7. Rental Assistance Funding
(dollars in millions)
FY2026
President’s
budget
FY2026
House
Comm.
FY2026
Senate
Comm.
FY2026
Enacted
62,930
36,212
60,941
64,793
66,619
—
36,212
—
—
—
Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (Housing
Choice Voucher program)
36,041
—
35,268
37,355
38,439
Public Housing Fund
8,811
—
7,334
8,397
8,319
Project-Based Rental Assistance (Section
8)
16,890
—
17,127
17,804
18,543
Housing for the Elderly (Section 202
program)
931
—
950
972
1,031
Housing for Persons with Disabilities
(Section 811 program)
257
—
262
265
287
Program/Account
Total Rental Assistance Funding
State Rental Assistance Program
(proposed)
FY2025
Enacted
Sources: “FY2025 Enacted” and “FY2026 House Comm.” figures are taken from the Comparative Statement of
New Budget Authority table, as published in H.Rept. 119-212 and text of H.R. 4552; “FY2026 Senate Comm.”
figures are taken from the Comparative Statement of New Budget Authority table, as published in S.Rept. 119-47
28 See https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/CFO/documents/2026_CJ_Program_SRAP.pdf.
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THUD Appropriations for FY2026
and text of S. 2465. “President’s Budget” figures are taken from the FY2026 HUD Congressional Budget
Justifications. “FY2026 Enacted” figures are taken from the Explanatory Statement published in the January 22,
2026, Congressional Record and text of P.L. 119-75.
Notes: This table does not include programs related to the rental assistance programs that are also slated for
elimination under the President’s FY2026 funding request, including the various supportive service and selfsufficiency programs for rental assistance program recipients funded under the Self-Sufficiency Programs account
(funded at $196 million in FY2025, proposed to be funded at $175 million and $211 million in the House and
Senate committee bills, repectively, and ultimately funded at $206 million in FY2026); the Choice Neighborhoods
program for redeveloped distressed public and assisted housing (funded at $75 million in FY2025, proposed to
be funded at $40 million in the Senate committee bill, and ultimately funded at $25 million in FY2026); and the
Operational Performance Evaluation and Risk Assessments account, which funds inspections and oversight of
rental assistance properties (funded at $50 million in FY2025, proposed for funding at the same level in each of
the House and Senate committee bills, and ultimately funded at that level in FY2026).
Emergency Housing Vouchers
Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHVs) are Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) for persons who are
homeless or at high risk of housing instability. They were funded by a one-time mandatory
appropriation of $5 billion in Section 3202 of the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021 (ARPA; P.L.
117-2). HUD used this funding to award via formula allocation 70,000 new vouchers to local
public housing authorities (PHAs) across the country in May 2021.29 HUD stated at the time that
it was providing five years of funding for each voucher, and that future funding would be
determined at a later time. Thus, the number of EHV vouchers was intended to decrease over
time, as families exited the program and their vouchers were not reissued.
HUD obligated remaining EHV funding to PHAs in spring 2025. The Department estimated that
funding would be sufficient to support EHV vouchers into calendar year 2026,30 but later
guidance acknowledged that funding may not be sufficient to last through the end of 2026.31
HUD’s EHV data dashboard indicated there were approximately 50,000 EHV vouchers under
lease as of the beginning of calendar year 2026.32 A number of low-income housing advocacy
groups and others called for Congress to provide additional funding to renew EHVs as a part of
FY2026 HUD appropriations.33
Funding for the renewal of EHVs was not included in the President’s FY2026 budget request to
Congress, nor in the House or Senate committee versions of the FY2026 THUD spending
bill. The final full-year funding law did include funding that may be used to support EHVs.
Specifically, the law provided increased funding for tenant protection vouchers in the TenantBased Rental Assistance account (relative to FY2025 and the House and Senate committee bills)
and expanded the traditional eligible uses of those funds to include providing assistance to PHAs
that would otherwise be required to terminate EHVs for families as a result of insufficient
funding. The act also contains a provision allowing PHAs to engage in “over-leasing”
(administering more than their authorized number of vouchers) on a temporary basis in order to
absorb EHV families into their regular voucher programs.
