GOP braces for high-stakes 2027 spending fight with midterms looming

The hard-fought clash over 2026 appropriations may have just ended, but House GOP leaders aren’t getting any respite as they plunge into the battle over spending for fiscal 2027 — the last major legislative fight expected before November’s elections. 

After a bruising 2026 appropriations cycle that pushed Congress to two lengthy government shutdowns, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) now faces an even steeper challenge as lawmakers navigate a high-stakes midterm election year, when the House is up for grabs and divisions over spending bills are expected to become even more politically fraught.

House GOP leaders must pass 12 appropriations bills by the end of September, on top of what will likely be a packed agenda for Republicans as they seek to adopt two reconciliation bills, finalize a farm bill, renew the government’s foreign spying powers and move a slate of other priorities tied to President Trump’s agenda. 

In recent years, appropriators in both parties have blown past that deadline, forcing Congress to adopt a short-term spending patch, known as a continuing resolution (CR), to prevent a government shutdown on Oct. 1. And with the midterms looming so closely, it’s widely expected that GOP leaders — who are scrambling to prevent Democrats from flipping control of both chambers — will have to lean on that tactic once again. 

Still, the House Appropriations Committee is charging ahead on individual 2027 spending bills with the Sept. 30 deadline in its sight. In recent weeks, the panel has advanced legislation to fund the financial services agencies, the Department of State, the Food and Drug Administration and agriculture programs. In a sign of challenges to........

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