House Approves, President Signs Appropriations Package | Scenic Byways, America 250 and Regional Commissions Funding
Good Reads: National Heritage Areas Annual Report, Heart & Soul | Bird Watching as Sustainable Tourism
Today, on a very narrow vote, the House approved the amended Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 H.R. 7148, which funds the remaining five appropriations bills and extends the Homeland Security appropriations bill for an additional two weeks. President Trump signed the bill last this afternoon, ending a brief partial government shutdown.
The five fully approved bills are: Defense, Labor-HHS-Education, Transportation-House-Urban Development (THUD), Financial Services, and National Security. This appropriations package include provisions important to tourism communities, including:
Under THUD, $10 million for the National Scenic Byways Program
Under Labor-HHS-Education, $291.8 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), including funds to support the 250th Anniversary of the United States in coordination with the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission.
Also a belated update, the Energy-Water Development appropriations bill, which was approved as part of the minibus appropriations package, included funding for the regional commissions that are key partners for many tourism offices. The Trump Administration has proposed cutting funding for the Appalachian Regional Commission by 93% and eliminating funding for all other regional commissions. The final bill essentially restored funding to the commissions at their FY25 levels, including:
Appalachian Regional Commission at $200 million
Delta Regional Commission at $32 million
Southeaster Crescent Regional Commission at $20 million
Denali Commission at $18
Overall, the programs tourism priorities did well in the FY26 appropriations but we should expect to have some big fights over the funding and staffing our key federal partners in the year ahead.
Good Reads
This week the Alliance of National Heritage Areas is in DC for their legislative conference. As part of the program, they are distributing their annual report, Heart & Soul, on Capitol Hill. I love this report because they pick a theme — this year’s is American Trailblazers — and they have their members submit brief articles on their work in that area, which is a great way to tell the story of a broad and diverse network.
Travel And Tour World: Explore Oakland County: A Hidden Gem for Birdwatching And Sustainable Tourism