29 HUD Notice PIH 2021-15.
30 HUD Notice PIH 2025-07.
31 HUD Notice PIH 2025-19.
32 EHV Dashboard, accessed January 12, 2026.
33 For example, see https://nlihc.org/resource/us-conference-mayors-passes-resolution-supporting-extension-
emergency-housing-voucher; and https://clpha.org/sites/default/files/
5.19.25_%20Housing%20Groups%20EHV%20Letter%20to%20Appropriations.pdf.
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THUD Appropriations for FY2026
Homeless Assistance
The President’s FY2026 budget proposed to fund the Homeless Assistance Grants account at just
below (-0.7%) the FY2025 enacted level. However, the budget proposed a significant change in
the way funding would be allocated to grantees. It proposed to end funding for competitive
Continuum of Care (CoC) grants and to instead fund formula grants through the Emergency
Solutions Grants (ESG) program. While CoC and ESG have some eligible activities in common,
CoC grants can be used for two interventions that ESG grants cannot: permanent supportive
housing and transitional housing. In FY2024, 62% of CoC funds were used for permanent
supportive housing and 7% for either transitional housing or joint transitional housing/rapid
rehousing projects.34
Neither the House committee-passed bill nor the Senate committee-passed bill included the
President’s proposal to redirect CoC funding to ESG. The House committee bill would have
provided $3.858 billion for CoC grants (+9% relative to FY2025) and $290 million for ESG (the
same level as FY2025); the Senate committee bill would have provided $4.023 billion for CoC
grants (+14% relative to FY2025) and the same level as the House committee bill and FY2025
for ESG. Similarly, the full-year appropriations law continued funding CoC grants along with
ESG, appropriating $4.010 billion CoC grants and $290 million for ESG.
The FY2026 appropriations law also contained a general provision governing the allocation of
FY2025 CoC grants. Specifically, it provided that FY2025 CoC grants expiring through March
2026 must be renewed for 12 months, and that if FY2025 awards have not been made at the start
of the second and third quarters of calendar year 2026, remaining expiring grants shall also be
renewed. This directive follows proposed policy changes and related litigation about the FY2025
CoC grant award process (for more information, see CRS Insight IN12626, HUD’s FY2025
Continuum of Care Program Competition).
Native American Programs
HUD administers several programs specifically for federally recognized Indian tribes and Alaska
Native villages. These include formula and competitive grants through the Indian Housing Block
Grant (IHBG) program and competitive grants through the Indian Community Development
Block Grant (ICDBG) program, all of which are typically funded in the Native American
Programs account, as well as funding for rental assistance through Tribal-HUD VASH, which has
typically been funded in the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance Account.
The President’s FY2026 budget request proposed lower funding for IHBG formula grants (-21%
relative to FY2025) and ICDBG (-93% relative to FY2025), and proposed no new funding for
IHBG competitive grants. It also proposed including $10 million to renew existing Tribal HUDVASH rental assistance in the Native American Programs account rather than the Tenant-Based
Rental Assistance Account.
The House committee-reported bill proposed the same amount of funding for the Native
American Programs account as FY2025; funding for the IHBG and ICDBG programs would have
been kept at the same levels as FY2025, and the bill would have continued to fund Tribal HUDVASH in the TBRA account. The Senate committee-reported bill proposed $10 million more for
the Native American Programs account compared to FY2025, reflecting the inclusion of $10
million in Tribal HUD-VASH funding in the account, consistent with the President’s budget
request. The Senate committee bill would have provided the same amount of funding for IHBG
34 See HUD FY2024 CoC Program Awards by Component, https://files.hudexchange.info/reports/published/
CoC_AwardComp_NatlTerrDC_2024.pdf (accessed February 24, 2026).
