Contents

• FY2026 Consideration: Overview of Actions
• Status of FY2026 Appropriations: Dates and Documents
• Submission of FY2026 Budget Request on May 30, 2025
• Senate and House Hearings on the FY2026 Budget Requests
• House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, Markup of FY2026 Bill
• House Appropriations Committee Markup of the FY2026 Bill (H.R. 4249, H.Rept. 119-178)
• Senate Appropriations Committee Markup of FY2026 Bill (S. 2257, S.Rept. 119-38)
• Funding in Prior Years: Brief Overview and Trends
• FY2026 Legislative Branch Funding Issues
• Senate
• Overall Funding
• Senate Committee Funding
• Senators' Official Personnel and Office Expense Account
• House of Representatives
• Overall Funding
• House Committee Funding
• Members' Representational Allowance
• Compensation of Interns
• Support Agency Funding
• U.S. Capitol Police (USCP)
• Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR)
• Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
• Architect of the Capitol (AOC)
• Library of Congress (LOC)
• Government Publishing Office (GPO)
• Government Accountability Office (GAO)
• Congressional Office for International Leadership (COIL; Formerly Open World Leadership Center)
• John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Training and Development
• General Provisions
• Introduction to Summary Tables and Appendix

Summary

The legislative branch appropriations bill provides funding for the Senate; House of Representatives; Joint Items; Capitol Police; Office of Congressional Workplace Rights; Congressional Budget Office (CBO); Architect of the Capitol (AOC); Library of Congress (LOC), including the Congressional Research Service (CRS); Government Publishing Office (GPO); Government Accountability Office (GAO); Congressional Office for International Leadership (COIL); and John C. Stennis Center.

The FY2026 Budget Appendix volume was submitted on May 30, 2025 ($7.950 billion, or +17.9% from the FY2025 enacted level). The House and Senate Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittees held hearings on the requests in April and May 2025. On June 23, 2025, the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, held a markup of the FY2026 bill and ordered it reported (6-4). On June 26, 2025, the full House Appropriations Committee marked up the bill and ordered it reported by roll call vote (Roll no. 8, 34-28) (H.R. 4249, H.Rept. 119-178). The House-reported bill would provide $5.005 billion, not including Senate items, a $281.9 million decrease (-5.3%) from the comparable FY2025 enacted level. On July 10, 2025, the Senate Appropriations Committee marked up and ordered reported, by a vote of 26-1, a bill to provide $4.973 billion in FY2026 funding (not including House items), an increase of $256.96 million (+5.4%).

Previously

• The FY2025 level of $6.740 billion represented a decrease of $9.0 million (-0.1%) from FY2024.
• The FY2024 level of $6.749 billion represented a decrease of $157.7 million, or -2.3%, when compared to the "grand total" for FY2023; or a decrease of $144.0 million, or -2.1%, when considering Title I only.
• The FY2023 level of $6.899 billion (not including supplemental appropriations of $7.5 million) represented an increase of $975.2 million (+16.5%) from the FY2022 level.
• The FY2022 level of $5.924 billion represented an increase of $618.8 million (+11.7%) from the FY2021 level, not including the FY2021 supplemental.
• The FY2021 level of $5.304 billion represented an increase of $255.0 million (+5.1%) from the FY2020 level, not including the FY2021 supplemental.
• The FY2020 level of $5.049 billion represented an increase of $202.8 million (+4.2%) from the FY2019 level, not including the FY2020 supplemental.
• The FY2019 level of $4.836 billion represented an increase of $136.0 million (+2.9%) from FY2018, not including the FY2019 supplemental.
• The FY2018 level of $4.700 billion represented an increase of $260.0 million (+5.9%) from FY2017.
• The FY2017 level of $4.440 billion represented an increase of $77.0 million (+1.7%) from FY2016.
• The FY2016 level of $4.363 billion represented an increase of $63.0 million (+1.5%) from FY2015.
• The FY2015 level of $4.300 billion represented an increase of $41.7 million (+1.0%) from FY2014.
• The FY2014 level of $4.259 billion represented an increase of $198 million (+4.9%) from FY2013.
• The FY2013 level of $4.061 billion represented a decrease of $246 million (-5.6%), including the sequestration and rescission, from FY2012.

The smallest of the appropriations bills, the legislative branch bill comprises approximately 0.4% of total discretionary budget authority.

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FY2026 Consideration: Overview of Actions

The first section of this report provides an overview of the consideration of FY2026 legislative branch appropriations, with subsections covering each action, including

• the initial submission of the request on May 30, 2025 ($7.950 billion, +17.9%);
• hearings held by the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, and the Senate Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, in April and May 2025;
• a markup of the FY2026 legislative branch appropriations bill by the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, on June 23, 2025, which approved it for full committee consideration by roll call vote (6-4);
• a markup of the FY2026 legislative branch appropriations bill on June 26, 2025, by the House Appropriations Committee, which ordered it to be reported as amended by roll call vote (Roll no. 8, 34-28) (H.R. 4249, H.Rept. 119-178); and
• a markup by the Senate Appropriations Committee of the Senate's version of the FY2026 legislative branch appropriations bill on July 10, 2025. The bill was ordered reported by a vote of 26-1 (S. 2257, S.Rept. 119-38).

It is followed by a section on prior-year actions and funding, which contains a historical table and figure.

The report then provides an overview of the FY2026 budget requests of individual legislative branch agencies and entities.

Table 5 through Table 9 list enacted funding levels for FY2025, and funding levels in the FY2026 request, the House-reported bill, and the Senate-reported bill.

The Appendix lists House, Senate, and conference bills and reports; public law numbers; and enactment dates since FY1998.

Status of FY2026 Appropriations: Dates and Documents

Submission of FY2026 Budget Request on May 30, 2025

The FY2026 Budget Appendix volume, which includes the legislative branch budget request, was submitted on May 30, 2025 ($7.950 billion, +17.9%).

The FY2025 continuing appropriations bill was enacted on March 15, 2025 (P.L. 119-4), after much of the FY2026 budget request formulation and submission process would have generally occurred.

The budget requests included a note accompanying each account stating¹

Note.—This account is operating under the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (Division A of Public Law 119–4).

Additionally, as explained annually by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB):²

The budget covers the agencies of all three branches of Government—Executive, Legislative, and Judicial—and provides information on Government-sponsored enterprises. In accordance with law or established practice, OMB includes information on agencies of the Legislative Branch, the Judicial Branch, and certain Executive Branch agencies as submitted by those agencies without change.

The independence of the submissions by the legislative branch agencies and entities is codified in Title 31, Section 1105, of the U.S. Code, which states the following:³

Estimated expenditures and proposed appropriations for the legislative branch and the judicial branch to be included in each budget ... shall be submitted to the President ... and included in the budget by the President without change.

