Senate Passes FY2026 Five-Bill Minibus 71-29 with Bipartisan Majority

The Senate passed the five-bill FY2026 appropriations package, including the Labor-HHS bill, on a 71-29 vote. Forty-two Republicans joined all 29 Democrats to clear the 60-vote procedural threshold. Senate Appropriations Committee chair Susan Collins (R-ME) and ranking member Patty Murray (D-WA) managed the package. The Senate version included Section 238, requiring HHS to give Congress 60 days' notice and post reorganization plans publicly before implementing any major structural changes. Because the Senate made amendments to the package, the House needed to vote again, triggering a brief partial government shutdown from Jan. 31 to Feb. 3.