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THUD Appropriations for FY2026
formula grants as FY2025, but it would have provided $50 million less for IHBG competitive
grants ($100 million compared to $150 million) and $50 million more for ICDBG ($125 million
compared to $75 million).
The FY2026 appropriations law included the same overall funding level for Native American
Programs as proposed by the Senate committee bill, but with a different distribution. The law
includes the same funding for formula grants as FY2025, but less for competitive grants ($125
million, compared to $150 million in FY2025) and more for ICDBG ($100 million, compared to
$75 million in FY2025). Like the Senate committee bill and as proposed by the President, Tribal
HUD-VASH is included in the Native American Programs account ($10 million).
Another program, the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant, provides funding to Hawaii’s
Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to use for housing activities for Native Hawaiians eligible
to reside on the Hawaiian Home Lands. In FY2025, $22 million was appropriated for this
program. The President’s budget proposed no new funding, stating that it “recognizes a greater
role for State and local governments, the private sector, and nonprofits to address community and
economic development needs in localities across the Nation.”35 The House committee-reported
bill proposed $18 million for the program (-18% relative to FY2025), while the Senate committee
bill proposed maintaining the FY2025 funding level. Like the Senate committee bill, the FY2026
appropriations law continues funding for the program at the FY2025 level ($22 million).
Proposed Elimination of Grant Programs
The President’s FY2026 budget proposed to eliminate funding for several HUD grant programs,
all of which were ultimately funded in the FY2026 final appropriations law.
The largest grant program that was slated for elimination, which was funded at $3.3 billion in
FY2025, is the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The program provides
formula grant funding to states and localities to fund various community development activities.
Eligible activities include planning, public works and facilities, housing, public services, and
economic development. The President’s budget request justified CDBG’s elimination citing
“poorly targeted” and “wasteful” projects.36 H.R. 4552 proposed funding the program at the
FY2025 level and S. 2465 proposed funding it at $3.1 billion, a 6% reduction relative to FY2025
and the House committee-proposed level. The FY2026 appropriations law continued funding for
CDBG at the FY2025 level.
Two related competitive grant programs—funded in the CDBG account—were also proposed for
no new funding in the President’s budget: the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes
Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) program, which funds opioid recovery housing, and
the Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (CDBG-PRO Housing) competition, which
provides grants for removing barriers to affordable housing development. SUPPORT was
proposed to be funded at the FY2025 level ($30 million) by both the House and Senate committee
bills; CDBG PRO-Housing would have received no funding in the House committee bill, but $60
million in the Senate committee bill. The FY2026 appropriations law included $30 million for
SUPPORT and $50 million for PRO-Housing.
35 HUD FY2026 Congressional Budget Justification, p. 11-1.
36 Administration’s skinny budget request, Letter from Russell T. Vought, Director, Office of Management and Budget,
to The Honorable Susan Collins, Chair, Senate Committee on Appropriations, May 2, 2025, p. 26,
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Fiscal-Year-2026-Discretionary-Budget-Request.pdf
(hereinafter, “Letter from Russell T. Vought”).
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THUD Appropriations for FY2026
The HOME Investment Partnerships block grant program, which provides formula grant funding
to states and localities to fund various affordable housing activities, was also proposed for
elimination by the President’s FY2026 budget. Funded at $1.25 billion in FY2025, eligible
activities include new construction, rehabilitation, and acquisition of both rental and
homeownership housing, as well as tenant-based rental assistance. The President’s budget
justifications for the HOME Investment Partnership’s block grant contend as justification for the
program elimination that “[t]he Federal Government’s involvement increases the regulatory
burden of producing affordable housing.”37 H.R. 4552 included the President’s proposal to
provide no new funding for the program in FY2026, but the committee report provided a different
rationale, citing grantees’ unspent balances of emergency funding allocated by the American
Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (P.L. 117-2).38 This emergency funding is referred to as HOME-ARP. Of
the $4.95 billion in HOME-ARP funding allocated to state and local grantees (including $25
million to existing technical assistance providers), $4.09 billion was unspent as of June 2025, and
an additional $22 million was unobligated.39 HOME-ARP funds, unlike formula HOME funds,
must primarily benefit people who are homeless; are at risk of homelessness or housing
instability; or are fleeing domestic violence. S. 2465 proposed to fund the HOME program at its
FY2025 level, which is what was ultimately adopted in the FY2026 appropriations law.
