Senators began their scheduled end-of-year recess Thursday night without advancing a five-bill spending package, in part because of a last-minute Democratic demand for climate research funding.
Appropriators appeared to be nearing a bipartisan deal that would have allowed for a procedural vote on the spending minibus — a key step in the fiscal 2026 funding process. The eleventh-hour objection from Colorado’s two senators means the upper chamber will punt the rest of its appropriations work to January.
Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper placed holds on the package, demanding that the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder receive “full funding.” The Trump administration announced this week that it is “breaking up” the lab, prompting criticism from scientists and environmental groups.
In a joint statement, Bennet and Hickenlooper said the administration’s “reckless decision to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research will have lasting, devastating impacts across the country.”
