What's in the funding bill that ended the government shutdown? The basics

After a 43-day government shutdown, Congress passed H.R. 5371 on November 12, 2025.

Officially the "Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026," this controversial, 394-page funding law has three distinct functions:

1: The "Minibus" (Full-Year Funding)

First, the bill enacts full-year appropriations for Fiscal Year 2026 (ending September 30, 2026) for three specific sectors of the federal government. For these agencies, the annual budget process is complete:

• Military Construction & Veterans Affairs (MilCon/VA): Funds military infrastructure and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
• Agriculture, Rural Development, & FDA: Funds the USDA, farm programs, and the Food and Drug Administration.
• Legislative Branch: Funds the House of Representatives, Senate, and support agencies like the Capitol Police.

2: The "CR" (Temporary Funding)

Second, for the remainder of the federal government—including the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and Health & Human Services—the legislation functions as a Continuing Resolution (CR). It maintains funding for these agencies at Fiscal Year 2025 levels only through January 30, 2026.

3: The "Extenders"

Finally, The package extends statutory authorities for critical programs that were set to expire. Key extensions include:

• 2018 Farm Bill: Agricultural programs are extended through September 30, 2026.
• Telehealth: Medicare telehealth flexibilities are extended through January 30, 2026.

Below is a breakdown of the bill's major components and where to find specific details.

US Budget 2026: SNAP benefits full text (H.R. 5371 Title IV)

Read the full statutory text of Title IV of H.R. 5371, securing permanent fiscal year 2026 funding for SNAP, WIC, and Child Nutrition Programs following the 2025 federal government shutdown.

California TodayMac Douglass | Editor

Quick-Look: Downloadable Agency Summaries

For a high-level overview of the full-year funding bills, use these official committee summaries.

• Military Construction & Veterans Affairs Summary (PDF)
  • Covers: VA health funding, military base projects, electronic health record (EHR) oversight.
• Agriculture, Rural Development, & FDA Summary (PDF)
  • Covers: Farm programs, WIC/SNAP, rural broadband, and FDA policy.
• Legislative Branch Summary (PDF)
  • Covers: Capitol Police funding, Congressional operations, and the Architect of the Capitol.

How to Find Information in the Full Bill (H.R. 5371)

The 394-page bill is organized into "Divisions." Here is your map to find what each Division does.

Division A (Pages 3-33): The Continuing Resolution (CR)

This division provides temporary, short-term funding for the majority of the federal government. It is not a full-year appropriations bill.

Sec. 101 (Page 3) is the key provision that formally extends funding at the same rates as the previous fiscal year (FY2025). This temporary funding is set to last through January 30, 2026 (see Sec. 106 Page 6).

This division applies to all agencies not given a full-year budget in Divisions B, C, or D. Refer to this section for any funding related to:

• Department of Defense (non-construction budget)
• Department of Homeland Security
• Department of Health and Human Services (except the FDA)
• Department of State
• All other cabinet-level departments

Division B (Pages 34-167): Agriculture, Rural Development, and FDA

This division contains the complete, full-year (FY2026) budget for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, all Rural Development programs, and the Food and Drug Administration.

The division is organized by title:

• Title I: Agricultural Programs (Page 34): Funds USDA's core operations, including research agencies, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and marketing programs.
• Title II: Farm Production & Conservation (Page 55): Provides funding for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
• Title III: Rural Development Programs (Page 65): Contains the budget for Rural Housing, Rural Broadband (including the ReConnect program), and rural utility services.
• Title IV: Domestic Food Programs (Page 91): Sets funding levels for major nutrition programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and Child Nutrition (school lunches).
• Title V: Foreign Assistance (Page 98): Funds international food aid programs like "Food for Peace."
• Title VI: FDA (Page 102): Provides the full-year appropriation for the Food and Drug Administration.
• Title VII: General Provisions (Page 109): This title contains key policy mandates and prohibitions.
  • Key Policy: Sec. 781 (Page 156) effectively closes loopholes for intoxicating hemp-derived products, such as Delta-8, by amending the definition of "hemp."
  • Key Policy: Sec. 739 (Page 134) addresses foreign ownership of agricultural land by adding the Secretary of Agriculture to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) for relevant transactions.

Division C (Pages 168-229): Legislative Branch

This division provides the full-year (FY2026) budget for the U.S. Congress and its supporting agencies.