H.R. 4552 proposed to rescind unobligated balances of FY2025 funding for a number of
competitive grant programs for which HUD had not yet made awards. These included the
folllowing:
•
•
•
•
•
The Youth Homelessness Demonstration, funded within the Homeless Assistance
Grants account at $107 million in FY2025 (rescission included in the account
funding language)
Public Housing grants for lead and other health hazard elimination, funded at $65
million in FY2025 (§235)
Choice Neighborhoods grants, funded at $75 million in FY2025 (§235)
Grants for Recovery Housing, as authorized by Substance Use-Disorder
Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment [SUPPORT] for
Patients and Communities Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-271), funded within the
Community Development Fund account at $30 million in FY2025 (§235).
Eviction Prevention Grants, funded at $20 million in the Research and
Technology account in FY2025 (rescission included in the account funding
language).
The Senate committee-passed bill does not include these rescissions, but did include one that was
not included in the House committee-passed bill:
•
Assisted Housing Inspections and Risk Assessments, funded at $50 million in
FY2025, would have $25 million in unobligated balances rescinded (§249(f)).
(Remaining unobligated balances from amounts provided in FY2024 for Fair
Housing Activities would also be rescinded, but an equal amount would be
appropriated for FY2026 (§250). This would allow for funds to be recaptured and
reappropriated before their expiration date.
37 Administration’s skinny budget request, Letter from Russell T. Vought.
38 H.Rept. 119-212, p. 98.
39 Department of Housing and Urban Development, Standard Form 133: Report on Budget Execution and Budgetary
Resources, FY2025, Q3. MAX.gov, https://portal.max.gov/portal/document/SF133/Budget/FY%202025%20%20SF%20133%20Reports%20on%20Budget%20Execution%20and%20Budgetary%20Resources.html.
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The FY2026 appropriations law included a rescission of $22 million in unobligated FY2025
Assisted Housing Inspections and Risk Assessments account, similar to the rescission proposed
by the Senate committee-passed bill.
Earmarks
The Community Development Fund account is often used to fund Congressionally Directed
Spending or Community Project Funds—commonly referred to as earmarks. These are provided
through a set-aside for Economic Development Initiative (EDI) grants. Under the terms of the
FY2025 full year CR, no funding was provided for EDI earmarks for the first time since FY2022.
For FY2026, the President’s budget, as is typical, requested no funding for EDIs (it included no
funding for the CDF account as a whole). The House committee bill proposed $2.3 billion in EDI
earmarks for FY2026 and the Senate committee bill proposed $1.3 billion; accounting for 3% and
2% of proposed total gross HUD appropriations, respectively. The FY2026 appropriations law
included $3.6 billion in EDI earmarks, equivalent to 4% of total HUD gross appropriations in
FY2026.
Select General Provisions
Each year, the THUD appropriations act includes dozens of General Provisions (GPs) for HUD,
which involve administrative guidance on how funding provided in the act should and should not
be used and, in some cases, amendments to laws that govern the department’s programs and
activities. Many of these GPs are carried over from year to year, but some new GPs are generally
added each year. Some of the new GPs that were under consideration for the FY2026
appropriations cycle are discussed below (provisions from the House and Senate committeereported bills that were ultimately enacted in the FY2026 appropriations law are noted).
House Committee-Reported Bill
•
•
•
•
•
Section 236 would have prohibited HUD from providing funding to jurisdictions
that refuse to coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security in relation to
certain immigration enforcement activities.
