U.S. Representative Rob Bresnahan, Jr. (PA-08) voted in favor of two major appropriations bills on January 22, 2026: H.R. 7147, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, and H.R. 7148, the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2026. The Department of Homeland Security bill passed by a vote of 220-207, while the consolidated act passed with a vote of 341-88.
“At the heart of today’s legislation are the people that keep our country and communities moving,” said Rep. Bresnahan.“Whether it is increased funding to hire 2,500 new air traffic controllers, pay raises for our servicemen and women, financial support for FEMA and disaster relief, funding for maternal, child, rural, and mental health initiatives, or support for Job Corps and other apprenticeship programs, these investments are going directly to the people. I will always support legislation that puts our people and district first.”
Bresnahan announced he secured $11.4 million in federal funds for five projects across Northeastern Pennsylvania. The projects include $3 million for Wayne & Pike County Career and Technical Center; $2.43 million for Monroe County Goose Pond Dam Project; $2 million for SR 6 Over Wallenpaupack Creek Bridge; $1.5 million for Veterans Permanent Supportive Housing; and $2.5 million for Route 309/Mundy Street Crossroads Improvement Project.
“Community Project Funding is about making sure our tax dollars come back home to Northeastern Pennsylvania,” continued Rep. Bresnahan.“These investments support real, locally driven projects, from infrastructure and housing to workforce development, that our communities have identified as priorities. I’m proud to deliver funding that strengthens our region, creates jobs, and improves quality of life right here in NEPA.”
The Defense Appropriations Act includes provisions such as a 3.8% pay raise for service members and a 1% increase for civilian employees at the Department of Defense. It allocates $1.1 billion toward counter-drug programs and provides $6.4 billion to procure critical munitions.
For homeland security efforts in fiscal year 2026, Congress approved funding to sustain over 22,000 Border Patrol agents with an allocation of $513 million and increased Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) resources by nearly $4.7 billion compared to fiscal year 2025 levels—bringing total FEMA funding to $32 billion—to improve preparedness nationwide.
Disaster relief received an allocation of more than $26 billion to aid response after major emergencies or disasters across the country while local emergency responders—including firefighters—will benefit from over $3 billion set aside through grants as well as education initiatives.
The Labor-HHS-Education appropriations section supports implementation of Executive Order 14278 focused on preparing Americans for skilled trade jobs by providing hundreds of millions in job training funds throughout rural America along with targeted investments into rural hospitals facing closure risks.
Other notable allocations include maintaining almost $2 billion in community health center funding; more than a billion dollars directed toward maternal/child health services; a significant boost in biomedical research via National Institutes of Health; additional energy assistance funds; expanded Head Start program resources; plus increased Social Security Administration frontline service capacity.
Transportation-related appropriations saw an increase exceeding one-and-a-half-billion dollars earmarked specifically toward FAA operations—including hiring new air traffic controllers—and substantial investments into both highway ($64+ billion) and airport infrastructure ($4+ billion). Community development block grants received more than three billion dollars while transit programs within highway trust funds were also funded at multi-billion-dollar levels.