• Title I: Legislative Branch (Page 168): Contains the specific appropriations for:
  • Senate (Page 168)
  • House of Representatives (Page 174)
  • Capitol Police (Page 188)
  • Architect of the Capitol (Page 192)
  • Library of Congress (Page 198)
  • Government Publishing Office (GPO) (Page 203)
  • Government Accountability Office (GAO) (Page 207)
• Title II: General Provisions (Page 210): Contains policy mandates for the Legislative Branch.
  • Key Policy: Sec. 208 (Page 213) prohibits the use of funds to acquire telecommunications or video surveillance equipment produced by specific companies, including Huawei, ZTE, and Hikvision.
  • Key Policy: Sec 210 (Page 214) blocks any cost-of-living adjustment for Members of Congress, effectively freezing their pay for the year.

Division D (Pages 229-316): Military Construction & Veterans Affairs

This division provides the complete, full-year (FY2026) budget for all military construction projects and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

• Title I: Department of Defense (Page 229): Funds all Military Construction (MilCon) projects for active duty and reserve components, military family housing, and base closure activities.
• Title II: Department of Veterans Affairs (Page 253): Contains the full-year budget for the entire VA.
  • Veterans Benefits Administration (Page 253): Funds Compensation & Pensions, Readjustment Benefits (like the GI Bill), and other benefits.
  • Veterans Health Administration (Page 257): Funds all VHA operations, including Medical Services, Medical Community Care, and research.
  • Veterans Electronic Health Record (Page 265): Sec. 266 places significant restrictions on the VA's electronic health record (EHR) modernization program. It withholds 25% of the program's funds until the VA provides an updated deployment plan and certifies the system is stable and effective at existing sites.
• Title III: Related Agencies (Page 308): Funds the American Battle Monuments Commission and Arlington National Cemetery.
• Title IV: General Provisions (Page 311): Contains key policy mandates.
  • Key Policy: Sec. 412 (Page 314) prohibits funds from being used to close the U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
  • Key Policy: Sec. 413 (Page 315) prohibits the VA from reporting a veteran to the NICS firearms background check database as "mentally defective" without an order from a judge.

Divisions E, F, G, & H (Pages 317-392): Program Extensions

These final divisions are short-term patches to extend the legal authority for major programs that were set to expire.

• Division E: Agriculture Extenders (Page 317)
  • Sec. 5002 extends the 2018 Farm Bill programs through September 30, 2026.
• Division F: Health Extenders (Page 324)
  • Sec. 6101 extends funding for Community Health Centers and the National Health Service Corps through January 30, 2026.
  • Sec. 6208 extends Medicare telehealth flexibilities—including allowing audio-only visits and allowing the patient's home to be an "originating site"—through January 30, 2026.
• Division G: VA Extenders (Page 376)
  • Extends various VA authorities, including grants for homeless veterans (Sec. 7304) and adaptive housing programs (Sec. 7306), through September 30, 2026.
• Division H: Miscellaneous (Page 390)
  • Contains technical budgetary rules, including Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) provisions.

Quick Topic Finder: Where Do I Look For...

• Telehealth Rules?
  • Division F, Sec. 6208 (Page 332)
• Hemp / Delta-8 / CBD?
  • Division B, Sec. 781 (Page 156)
• VA Electronic Health Record (EHR) / Oracle-Cerner?
  • Division D, Sec. 266 (Page 265)
• SNAP or WIC Funding?
  • Division B, Title IV (Page 91)
• The 2018 Farm Bill Extension?
  • Division E, Sec. 5002 (Page 317)
• Capitol Police Funding?
  • Division C, Title I (Page 188)
• Rules on Foreign (Chinese) Technology?
  • Division C, Sec. 208 (Page 213)
• Funding for Rural Broadband?
  • Division B, Title III (Page 65, under Rural Utilities Service)
• Prohibition on Closing Guantanamo Bay?
  • Division D, Sec. 412 (Page 314)
• VA and the NICS Database (2nd Amendment)?
  • Division D, Sec. 413 (Page 315)
• Funding for the rest of the government (Defense, DHS, etc.)?
  • Division A (Page 3) - Note: This is only temporary funding until Jan. 30, 2026.

Looking Ahead

The passage of H.R. 5371 resolved the 43-day government shutdown by finalizing the annual budgets for military construction, veterans' affairs, agriculture, and the legislative branch. This "minibus" component provides funding certainty for those key sectors through the rest of the fiscal year.

However, for all other federal agencies, the bill is only a temporary patch. It establishes a new January 30, 2026, deadline, at which point the government will face another shutdown risk unless the remaining nine appropriations bills—including those for Defense, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services—are passed.

Downloadable PDFs for H.R. 5371 and Each Section Summary