Section 237 would have prohibited HUD from using funding in the bill to
enforce updated energy efficiency standards for newly-constructed HUD-assisted
housing that were adopted in a notice that was finalized during the previous
administration.
Section 238 would have prohibited HUD from using funding in the bill to
enforce a 30-day notice to vacate policy associated with evictions that was
finalized during the previous administration.
Section 239 would have given the HUD Secretary the authority to waive many of
the rent rules governing federal rental assistance programs, potentially allowing
landlords and program administrators to decrease or increase tenant rents or set
other related requirements, as determined by the Secretary, for a period of no less
than seven years.
Section 240 would have allowed full funding fungibility for PHAs, allowing
them to use their public housing operating and capital grants interchangeably.
Current law only provides full fungibility to small PHAs; other PHAs are limited
to transferring no more than 20% their funds between their operating and capital
grants.
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Senate Committee-Passed Bill
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Section 233 would have permitted the Secretary to award contract administrator
awards for the Section 8 project-based rental assistance program through a
cooperative agreement.
Section 238 would have authorized the Secretary of HUD to forgive or
restructure debts related to flexible subsidy loans on older assisted multifamily
properties through FY2028 and would appropriate $3.3 million for this purpose.
The FY2026 appropriations law included a version of this provision in Section
239 and included an appropriation of $2 million.
Section 241 would have prohibited funds provided by the act from being used to
close or relocate field or regional offices except as provided for in the act and
would have required that HUD maintain at least one functional field office in
each state.
Section 242 would have required HUD to conduct rulemaking subject to federal
law requiring for public participation and comment periods of no less than 60
days. The FY2026 appropriations law included this provision in Section 242.
Section 243 would have required the HUD Secretary to submit to the House and
Senate Committees on Appropriations a list with all grants, cooperation
agreements, and contracts that were obligated and subsequently terminated or
reduced in scope in 2025 or where the terms and conditions of agreements were
changed or modified in FY2025, including an explanation for terminations or
changes, and the affected recipients, location, and the source of funding.
Sections 245-248 would have made certain changes related to Native American
housing programs.
Section 406 would have prohibited any funding in the bill from being used to
relocate an office or reduce personnel without notifying the Housing and Senate
Appropriations Committees 30 days in advance. As context, the HUD Secretary
has announced his intent to move HUD headquarters out of the Weaver building
to another location. S.Rept. 119-47 states
The Committee notes that HUD has recently announced its intention to move out of
its headquarters building, and that a budget and timeline for such a move is still being
developed. As such, the Department has not requested any funding in fiscal year 2026
to facilitate a transition out of the current headquarters space, and the Committee
recommendation does not include any funding for that purpose at this time. The
Committee directs the Department to brief the House and Senate Committees on
Appropriations within 30 days of enactment of this act on: (1) the program of
requirements developed for the HUD headquarters, (2) the total budget for the move,
build-out, and maintenance of the new headquarters space, with agency
responsibilities and sources of funding delineated between HUD and the General
Services Administration, (3) the detailed timeline for the proposed move, and (4) any
analysis of alternative buildings considered this year.
While the FY2026 appropriations law did not contain this provision, the accompanying
explanatory statement included the following:
In addition to the direction provided under the heading ‘‘Weaver Building’’ in Senate
Report 119–47, the agreement directs the Department to coordinate with the General
Services Administration to identify and brief the House and Senate Committees on
Appropriations on all potential financing options for Weaver Building close-out costs,
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THUD Appropriations for FY2026
including the substantial outstanding liability associated with prior capital
improvements, given the uncertain availability of future funding.
Full-Year Appropriations Law
In addition to the general provisions already noted, the law contained several others that were not
included in either the House or Senate committee-reported bills. These include the following:
•
•
Section 244 establishes conditions related to the renewal of certain Continuum of
Care projects expiring during 2026 (discussed in the “Homeless Assistance”
section of this report).
