The Senate passed a minibus package of three spending bills Thursday, ahead of a rapidly approaching January 30 deadline. The 82-15 vote on the package funding the Commerce, Justice, Energy and Interior departments through the end of the fiscal year means that the Senate has now passed six of the 12 annual spending bills for fiscal year 2026, which started in October.
The next six bills could prove more difficult to pass. The pending bills include funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which has become a flashpoint as lawmakers wrangle over the violent immigration crackdown occurring in Minneapolis and other cities around the country.
Another challenge: Senators are leaving town today and taking next week off for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, leaving just a few days to deal with a half dozen major funding bills before the end of the month. The tight schedule could mean that lawmakers resort to passing a continuing resolution to avoid a partial government shutdown on February 1, though the odds of a more disruptive shutdown appear to be very low.