The House of Representatives this week passed a package of appropriations bills that now head to the Senate ahead of the Jan. 30 deadline for avoiding a government funding lapse.
With passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, Congress has advanced all 12 appropriations measures for Fiscal Year 2026, including Defense; Labor, Health and Human Services; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. The Senate is expected to vote in the coming week.
Under the House package, the Department of Transportation would receive $108 billion in total budgetary spending, marking an increase of $1.6 billion over fiscal 2025. The Federal Highway Administration would receive $64.3 billion in total budgetary resources, a $1.9 billion increase.
NATSO continues to review the 950-page package advanced by the House and will provide more detailed policy analysis in coming days.
Absent from the package is language that would allow for the year-round sale of E15. Stakeholders had expected the appropriations package would allow the year-round sale of gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol, remove Midwest Reid Vapor Pressure opt-outs, update the definition of a small refiner and address labeling and infrastructure compatibility language under an agreement reached by Congressional Leadership.
Several Midwestern House members subsequently voiced opposition to the government funding package, noting that their overall support was contingent on inclusion of the E15 provisions.
House Speaker Mike Johnson ultimately garnered their support for the must-pass legislation by establishing a Rural Domestic Energy Council to work on E15. The council is expected to develop a proposal by mid-February, with a guaranteed vote on what the council agrees to by the end of February.
U.S. representatives Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa) and Stephanie Bice (R-Oklahoma) will lead the group, and House speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) will select other members.
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