Section 425 of the Administrative Provisions renames the Foster Youth to
Independence voucher program “The Melania Trump Foster Youth to
Independence Initiative.”
Title III: Related Agencies
The annual THUD appropriations bill generally provides funding for seven independent agencies
that undertake activities related to transportation and/or housing:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The U.S. Access Board is an independent federal agency designed to coordinate
other federal agencies to promote accessible design and the development of
accessibility guidelines and standards to ensure access to federally funded public
infrastructure for persons with disabilities.40
The Federal Maritime Commission is an independent federal agency charged
with regulating U.S. ocean commerce.41
The Amtrak Inspector General is an independent organization charged with
providing oversight of Amtrak’s programs and operations.42
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigates accidents,
crashes, and other events in transportation.43
The Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation (NeighborWorks America) is a
congressionally chartered nonprofit that supports a network of community
organizations that provide affordable housing, financial counseling, and resident
engagement.44
The Surface Transportation Board is an independent federal agency is “charged
with the economic regulation of various modes of surface transportation,
primarily freight rail.”45
The Interagency Council on Homelessness is an independent federal agency
charged with coordinating the federal response to homelessness.46
40 See https://www.access-board.gov/about/.
41 See https://www.fmc.gov/about-the-fmc/.
42 See https://amtrakoig.gov/about-us.
43 See https://www.ntsb.gov/about/Pages/default.aspx.
44 See https://www.neighborworks.org/About-Us.
45 See https://www.stb.gov/about-stb/.
46 See https://www.usich.gov/about-usich/.
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Table 8. THUD Related Agencies, FY2025-FY2026 Detailed Appropriations
(dollars in millions)
FY2025
Enacted
FY2026
Request
FY2026
House
Comm.
Access Board
10
10
10
10
10
Federal Maritime Commission
40
40
40
40
40
National Railroad Passenger
Corporation (Amtrak) Office of
Inspector General
29
31
31
29
29
National Transportation Safety Board
145
145
145
145
145
Neighborhood Reinvestment
Corporation (NeighborWorks)
158
27
100
158
158
Surface Transportation Board
47
41
41
41
41
Offsetting Collections
-1
-1
-1
-1
-1
U.S. Interagency Council on
Homelessness
4
0
0
2
3
433
293
366
424
425
Related Agency
Total
FY2026
Senate
Comm.
FY2026
Enacted
Sources: “FY2026 House Comm.” figures are taken from the Comparative Statement of New Budget Authority
table, as published in H.Rept. 119-212 and text of H.R. 4552; “FY2026 Senate Comm.” figures are taken from the
Comparative Statement of New Budget Authority table, as published in S.Rept. 119-47 and text of S. 2465.
“FY2025 Enacted,” “President’s Budget,” and “FY2026 Enacted” figures are taken from the funding table in Book
II of the Explanatory Statement published in January 22, 2026, Congressional Record (pp. H1888-H1909).
Note: Totals may not add due to rounding.
U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
Both the FY2026 President’s budget and the House committee-reported bill proposed to eliminate
funding for the USICH, while the Senate committee-reported bill proposed to cut funding in half,
from $4 million in FY2025 to $2 million. The FY2026 appropriations law included $3 million for
the USICH.
The USICH, authorized as part of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 100-77, as
amended), is made up of representatives from multiple federal agencies who, together with the
USICH executive director and staff, are to coordinate efforts to address homelessness nationally.
The USICH is also responsible for releasing a National Strategic Plan to End Homelessness and
for supporting state and local governments and nonprofit organizations in their efforts to provide
assistance to people experiencing homelessness, among other activities.
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THUD Appropriations for FY2026
Author Information
Maggie McCarty
Specialist in Housing Policy
Jennifer J. Marshall
Analyst in Transportation Policy
Disclaimer
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Congressional Research Service
R48728 · VERSION 8 · UPDATED
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This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.