Furthermore, Division C of the FY2012 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 112-74) added language to Title 31, Section 1107, relating to budget amendments, stating the following:

The President shall transmit promptly to Congress without change, proposed deficiency and supplemental appropriations submitted to the President by the legislative branch and the judicial branch.

Senate and House Hearings on the FY2026 Budget Requests

Table 2 lists the dates of hearings of the legislative branch subcommittees. Prepared statements of witnesses were posted on the subcommittee websites.

House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, Markup of FY2026 Bill

On June 23, 2025, the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, held a markup of the FY2026 bill. The subcommittee recommended $5.005 billion in discretionary appropriations (not including Senate items), a decrease of $281.9 million ($271.9 million, not including the GAO supplemental), or -5.3%.

No amendments were offered, and the bill was ordered to be reported to the full committee by roll call vote (6-4).

House Appropriations Committee Markup of the FY2026 Bill (H.R. 4249, H.Rept. 119-178)

The House Appropriations Committee held a markup on June 25, 2025.

The bill would provide $5.005 billion in discretionary appropriations (not including Senate items), a decrease of $281.9 million ($271.9 million, not including the GAO supplemental), or -5.3%.

A number of amendments were considered:⁴

• 1. a manager's amendment (voice vote);
• 2. an amendment striking a provision (§121) requiring congressional authorization through the adoption of a concurrent resolution for any civil actions brought by GAO under the Impoundment Control Act and inserting language in the accompanying report (not adopted, 28-34, Roll Call #1);
• 3. an amendment striking Section 213, a provision preventing an adjustment in salaries for Members of Congress in 2026 (not adopted, voice vote);
• 4. another amendment striking Section 213, a provision preventing an adjustment in salaries for Members of Congress in 2026 (withdrawn);
• 5. an amendment adding a new provision related to contract management requirements (withdrawn);
• 6. an amendment increasing funding for GAO, from $415.37 million to $933.98 million (not adopted, 27-33, Roll Call #2);
• 7. an amendment that would prohibit the GAO from conducting a "project or activity that has not been requested by Congress or is otherwise not required by law unless the Comptroller General provides prior notice to the Committees on Appropriations" (not adopted, voice vote);
• 8. an amendment authorizing the employment of individuals covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (adopted, 32-29, Roll Call #3);
• 9. an amendment striking one administrative provision and three general provisions and adding a new general provision related to plastic waste reduction (not adopted, voice vote);
• 10. an amendment requiring the installation of a plaque to honor members of law enforcement who responded on January 6, 2021, as described in Section 214 of P.L. 117-103 (not adopted, 28-34, Roll Call #4);
• 11. an amendment increasing funding for GAO by $400.0 million and rescinding $400.0 million related to "a Boeing 747 given to the United States by Qatar" (not adopted, 26-34, Roll Call #5);
• 12. an amendment prohibiting certain legislative branch agencies from providing information to the executive branch (not adopted, 28-33, Roll Call #6);
• 13. an amendment adjusting overall House funding, providing $44.1 million for the designation and funding of a law enforcement coordinator in each Member office, and establishing the allowance for designation of law enforcement coordinators in House Member offices, and adding related report language (withdrawn);
• 14. an amendment extending certain employment protections (Pump Act) under the Congressional Accountability Act (not adopted, 28-33, Roll Call #7); and
• 15. an amendment adding report language to direct the Office of Congressional Conduct (formerly the Office of Congressional Ethics, which was renamed pursuant to H.Res. 5) to "develop a standard for what constitutes conduct that does not reflect creditably upon the House, as it relates to a Member of Congress's ability to perform the duties of office unimpeded by significant irreversible cognitive impairment" (not adopted, voice vote).

The bill was ordered to be reported by a vote of 34-28 (Roll Call #8).

Senate Appropriations Committee Markup of FY2026 Bill
(S. 2257, S.Rept. 119-38)

On July 10, 2025, the Senate Appropriations Committee held a markup of the FY2026 legislative branch appropriations bill. The bill was ordered to be reported by a vote of 26-1.

A manager's amendment inserting report language providing for "Interfaith Space for Senate staff and interns" was adopted unanimously.⁵

An additional amendment, offered by Senator Murray, "to modernize the appointment processes for the Library of Congress, the Government Accountability Office, and the Government Publishing Office, ensuring that each agency's head is appointed by the legislative branch since they are legislative branch agencies" was debated and withdrawn.⁶

The Senate bill would provide $4.973 billion (not including House items). This level represents a $256.96 million increase (+5.4%) from the comparable FY2025 enacted level.

Funding in Prior Years: Brief Overview and Trends

Legislative Branch: Historical Percentage of Total Discretionary Budget Authority

The percentage of total discretionary budget authority provided to the legislative branch has remained relatively stable at approximately 0.4% since at least FY1976.⁷ The maximum level, not including the transition quarter,⁸ was in FY1995 (0.48%), and the minimum was in FY2020 (0.28%).

FY2025

FY2025 funding was provided in Division A of the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (P.L. 119-4), which was enacted on March 15, 2025. The act provided for a continuation of FY2024 funding levels, under the same authorities and conditions, with some anomalies ($6.740 billion, a decrease of $9.0 million, or -0.1%). FY2025 anomalies for the legislative branch included (1) a provision specifying no funding for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies of 2025 (a joint committee on the inaugural is funded once every four years); (2) a provision extending the freeze on Member pay for FY2025; and (3) provisions adjusting funding for certain amounts provided for the Senate, House of Representatives, Office of the Attending Physician, Capitol Police, and Architect of the Capitol. In addition, three gratuity payments were provided pursuant to P.L. 118-83 (September 23, 2024) and GAO received $10.0 million "for audits and investigations related to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and other disasters declared pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) in calendar years 2023 and 2024" (Division B, Title IX of P.L. 118-158 [December 21, 2024]).

FY2024

FY2024 funding was provided in Division E of the FY2024 Further Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 118-47), which was enacted on March 23, 2024. The act provided $6.749 billion, a decrease of $157.7 million, or -2.3%, when compared to the "grand total" for FY2023 (or a decrease of $144.0 million, or -2.1%, when considering Title I only).

FY2023

FY2023 funding was provided by Division I of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 117-328), which was enacted on December 29, 2022. The act provided $6.899 billion for legislative branch activities, an increase of $975.2 million (+16.5%) from the FY2022 enacted level.

An additional $7.5 million was provided for GAO in P.L. 117-328 (Division M, Title VI). A gratuity payment was included in P.L. 117-128.

