Congressional appropriations were getting restless Thursday as the White House continued to delay the release of its fiscal 2026 budget request. But an incoming spending proposal Friday could allow them to finally begin their funding talks in earnest.
The Office of Management and Budget is likely to release a “skinny” budget as soon as Friday that will lay out the administration’s broad targets for next year’s spending levels. It would precede a more robust budget request in the coming weeks.
Lawmakers expect the final funding request to be unprecedented in nature, infused with recommended cuts from the so-called Department of Government Efficiency and potentially proposing reorganizations that could have sweeping implications for federal agencies and Democratic-aligned priorities.
Still, the arrival of the streamlined budget could ease some of the tension among House and Senate spending leaders on both sides of the aisle, who were visibly frustrated Thursday amid what they said was a lack of communication from the White House.
