Congress funds government through 2025 but cuts Medicaid, zeroes EPA programs

What it does

This is a full-year continuing appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that funds federal agencies at levels set in fiscal year 2024, with specific adjustments to certain accounts. It appropriates money for defense, agriculture, commerce, homeland security, energy, and dozens of other agencies through September 30, 2025, and includes technical amendments to prior law. The bill was signed into law and funds ordinary government operations.

Why we flagged it

The bill is a standard continuing resolution that funds agencies at FY2024 levels but includes numerous line-item adjustments—some increases (defense, broadband), some cuts (Medicaid, EPA, Interior)—making it a mixed appropriations instrument rather than a simple extension.

What the text implies

• Medicaid advance payments for Q1 FY2026 reduced from $4.3B to $160M, potentially affecting state Medicaid cash flow and beneficiary access in early 2026.
• Multiple EPA and Interior provisions zeroed out or eliminated (sections 446–448, 7074–7075), suggesting environmental enforcement or conservation programs were defunded.
• Defense transfer authority increased from $6B to $8B (section 1412), giving DoD greater flexibility to reprogram funds between accounts without congressional notification.
• Section 1111 voids all congressional earmarks and community project funding for FY2025, centralizing spending discretion in agency hands rather than preserving district-level priorities.
• Bill text truncated at 50,000 characters; full scope of provisions in Titles VIII–XII (if present) unknown, limiting confidence in complete civic assessment.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill funds essential government services (defense, disaster relief, food safety, veterans health, etc.) that benefit the public, but the text is truncated mid-bill, preventing full assessment of all provisions. The visible portions show routine appropriations with some reductions (e.g., Medicaid advance payments cut from $4.3B to $160M, some EPA and Interior programs zeroed out) and some increases (e.g., broadband rural programs, defense shipbuilding), creating genuine trade-offs.

Who stands to gain

• Department of Defense (increased transfer authority, shipbuilding programs)
• Rural broadband and telemedicine providers (USDA Rural Utilities Service grants)
• Defense contractors (shipbuilding, aircraft procurement, weapons systems)
• Federal disaster relief recipients (FEMA Disaster Relief Fund at $22.5B)

Named in the bill

Department of Defense, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, General Services Administration, Social Security Administration, Veterans Health Administration — and 1 more

Where it stands

• Mar 10, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Mar 10, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on the Budget and House Committee on Appropriations · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Appropriations, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to…”
• Mar 11, 2025 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 217 - 213 (Roll no. 70).”
• Mar 14, 2025 — Passed both chambers · Congress.gov: “Passed Senate without amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 54 - 46. Record Vote Number: 133”
• Mar 14, 2025 — Sent to president · Congress.gov: “Presented to President”
• Mar 15, 2025 — Signed into law · Congress.gov: “Became Public Law No: 119-4”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

102 lobbying clients named this bill on 139 disclosure filings across 6 quarters, Mar 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $34,855,343 in lobbying spend. A filing names 10 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 99% of bills with at least one filing.

Tom Cole, the sponsor, reported $1,675,258 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle. $6,500 of that came from 3 PACs tied to these lobbying clients.

• American Medical Association — $5,643,000 on 2 filings
• Air Transport Association of America, Inc. (d/b/a Airlines for America) — $2,301,100 on 2 filings
• Croplife America — $2,212,242 on 3 filings
• Friends Committee on National Legislation — $2,000,000 on 2 filings
• American Association of Airport Executives — $1,172,100 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 22, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.