FY2022

FY2022 funding was provided by Division I of the FY2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 117-103), which was enacted on March 15, 2022. The act provided $5.924 billion for legislative branch activities, an increase of $619.96 million (+11.7%) from the FY2021 level, not including FY2021 emergency appropriations; and an increase of $166.6 million (+2.9%), when including FY2021 emergency appropriations.⁹

FY2021

FY2021 funding was provided by Division I of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (H.R. 133, P.L. 116-260), which was enacted on December 27, 2020. The act provided $5.304 billion in new budget authority for legislative branch activities, an increase of $251.2 million (+5.1%) (not including emergency appropriations). Joint explanatory text appeared in House Rules Committee Print 116-68,¹⁰ and in the Congressional Record.¹¹ P.L. 116-260 also contained additional titles related to the legislative branch in Division O—Extensions and Technical Corrections: Title VII—Deputy Architect of the Capitol Amendments, and in Division FF—Other Matter: Title IV—Senate Sergeant at Arms Cloud Services.

The Emergency Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (H.R. 3237, P.L. 117-31) was enacted on July 30, 2021. The act provided

• $7.83 million for the Senate Sergeant at Arms "to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus";
• two gratuity payments for heirs of deceased Members of Congress;
• $11.65 million for the House of Representatives, Allowances and Expenses, "to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus";
• $37.50 million for Capitol Police, Salaries, "to respond to the events at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021";
• $33.17 million for Capitol Police, General Expenses, "to respond to the events at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021";
• $800,000 for Capitol Police, General Expenses, "to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus";
• $35.40 million for Capitol Police, Mutual Aid Reimbursements;
• an administrative provision designating the Capitol Police wellness program the "Howard C. Liebengood Center for Wellness";
• an administrative provision adjusting the maximum annual payable rate for any member or civilian employee of the Capitol Police;
• $21.87 million for the Architect of the Capitol, Capital Construction and Operations, "to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus";
• $300.00 million for the Architect of the Capitol, Capitol Police Buildings, Grounds and Security, "to respond to the events at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021";
• a general provision prohibiting the use of funds "in prior fiscal years, this fiscal year, or any fiscal year thereafter ... to install permanent, above-ground fencing around the perimeter, or any portion thereof, of the United States Capitol Grounds"; and
• a general provision authorizing the Architect of the Capitol to accept contributions or incur obligations and make expenditures related to "supplies, products, and services necessary to respond to an emergency involving the safety of human life or the protection of property, as determined or declared by the Capitol Police Board, which may be provided for the use of any office which is located within any building, grounds, or facility for which the Architect of the Capitol is responsible for the maintenance, care, and operation."

FY2020

FY2020 funding was provided in Division E of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 116-94), which was enacted on December 20, 2019. The $5.049 billion provided for the legislative branch represented an increase of $202.8 million (+4.2%) from the FY2019 level. Additional language related to the legislative branch was included in Division P.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act, P.L. 116-136, enacted March 27, 2020) provided additional funding to allow legislative branch entities "to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally." Funding included

• Senate: $1.0 million for the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate and $9.0 million for "Miscellaneous Items."
• House: $25.0 million for the "House of Representatives, Salaries and Expenses" account. This account funds all activities of the House, but it does not fund salaries of Members of Congress.
• Office of the Attending Physician: $400,000.
• Capitol Police: $12.0 million for salaries. The Capitol Police were also provided authority to transfer funding to the "general expenses" account without the approval requirement provided in Title 2, Section 1907(a) of the U.S. Code.
• Architect of the Capitol: $25.0 million, for preparing and responding to the COVID-19 emergency and to allow the Architect to "purchase and distribute cleaning and sanitation products throughout all facilities and grounds under the care of the Architect of the Capitol, wherever located, and any related services and operational costs."
• Library of Congress: $700,000 for the Little Scholars Child Development Center.
• Government Accountability Office: $20.0 million to prepare and respond to the emergency, for audits and investigations, and for reimbursement of the Tiny Findings Child Development Center.

The CARES Act also contained a number of general provisions related to the legislative branch, including provisions governing the use of funds provided in the act; authorizing payments for certain goods and services; waiving certain mass mailing restrictions related to life safety; a technical correction related to the Library of Congress; a conforming amendment related to the Family and Medical Leave Act; a section related to oversight and audit authority; and a section related to National Emergency Relief Authority for the Register of Copyrights.

FY2019

FY2019 funding was provided in Division B of the Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019 (P.L. 115-244), which was enacted on September 21, 2018. The $4.836 billion provided for the legislative branch represented an increase of $136.0 million (+2.9%) from the FY2018 enacted level.

An additional $10.0 million in FY2019 supplemental appropriations for GAO "for audits and investigations related to Hurricanes Florence, Lane, and Michael, Typhoons Yutu and Mangkhut, the calendar year 2018 wildfires, earthquakes, and volcano eruptions, and other disasters declared pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act" was included in two bills considered in the 116^th Congress: H.R. 268, which passed the House on January 16, 2019—cloture was not invoked in the Senate; and H.R. 2157, which passed the House on May 10, 2019 (Roll no. 202), and the Senate (with an amendment) on May 23, 2019 (Record Vote Number: 129). H.R. 2157 was enacted June 6, 2019 (P.L. 116-20).

FY2018

FY2018 funding was provided in Division I of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (P.L. 115-141), which was enacted on March 23, 2018. The $4.700 billion provided by the act represented an increase of $260.0 million (+5.9%) from the FY2017 enacted level.

In addition, P.L. 115-123, enacted February 9, 2018, provided $14.0 million to GAO "for audits and investigations relating to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria and the 2017 wildfires" (Title IX of Division B).

FY2017

FY2017 funding was provided in Division I of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31), which was enacted on May 5, 2017. The $4.440 billion provided by the act represented a $77.0 million increase (+1.7%) from the FY2016 enacted level.

FY2016

FY2016 funding was provided in Division I of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (P.L. 114-113), which was enacted on December 18, 2015. The $4.363 billion provided by the act represented a $63.0 million increase (+1.5%) from the FY2015 enacted level.

FY2015

FY2015 funding was provided in Division H of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235), which was enacted on December 16, 2014. The $4.300 billion provided by the act represented an increase of $41.7 million (+1.0%) from FY2014.

FY2014

Neither a legislative branch appropriations bill nor a continuing resolution (CR) containing FY2014 funding was enacted prior to the beginning of the fiscal year on October 1, 2013. A funding gap, which resulted in a partial government shutdown, ensued for 16 days. The funding gap was terminated by the enactment of a CR (P.L. 113-46) on October 17, 2013. The CR provided funding through January 15, 2014.¹² Following enactment of a CR on January 15 (P.L. 113-73), a consolidated appropriations bill was enacted on January 17 (P.L. 113-76), providing $4.259 billion for the legislative branch for FY2014.

