Senate funding talks have reached an impasse as the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee say they cannot agree on a top-line spending figure for fiscal 2027. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said Wednesday that the committee has canceled meetings to advance spending bills for the second consecutive week, with both sides blaming the other for the deadlock.
The dispute centers on how much to allocate to defense versus domestic programs. Republicans are pushing to move bills without a finalized top-line number, while Democrats insist they need clarity on total funding levels before advancing legislation. The standoff comes as midterm elections approach, intensifying pressure on members of both parties.
What the Right Is Saying
Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) said Democrats are not prepared to vote for bills they helped craft. "It's difficult to get people to work with each other right now," Boozman told The Hill. "I don't think that any of the Democrats are prepared to vote for the bills even though they helped craft them."
Collins told reporters she has sent Murray three top-line offers and said Murray is not providing "realistic counters." She disputed Murray's claim that recent Democratic offers went unanswered.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) expressed hope that committee members could settle differences internally, as they did last year. "What we would like is if we can, like we did last year, settle our differences in committee to come out with a united front, because it's hard enough to pass them on the floor anyway," Capito said.
What the Left Is Saying
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) told reporters that Republican top-line offers she had seen were "lopsided" because they allotted significantly more funding for defense than nondefense programs. "When you do bipartisan bills, as I know well, which I have done for my entire career here ... you work towards an agreement," Murray said.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) expressed frustration that Democrats lack clarity on how much money the administration needs for defense amid tensions with Iran. "That's like pulling teeth, to get updates, but that doesn't help when there's also a disagreement over the prioritization of defense and domestic," Coons said. He argued that moving forward without agreement on priorities like roads, bridges, schools, healthcare, and scientific research makes no sense.
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said he is "the hardest of no's" on current proposals. "When you go to the general public, they will be super alarmed that we're going to not authorize this war, not even have a core debate about this war, and then fund it," Schatz said.
What the Numbers Show
The Senate Appropriations Committee has canceled spending bill meetings for two consecutive weeks. Fiscal 2026 funding, which began October 1, was not completed until well into spring, following two record-breaking government shutdowns. The current fiscal 2027 negotiations are now facing similar delays with no top-line agreement in place.
Senate and House margins remain thin for both parties heading into midterm elections, reducing appetite for bipartisan compromise on spending issues that have historically divided along party lines.
The Bottom Line
The Senate faces the same long-standing partisan divide over defense versus domestic spending that has complicated appropriations processes in recent years. Without a top-line agreement between Collins and Murray, committee work cannot advance to the full Senate floor. With midterm elections approaching, members face competing pressures to avoid both a government shutdown and appearing weak on national defense or domestic priorities.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) warned that Congress is likely to run out of time again. "That's not healthy for the American public in general," he said, noting the likelihood of continuing resolutions rather than completed appropriations bills by fiscal year deadlines.