House and Senate appropriators are working together to fund the Interior Department and EPA, but a senior senator is threatening to thwart the spending bill’s progress at a critical time.
The Senate’s fiscal 2026 Interior-Environment legislation is one of several appropriations bills that Senate leaders are hoping to pass on the floor in the coming weeks. The House could similarly vote on its own Interior-Environment bill when Congress returns from its Thanksgiving recess.
“I’m really encouraged by our bill because I think that the House and the Senate, when you look at our numbers, when you look at some of our priorities, we’re pretty close on many things,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), chair of the Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee.
She added, “I’m confident that we can close whatever gaps we have.”