FY2013

FY2013 funding of approximately $4.061 billion was provided by P.L. 113-6, which was signed into law on March 26, 2013.¹³ The act funded legislative branch accounts at the FY2012 enacted level, with some exceptions (also known as "anomalies"), not including across-the-board rescissions required by Section 3004 of P.L. 113-6. Section 3004 was intended to eliminate any amount by which the new budget authority provided in the act exceeded the FY2013 discretionary spending limits in Section 251(c)(2) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act, as amended by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-25) and the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (P.L. 112-240). Subsequent to the enactment of P.L. 113-6, OMB calculated that additional rescissions of 0.032% of security budget authority and 0.2% of nonsecurity budget authority would be required. The act did not alter the sequestration reductions implemented on March 1, which reduced most legislative branch accounts by 5.0%.¹⁴ The accompanying OMB report indicated a dollar amount of budget authority to be canceled in each account containing nonexempt funds.¹⁵

FY2012 and Prior

Division G of the FY2012 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 112-74) provided $4.307 billion for the legislative branch. This level was $236.9 million below (-5.2%) the FY2011 enacted level. P.L. 112-10 provided $4.543 billion for legislative branch operations in FY2011. This level represented a $125.1 million decrease (-2.7%) from the $4.668 billion provided in the FY2010 Legislative Branch Appropriations Act (P.L. 111-68) and the FY2010 Supplemental Appropriations Act (P.L. 111-212). The FY2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act provided $4.402 billion. In FY2009, an additional $25.0 million was provided for GAO in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.¹⁶ P.L. 111-32, the FY2009 Supplemental Appropriations Act, also contained funding for a new Capitol Police radio system ($71.6 million) and additional funding for the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) ($2.0 million).¹⁷

As seen in Table 3, in current dollars, legislative branch funding decreased each year from FY2010 through FY2013, and it did not exceed the FY2010 level until FY2018. Adjusted for inflation, the FY2022 funding level was slightly less than the FY2010 level.¹⁸ The FY2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act was the first to fund the legislative branch at a higher level than provided for FY2010, in inflation-adjusted dollars.

Figure 1 shows the same information graphically, while Figure 2 shows the distribution of funds across the legislative branch in FY2020-FY2025.

Figure 1. Legislative Branch Funding FY2010-FY2025: Current and Constant Dollars

Source: CRS analysis of legislative branch appropriations acts and related budget documents. Notes: The figure does not include permanent budget authorities, including funding for Member pay, that are not included in the annual legislative branch appropriations bill. Total also excludes offsetting collections and authority to spend receipts. Constant 2024 dollars calculated using the "Total Non-Defense" deflator in Table 10.1—Gross Domestic Product and Deflators Used in the Historical Tables: 1940-2029 in the President's FY2025 budget request.

Figure 2. Distribution of Legislative Branch Funding: FY2020-FY2025

Source: CRS analysis of legislative branch appropriations acts and related budget documents. Note: This figure does not include permanent budget authorities, offsetting collections, or authority to spend receipts.

Figure 3 shows the timing of legislative branch appropriations actions, including the issuance of House and Senate reports, bill passage, and enactment since FY1996. It shows that fiscal year funding for the legislative branch has been determined

• on or before October 1 six times during this period (FY1997, FY2000, FY2004, FY2006, FY2010, and FY2019);
• twice during the first month of the fiscal year (FY1998 and FY1999);
• twice in November (FY1996 and FY2002);
• nine times in December (FY2001, FY2005, FY2008, FY2012, FY2015, FY2016, FY2020, FY2021, and FY2023); and
• 11 times in the next calendar year (FY2003, FY2007, FY2009, FY2011, FY2013, FY2014, FY2017, FY2018, FY2022, FY2024, and FY2025).

FY2017 funding, enacted on May 5, 2017, represented the latest date of enactment during this period.

Figure 3 . Timing of Legislative Branch Appropriations Consideration: FY1996-FY2026

Figure is interactive in the HTML version of this report.

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// Disable legend item click } } }, plotOptions: { series: { states: { inactive: { opacity: 0.15, }, hover: {enabled: false} }, //events: {legendItemClick: function() { return false;},} , } }, yAxis: { title: {text: null,rotation:-89.9, }, gridLineColor: '#F3F3F3', gridLineWidth: 18, tickInterval: 1,min: 1994.5, max: 2025.5, reversed: true,startOnTick:false,endOnTick: false, labels: {x:-4, }, //labels: {align:'left',x:1, }, }, xAxis: {type: 'datetime', gridLineColor: '#FFFFFF', gridLineWidth: 1, opposite:true, lineWidth: 0, tickWidth:1, tickLength:5,tickColor:'black', reserveSpace: false, startOnTick: false, endOnTick: false, tickInterval: 1000 * 60 * 60 * 24 * 30, min:1640995200000,max: 1672607800000, //milliseconds * seconds * minutes * hours * days (365) = interval (1yr) //showLastLabel: false, labels: {enabled:false, //formatter: function() {return Highcharts.dateFormat('%b', this.value).toUpperCase(); }, //align:'left',x:2,y:15 }, plotLines:[ {color:'#A5A4A4',dashStyle:'ShortDash', zIndex:1, value:1664599600000, width:0.75, }, ] }, tooltip: { padding:0, useHTML: true, formatter: function () { return '' + '' + ''+ '' + '

