On Friday, May 30, the Trump administration released the Technical Supplement to the 2026 Budget (“Appendix”). The appendix follows the May 2 release of the president’s recommendations on discretionary funding levels for fiscal year (FY) 2026 (“Skinny Budget”). As outlined in the Skinny Budget, the proposed budget (“Budget”) detailed in the Appendix would reduce nondefense base discretionary funding by $163 billion to $1.45 trillion, a 22.6% decrease from enacted FY2025 levels, and increase defense spending by $119.3 billion to $1.01 trillion, a 13% increase.
The Appendix expands on the Skinny Budget by providing detailed Budget estimates for each Cabinet agency and other agencies funded through the federal appropriations process. For large agencies, information is generally broken down by major subagencies or bureaus or by major program area. For each of these groups, the Appendix includes suggested legislative language, information on obligations and other relevant budgetary figures, and a narrative explanation for appropriations levels, among other elements. In combination with the individual explanatory materials released by each agency, this provides a more fulsome explanation of the topline spending levels proposed by the administration, in addition to outlining key policy changes the administration plans to pursue.
Additional Budget materials, including analytical perspectives and historical tables, are expected to be released at a later date. The General Explanations of the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2025 Revenue Proposals (“Green Book”) are also often accompanied by the presidential budget requests, though the first Trump administration did not release them.
While the president’s Budget is nonbinding, it is an important messaging tool for the administration as appropriators draft FY26 funding bills.
The table below reflects the discretionary funding levels for Cabinet agencies. Total funding amounts for each agency account may differ slightly in the linked agency materials.
Note: figures are in billions, and agency-specific budget materials are linked where available.
Outlook
The appropriations process has taken a backseat to Budget reconciliation in recent weeks, but House and Senate appropriators have received testimony on the Skinny Budget from several agency officials. Hearings will continue next week as House Appropriations subcommittees mark up the first two FY 2026 bills: (1) Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, and (2) Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies.
Appropriations bills must originate in the House, and the Appropriations Committee has already scheduled all subcommittee and full committee markups through the last week of July. The Senate has yet to release a markup schedule, but Budget hearings will continue in the coming weeks. Current government funding expires on Sept. 30, giving lawmakers roughly four months to approve all 12 appropriations bills. Given the other legislative items expected to consume lawmakers’ attention and floor time, another continuing resolution (CR) will likely be necessary.
THIS DOCUMENT IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE YOU WITH GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE BUDGET OUTLINE RELEASED BY THE TRUMP ADMNISTRATION. THE CONTENTS OF THIS DOCUMENT ARE NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE SPECIFIC LEGAL ADVICE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CONTENTS OF THIS DOCUMENT OR IF YOU NEED LEGAL ADVICE AS TO AN ISSUE, PLEASE CONTACT THE ATTORNEYS LISTED OR YOUR REGULAR BROWNSTEIN HYATT FARBER SCHRECK, LLP ATTORNEY. THIS COMMUNICATION MAY BE CONSIDERED ADVERTISING IN SOME JURISDICTIONS.