Witness tells House appropriations panel HR 6938 funds justice, energy, parks and water programs
Summary
An unnamed witness told the House Appropriations Committee that HR 6938 is a bipartisan, three‑bill FY2026 appropriations package funding Justice, energy and water projects, national parks and wildfire protection, with member community project funding and a goal to finish all appropriations by Jan. 30.
An unnamed witness told the House Appropriations Committee that HR 6938 is a three‑bill fiscal year 2026 appropriations package negotiated on a bipartisan, bicameral basis and intended to advance funding for Justice, energy, and interior programs.
The witness said, “I appear before you today on HR 6938, a 3 bill package covering commerce, justice and science, energy and water development, and interior and environment appropriations measures for fiscal year 2026.” They described the package as a “compromised product” with buy‑in from members of both parties and both chambers, and argued that “consensus, not partisan obstruction, is not only possible, it is preferable.”
Why it matters: The witness told the committee the package would provide full‑year funding for numerous programs and priorities: the Department of Justice27s work to combat illicit drugs including fentanyl; energy programs and critical mineral safeguards; continued operation of national parks and wildfire protection efforts; water development and flood control work by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and Department of Energy programs including maintenance of the nuclear weapons stockpile. The witness also cited the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma as an example of a local facility that would continue to be supported.
Details and process: The witness framed HR 6938 as the second step toward completing the 12 regular appropriations bills for FY2026, noting Congress enacted a first three‑bill package in November and that the committee aims to finish all funding by the statutory Jan. 30 deadline. They emphasized that the bills include member‑requested community project funding and said the package was negotiated at the committee level to avoid an omnibus year‑end spending package.
The witness closed by saying they expected to return with additional packages in the coming weeks and that they welcomed questions from committee members.
The hearing proceeded to questions following the testimony; no formal votes or motions on HR 6938 were recorded in the provided transcript.