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'; }, }, series: [ //13-digit timestamp dates. {name: 'House Report Filed', type: 'scatter',zIndex:10,enableMouseTracking:true, marker: {symbol: 'rect', fillColor: '#EDBEA7',lineColor:'#9E4923',lineWidth:1.0,}, data: [[1655251200000,1995,803174400000, 'FY1996 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Report Filed' ], [1657324800000,1996,836784000000, 'FY1997 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Report Filed' ], [1658448000000,1997,869529600000, 'FY1998 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Report Filed' ], [1655942400000,1998,898560000000, 'FY1999 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Report Filed' ], [1653091200000,1999,927244800000, 'FY2000 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Report Filed' ], [1653350400000,2000,959040000000, 'FY2001 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Report Filed' ], [1658793600000,2001,996105600000, 'FY2002 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Report Filed' ], [1657843200000,2002,1026691200000, 'FY2003 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Report Filed' ], [1656633600000,2003,1057017600000, 'FY2004 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Report Filed' ], [1656720000000,2004,1088640000000, 'FY2005 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Report Filed' ], [1655683200000,2005,1119225600000, 'FY2006 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Report Filed' ], [1654041600000,2006,1149120000000, 'FY2007 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Report Filed' ], [1655596800000,2007,1182211200000, 'FY2008 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Report Filed' ], [1655424000000,2009,1245196800000, 'FY2010 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Report Filed' ], [1657843200000,2011,1310688000000, 'FY2012 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Report Filed' ], [1654128000000,2012,1338508800000, 'FY2013 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Report Filed' ], [1658534400000,2013,1374537600000, 'FY2014 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Report Filed' ], [1650153600000,2014,1397692800000, 'FY2015 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Report Filed' ], [1652313600000,2015,1431388800000, 'FY2016 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Report Filed' ], [1653523200000,2016,1464134400000, 'FY2017 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Report Filed' ], [1657065600000,2017,1499299200000, 'FY2018 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Report 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'House Bill Passage' ], [1657497600000,1996,836956800000, 'FY1997 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Bill Passage' ], [1658966400000,1997,870048000000, 'FY1998 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Bill Passage' ], [1656115200000,1998,898732800000, 'FY1999 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Bill Passage' ], [1654819200000,1999,928972800000, 'FY2000 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Bill Passage' ], [1655942400000,2000,961632000000, 'FY2001 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Bill Passage' ], [1659225600000,2001,996537600000, 'FY2002 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Bill Passage' ], [1658102400000,2002,1026950400000, 'FY2003 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Bill Passage' ], [1657324800000,2003,1057708800000, 'FY2004 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Bill Passage' ], [1657670400000,2004,1089590400000, 'FY2005 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Bill Passage' ], [1655856000000,2005,1119398400000, 'FY2006 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Bill Passage' ], [1654560000000,2006,1149638400000, 'FY2007 APPROPRIATIONS', 'House Bill Passage' ], [1655856000000,2007,1182470400000, 'FY2008 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Adj for overlap. ], keys: ['x', 'y', 'z','budgetcycle','budgetstep'] }, {name:'Senate Draft Bill and Statement', type: 'scatter',zIndex:10, enableMouseTracking:true, marker: {symbol: 'rect', fillColor: '#F3F3F3',lineColor:'#52467F',lineWidth:1}, data: [[1668124800000,2020,1604966400000, 'FY2021 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Senate Draft Bill
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'scatter',zIndex:10, enableMouseTracking:true, marker: {symbol: 'rect', fillColor: 'black',lineColor:'#0A0E10',lineWidth:1,zIndex:10}, data: [[1668816000000,1995,816739200000, 'FY1996 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted as Standalone' ], [1663372800000,1996,842832000000, 'FY1997 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted as Standalone' ], [1665100800000,1997,876182400000, 'FY1998 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted as Standalone' ], [1666310400000,1998,908928000000, 'FY1999 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted as Standalone' ], [1664409600000,1999,938563200000, 'FY2000 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted as Standalone' ], [1668211200000,2001,1005523200000, 'FY2002 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted as Standalone' ], [1664496000000,2003,1064880000000, 'FY2004 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted as Standalone' ], [1659398400000,2005,1122940800000, 'FY2006 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted as Standalone' ], [1664582400000,2009,1254355200000, 'FY2010 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted as Standalone' ], ], keys: ['x', 'y', 'z','budgetcycle','budgetstep'], }, {name: 'Enacted in Consolidated Legislation', type: 'scatter',zIndex:10,enableMouseTracking:true, marker: {symbol: 'rect', fillColor: { pattern: { path: {d:'M 0 0 L 5 5 M 4.5 -0.5 L 5.5 0.5 M -0.5 4.5 L 0.5 5.5', strokeWidth: 2 }, width: 5,height: 5, color: 'black',opacity: 0.8 } }, lineColor:'#0A0E10',lineWidth:1,zIndex:10,}, data: [ [1671667200000,2000,977356800000, 'FY2001 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted in
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Consolidated Legislation' ], [1670544000000,2004,1102464000000, 'FY2005 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted in
Consolidated Legislation' ], [1644883200000,2007,1171497600000, 'FY2007 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted in
Consolidated Legislation' ], [1672012800000,2007,1198627200000, 'FY2008 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted in
Consolidated Legislation' ], [1646956800000,2009,1236729600000, 'FY2009 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted in
Consolidated Legislation' ], [1649980800000,2011,1302825600000, 'FY2011 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted in
Consolidated Legislation' ], [1671753600000,2011,1324598400000, 'FY2012 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted in
Consolidated Legislation' ], [1648252800000,2013,1364256000000, 'FY2013 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted in
Consolidated Legislation' ], [1642377600000,2014,1389916800000, 'FY2014 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted in
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Consolidated Legislation' ], [1671321600000,2015,1450396800000, 'FY2016 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted in
Consolidated Legislation' ], [1651708800000,2017,1493942400000, 'FY2017 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted in
Consolidated Legislation' ], [1647993600000,2018,1521763200000, 'FY2018 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted in
Consolidated Legislation' ], [1663718400000,2018,1537488000000, 'FY2019 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted in
Consolidated Legislation' ], [1671494400000,2019,1576800000000, 'FY2020 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted in
Consolidated Legislation' ], [1672185600000,2020,1609027200000, 'FY2021 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted in
Consolidated Legislation' ], [1647302400000,2022,1647302400000, 'FY2022 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted in
Consolidated Legislation' ], [1672272000000,2022,1672272000000, 'FY2023 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted in
Consolidated Legislation' ], [1647993600000,2024,1711152000000, 'FY2024 APPROPRIATIONS', 'Enacted in
Consolidated Legislation' ], [1647302400000,2025,1741996800000, 'FY2025 Appropriations', 'Enacted in
Consolidated Legislation' ], ], keys: ['x', 'y', 'z', 'budgetcycle','budgetstep'], }, {name: 'Ongoing Arrow2', //consideration period arrows showInLegend: false, enableMouseTracking: false , states: {inactive: {opacity: 0.5,},}, type: 'scatter', zIndex:9, color: '#B4C7D0',opacity:0.8, marker: {symbol: 'arrow2',radius: 3.5,pointPadding: 0.1,lineWidth: 0,}, data: [ {x: 1672424800000, y: 2002}, {x: 1672424800000, y: 2006}, {x: 1672424800000, y: 2010}, {x: 1672424800000, y: 2012}, {x: 1672424800000, y: 2013}, {x: 1672424800000, y: 2016}, {x: 1672424800000, y: 2017}, {x: 1672424800000, y: 2021}, {x: 1672424800000, y: 2023}, {x: 1672424800000, y: 2024}, // updated 7/24/24, for 7/25/24 {x: 1657703200000, y: 2025}, // updated 7/15/2025 //to place, Add 6 to 5th digit ], }, {name: 'Ongoing, dashed line', showInLegend: false, enabledMouseTracking: false, type: 'xrange',grouping:false, colors: ['white'], lineWidth: 2,pointWidth: 0, dashStyle: 'Dot',borderColor:'#384F5A', //pointW controls the height of the shape data: [ { x: 1671585600000, x2: 1672424800000,y:2002,}, { x: 1671585600000, x2: 1672424800000,y:2006,}, { x: 1671585600000, x2: 1672424800000,y:2008,}, { x: 1671585600000, x2: 1672424800000,y:2010,}, { x: 1671585600000, x2: 1672424800000,y:2012,}, { x: 1671585600000, x2: 1672424800000,y:2013,}, { x: 1671585600000, x2: 1672424800000,y:2016,}, { x: 1671585600000, x2: 1672424800000,y:2017,}, { x: 1671585600000, x2: 1672424800000,y:2021,}, { x: 1671585600000, x2: 1672424800000,y:2023,}, { x: 1671585600000, x2: 1672424800000,y:2024,}, //nextyear { x: 1640995200000, x2: 1644815200000, y: 2003 }, { x: 1640995200000, x2: 1644383200000, y: 2007 }, { x: 1640995200000, x2: 1646356800000, y: 2009 }, { x: 1640995200000, x2: 1649480800000, y: 2011 }, { x: 1640995200000, x2: 1647602800000, y: 2013 }, { x: 1640995200000, x2: 1641877600000, y: 2014 }, { x: 1640995200000, x2: 1651208800000, y: 2017 }, { x: 1640995200000, x2: 1647493600000, y: 2018 }, { x: 1640995200000, x2: 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Source: CRS analysis of data found on http://www.congress.gov.

Notes: Figure shows fiscal year consideration during the calendar year. Each row represents consideration during the calendar year of the subsequent fiscal year spending bill (i.e., the calendar year 1995 row shows the timeline of consideration and passage of the FY1996 act). Arrows in the December column indicate consideration continued into the next calendar year. The figure shows when the committee report was filed, which may be later than the date the bill was ordered to be reported. When House and Senate action occurs on the same date, the House is shown first. The FY2010 Legislative Branch Appropriations Act (P.L. 111-68) is listed in this figure as stand-alone legislation (Division A), although it was also the vehicle for a continuing appropriations resolution (Division B).

FY2026 Legislative Branch Funding Issues

The following sections discuss the various legislative branch accounts.

During consideration of the legislative branch bills, the House and Senate conform to a "longstanding practice under which each body of Congress determines its own housekeeping requirements and the other concurs without intervention."¹⁹

Senate

Overall Funding

The FY2025 act provided $1.325 billion.

The Senate requested, and the Senate-reported bill would provide, $1.471 billion (+11.0%).

Additional information on the Senate account is presented in Table 6.

Senate Committee Funding

Appropriations for Senate committees are provided in two accounts.

• 1. The inquiries and investigations account contains funds for all Senate committees except Appropriations. The FY2025 act provided $189.2 million. The Senate requested, and the Senate-reported bill would provide, $222.4 million (+17.6%).
• 2. The Committee on Appropriations account contains funds for the Senate Appropriations Committee. The FY2025 act provided $19.3 million. The Senate requested, and the Senate-reported bill would provide, $22.7 million (+17.6%).

Senators' Official Personnel and Office Expense Account²⁰

The Senators' Official Personnel and Office Expense Account (SOPOEA) provides each Senator with funds to administer an office. It consists of an administrative and clerical assistance allowance, a legislative assistance allowance, and an official office expense allowance. The funds may be used for any category of expenses, subject to limitations on official mail.

The Senate requested, and the Senate-reported bill would provide, $645.4 million, an increase of 6.3% from the $607.4 million provided for FY2025.

As in the acts since FY2022, the FY2026 request and the Senate-reported bill would provide $7.0 million for compensating interns in Senators' offices within this total.

Administrative Provisions

Two administrative provisions were included in the Senate-reported FY2026 bill. The first provision, which was first included in FY2016, requires amounts remaining in the Senators' Official Personnel and Expense Account (SOPOEA) to be used for deficit reduction or to reduce the federal debt. The second provision amends Title 2, Section 6154 note of the U.S. Code, which is related to the delegation of authority to incur certain expenses.

House of Representatives

Overall Funding

The House requested $2.086 billion for FY2026, an increase of $207.8 million (+11.1%). The House-reported bill would provide $1.984 billion, an increase of $106.5 million (+5.7%).²¹

Additional information on headings in the House of Representatives account is presented in Table 7.

House Committee Funding

Funding for House committees is contained in the appropriation heading "committee employees," which typically comprises two subheadings.

The first subheading contains funds for personnel and nonpersonnel expenses of House committees, except the Appropriations Committee, as authorized by the House in a committee expense resolution. The House requested $203.2 million, an increase of $22.6 million (+12.5%) from the FY2025 enacted level.

The second subheading contains funds for the personnel and nonpersonnel expenses of the Committee on Appropriations. The FY2025 act and the House-reported FY2026 bill contain $31.3 million. The House had requested $33.6 million (+7.5%).

Members' Representational Allowance²²

The Members' Representational Allowance (MRA) is available to support Members in their official and representational duties.

The House-reported bill would continue the FY2025 enacted level of $850.0 million. The House had requested $910.4 million (+7.1%).

Compensation of Interns

The FY2025 act, the FY2026 request, and the FY2026 House-reported bill all contain, in separate accounts, $20.6 million for interns in House Member offices, $586,000 for interns in House leadership offices, $2.6 million for interns for standing and select committees other than the House Appropriations Committee, and $463,000 for interns with the House Appropriations Committee.

Administrative Provisions

The House requested, and the House-reported bill includes, three administrative provisions continued from prior years related to

• providing that unexpended balances from the MRA be used for deficit reduction or to reduce the federal debt;
• limiting amounts available from the MRA for leased vehicles; and
• providing for cybersecurity assistance from other federal entities.

The budget request also includes a new administrative provision related to telecom expenses for employees of the House Child Care Center (previously included in the FY2025 request and House-reported bill). The FY2026 request also includes a provision related to the source of funds for payment of certain salaries and expenses of the House Child Care Center. The House-reported bill includes a provision (§114) amending Title 2, Section 2062, of the U.S. Code to include the child care center language.

The FY2026 House-reported bill, as with the FY2025 House-reported bill (but not the FY2025 CR), includes a new administrative provision (§113) amending long-term lease requirements to exclude the House of Representatives from certain vehicle emission requirements.

The House-reported bill also includes a provision (§115) prohibiting the use of funds "to procure or purchase covered information technology equipment" from certain companies or entities.

Support Agency Funding

U.S. Capitol Police (USCP)

The USCP is responsible for the security of the Capitol Complex, including, for example, the U.S. Capitol, the House and Senate office buildings, the U.S. Botanic Garden, and the Library of Congress buildings and adjacent grounds.

The FY2025 enacted level was $806.5 million. In comparison, levels considered for FY2026 include the following:

• Requested: $967.8 million (+20.0%)
• House-reported bill: $890.9 million (+10.5%)
• Senate-reported bill: $855.1 million (+6.0%)

Additional information on the USCP is presented in Table 8.

Appropriations for the police are contained in two accounts—a salaries account and a general expenses account.

• 1. Salaries—the FY2025 act provided $603.6 million for salaries. The USCP requested, and the House-reported bill would provide, $687.4 million (+13.9%). The Senate-reported bill would provide $653.4 million (+8.2%).
• 2. General expenses—the FY2025 act provided $202.8 million for general expenses. The USCP requested $280.4 million (+38.2%). The House-reported bill would provide $203.5 million (+0.3%). The Senate-reported bill would provide $201.7 million (-0.6%). As noted in Table 8, mutual aid reimbursements were structured slightly differently in the budget request and in the House-reported and Senate-reported bills. In the budget request, the Capitol Police separately requested $25.0 million for "United States Capitol Police Mutual Aid Reimbursements." The House-reported bill provides $10.0 million for mutual aid reimbursements within the general expenses total. The Senate-reported bill includes an administrative provision (§110) authorizing up to $10.0 million of USCP funds to "be transferred to 'Capitol Police—United States Capitol Police Mutual Aid Reimbursements' on September 30, 2026."

The Senate-reported bill (S. 2257) also included a number of general provisions providing funding for Senate protection, including $18.5 million for the Senate Sergeant at Arms (§213(a)), $25.0 million for mutual aid reimbursement (§213(b)), and $1.0 million for general expenses (§213(c)) (in total, $44.5 million).

Another appropriation relating to the USCP appears within the Architect of the Capitol account for Capitol Police buildings and grounds and security. The FY2025 level was $85.2 million. For FY2026, $112.9 million (+32.5%) was requested, the House-reported bill would provide $74.9 million (-12.1%), and the Senate-reported bill would provide $77.6 million (-8.9%).

Administrative Provision

As in the FY2025 House-reported bill (but not the FY2025 CR), the FY2026 House-reported bill contains a provision amending Title 5, Section 4120 of the U.S. Code (related to training for the Capitol Police) to specify that an employee may receive training outside of the United States only with the prior approval of the Capitol Police Board.

The FY2026 House-reported bill also contains a provision amending the appointment and termination authority for the assistant chief of police, the USCP chief administrative officer, the general counsel, and the deputy and assistant chiefs.

The FY2026 Senate-reported bill does not contain the House-reported provisions. It contains a provision related to the transfer of amounts made available for the Capitol Police to "Capitol Police—United States Capitol Police Mutual Aid Reimbursements."

Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR)

Formerly known as the Office of Compliance, the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR) was renamed by the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 Reform Act (P.L. 115-397). It is an independent and nonpartisan agency within the legislative branch, and it was originally established to administer and enforce the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995.²³ The act applies various employment and workplace safety laws to Congress and certain legislative branch entities.²⁴

The FY2025 act provided $8.15 million. OCWR requested $8.59 million (+5.4%). The House-reported bill would provide $8.35 million (+2.5%). The Senate-reported bill would provide $8.40 million (+3.0%).

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

CBO is a nonpartisan congressional agency created to provide objective economic and budgetary analysis to Congress. CBO cost estimates are required for any measure reported by a regular or conference committee that may affect revenues or expenditures.²⁵

CBO's FY2025 funding level was $70.0 million. In comparison, CBO requested $75.8 million (+8.2%) for FY2026, the House-reported bill would provide $72.0 million (+2.9%), and the Senate-reported bill would provide $71.4 million (+2.0%).

Architect of the Capitol (AOC)

The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the U.S. Capitol Complex. The AOC is responsible for the Supreme Court buildings and grounds, but appropriations for those expenses are not funded in the legislative branch appropriations bill.

Operations of the AOC are funded in the following 10 accounts: capital construction and operations, Capitol building, Capitol grounds, Senate office buildings, House office buildings, Capitol Power Plant, Library buildings and grounds, Capitol Police buildings and grounds, Capitol Visitor Center, and Botanic Garden. Additional funding information on the individual AOC accounts is presented in Table 9.

The FY2025 level was $830.3 million.

In comparison, levels considered for FY2025 include the following:

• Requested: $1.336 billion (+59.7%)
• House-reported bill: $701.4 million (+1.4%, not including Senate office buildings)
• Senate-reported bill: $698.2 million (+2.1%, not including House office buildings)

Administrative Provisions

A number of administrative provisions related to the Architect of the Capitol were requested:

• 1. The FY2026 budget request, the House-reported bill, and the Senate-reported bill each include an administrative provision that prohibits the use of funds for bonuses for contractors behind schedule or over budget. This provision has been included in the annual appropriations act since FY2015.
• 2. As in FY2025, the FY2026 budget request includes an administrative provision related to child care benefits for AOC employees. Neither the House-reported bill nor the Senate-reported bill includes this provision.
• 3. As in FY2025, the FY2026 budget request includes an administrative provision related to public outreach and services related to the Capitol Grounds and the Arboretum. The House-reported bill includes this provision, and the Senate-reported bill does not.
• 4. As in FY2025, the FY2026 budget request includes an administrative provision authorizing the AOC to pay recruitment, relocation, redesignation, and retention bonuses for certain employees. Neither the House-reported bill nor the Senate-reported bill includes this provision.
• 5. The FY2026 budget request includes an administrative provision related to the awards, bonuses, and incentives for the Deputy Architect of the Capitol and Chief Executive Office for Visitor Services. Neither the House-reported bill nor the Senate-reported bill includes this provision.
• 6. As in FY2025, the FY2026 budget request includes an administrative provision related to the purchase of materials and services during emergencies. Neither the House-reported bill nor the Senate-reported bill includes this provision.

Library of Congress (LOC)

The Library of Congress (LOC) serves simultaneously as Congress's parliamentary library and the de facto national library of the United States. Its broader services to the nation include the acquisition, maintenance, and preservation of a collection of more than 181.1 million items in various formats;²⁶ service to the general public and scholarly and library communities; administration of U.S. copyright laws by its Copyright Office; and administration of a national program to provide reading material to the blind and print disabled. Its direct services to Congress include the provision of legal research and law-related services by the Law Library of Congress, and a broad range of activities by CRS, including in-depth and nonpartisan public policy research, analysis, and legislative assistance for Members and committees and their staff; congressional staff training; information and statistics retrieval; and continuing legal education for Members of both chambers and congressional staff.

The FY2025 level was $852.1 million. In comparison, levels considered for FY2026 include the following:

• Requested: $901.3 million (+5.8%)
• House-reported bill: $767.6 million (-9.9%)
• Senate-reported bill: $852.2 million (0.0%)

These figures do not include additional authority to spend receipts.²⁷

The LOC headings include the following:²⁸

• 1. Salaries and expenses—The FY2025 level was $592.4 million. The LOC requested $625.3 million (+5.6%) for FY2026. The House-reported bill would provide $501.9 million (-15.3%). The Senate-reported bill would provide $592.4 million (0.0%).
• 2. Copyright Office—The FY2025 level was $57.5 million. The LOC requested $63.4 million (+10.2%) for FY2026. The House-reported bill would provide $56.6 million (-1.6%). The Senate-reported bill would provide $57.5 million (0.0%). These figures do not include authority to spend receipts (in FY2025, $44.6 million, and $1.0 million in prior-year unobligated balances; $44.8 million in the FY2026 request and in the House-reported and the Senate-reported bills).
• 3. Congressional Research Service—The FY2025 act provided $136.1 million. The FY2026 request contains $144.6 million (+6.2%). The House-reported bill would provide $141.1 million (+3.7%). The Senate-reported bill would continue the FY2025 level of $136.1 million (0.0%).
• 4. National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled—The FY2025 level was $66.1 million. The LOC requested, and the House-reported bill would provide, $68.0 million (+2.8%) for FY2026. The Senate-reported bill would continue the FY2025 level.

The AOC's budget also contains funds for LOC buildings and grounds. In FY2025, $64.98 million was provided. The FY2026 request contains $137.9 million (+112.2%), the House-reported bill would provide $76.8 million (+18.2%), and the Senate-reported bill would provide $53.1 million (-18.2%).

Administrative Provisions

The annual legislative branch appropriations bills regularly include a provision providing authority to obligate funds for reimbursable and revolving fund activities.

The Library's FY2026 budget request also includes provisions not included in the House- and Senate-reported bills related to

• establishing a signature public programs revolving fund;
• eliminating the distribution of hardcopy versions of the Constitution Annotated;²⁹
• facilitating the use of FEDLINK by Department of Defense staff;
• expanding the base for the Federal Research Program to include "tribal governments (as defined in 40 U.S.C. 502(c)(3)(B)), contractors or grantees performing federal projects on behalf of a Federal entity, state and local governments";
• providing for a permanent authorization for Library of Congress Sound Recording and Film Preservation Programs;
• providing additional authorities related to pay for senior-level Library personnel;
• providing transfer authority between the Library of Congress and the Architect of the Capitol;
• continuing fee-for-service programs during a lapse in appropriations; and
• establishing a legislative branch financial management system fund.

Government Publishing Office (GPO)³⁰

GPO's FY2025 enacted level was $131.99 million. The FY2026 request includes, and the House-reported bill would provide, $135.4 million (+2.6%). The Senate-reported bill would provide $132.0 million, roughly equivalent to the FY2025 level.

GPO's budget authority is provided in three accounts:

• 1. Congressional publishing—The FY2025 act provided $83.0 million, the same level continued in the GPO request and the House-reported bill. The Senate-reported bill would provide $80.0 million (-3.6%).
• 2. Public information programs of the Superintendent of Documents (salaries and expenses)—The FY2025 act provided $37.4 million. GPO requested, and the House-reported bill would provide, $42.9 million (+14.6%). The Senate-reported bill would provide $42.5 million (+13.6%).
• 3. GPO Business Operations Revolving Fund³¹—The FY2025 act provided $11.6 million. GPO requested, and the House-reported and Senate-reported FY2026 bills would provide, $9.5 million (-18.0%).

Government Accountability Office (GAO)

GAO responds to requests for studies of federal government programs and expenditures. GAO may also initiate its own work.³²

GAO's FY2025 enacted level was $811.9 million. In addition, GAO received $10.0 million "for audits and investigations related to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and other disasters declared pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) in calendar years 2023 and 2024" (Division B, Title IX of P.L. 118-158, which also provided continuing appropriations for FY2025 through March 14, 2025).

In comparison, levels considered for FY2026 include the following:

• Requested: $933.98 million (+15.0%)
• House-reported bill: $415.4 million (-48.8%)
• Senate-reported bill: $811.9 million (0.0%)

These levels do not include authority to use offsetting collections.³³

Administrative Provision

The House-reported bill contains a provision prohibiting funds provided to GAO from being used to bring a civil action "under section 1016 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 687) unless Congress has adopted a concurrent resolution authorizing the Comptroller General to bring such civil action."³⁴

The Senate-reported bill does not include this provision.

Congressional Office for International Leadership (COIL; Formerly Open World Leadership Center)

COIL requested $7.2 million, an increase of 20.0% from $6.0 million provided each year since FY2021.

The House-reported bill includes $6.3 million (+5.0%), and the Senate-reported bill would provide a continuation of the current funding level.

The office administers a program that supports democratic changes in other countries by inviting their leaders to observe democracy and free enterprise in the United States. Congress first authorized the program in 1999 to support the relationship between Russia and the United States.

Established at the LOC as the Center for Russian Leadership Development in 2000, the program encouraged young federal and local Russian leaders to visit the United States and observe its government and society.

The center was renamed the Open World Leadership Center in 2003, when the program was expanded to include specified additional countries.³⁵ In 2004, Congress further extended the program's eligibility to other countries designated by the center's board of trustees, subject to congressional consideration.³⁶ More recent appropriations documents have included language regarding countries or regions of focus and proposed expansion, including efforts in Ukraine.

The FY2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act changed the name from the Open World Leadership Center to the Congressional Office for International Leadership.

The office is housed in the LOC and receives services from the LOC through an interagency agreement.

A provision included in legislative branch appropriations acts since FY2016 states the following:

That funds made available to support Russian participants shall only be used for those engaging in free market development, humanitarian activities, and civic engagement, and shall not be used for officials of the central government of Russia.

The FY2026 House-reported bill does not include this language, but the Senate-reported bill includes the provision.

Prior to the name change in 2022, the location and future of the office; attempts to assess its effectiveness, countries of focus, and funding levels; and its inclusion in the legislative branch budget were discussed at appropriations hearings and in report language for many years.

John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Training and Development

The center was created by Congress in 1988 to encourage public service by congressional staff through training and development programs.³⁷

The $430,000 included in the FY2025 act, the FY2026 request, the House-reported bill, and the Senate-reported bill is approximately the same level provided annually since FY2006.

General Provisions

As in past years, Congress considered a number of general provisions related to the legislative branch. These provisions and their status are listed in Table 4.

Introduction to Summary Tables and Appendix

Table 5 through Table 9 provide information on funding levels for the legislative branch overall, the Senate, the House of Representatives, the USCP, and the AOC.

The tables are followed by an Appendix, which lists House, Senate, and conference bills and reports; public law numbers; and enactment dates since FY1998.

Appendix. Fiscal Year Information and Resources