NACo launches FY 2027 Appropriations Tracker as Congress kicks off the next budget cycle

Key Takeaways

Each year, Congress is responsible for passing twelve annual appropriations bills that fund the discretionary side of the federal government — the programs counties rely on every day to deliver public health, public safety, transportation, housing, emergency management, elections, rural development and public lands services to our residents. Discretionary spending is the portion of the federal budget that Congress sets through the annual appropriations process, in contrast to mandatory spending, such as Social Security, Medicare and most of Medicaid, which is governed by standing law and not revisited each year but instead through the reauthorization of standing law. The new fiscal year begins October 1, 2026, giving Congress a defined window to advance FY 2027 funding before current appropriations expire.

To help county leaders navigate that process, NACo has launched the FY 2027 Appropriations Tracker as a centralized resource that follows each of the twelve spending bills from introduction through enactment and highlights what each one means for counties.

Ahead of the cycle, on April 27, NACo sent a letter to the leaders of the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations Committees urging lawmakers to adequately fund key federal programs counties rely on in FY 2027, including Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT), Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership Program, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund, transportation and water infrastructure, behavioral health and human services programs, rural development and broadband, election administration and cybersecurity.

See NACo’s Letter 

A quick refresher on the appropriations process

The annual appropriations cycle starts when the President submits a budget request to Congress, outlining the administration’s spending priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. Both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees then divide that work among twelve subcommittees, each responsible for a different slice of the federal budget — from Agriculture-Food and Drug Administration to Defense to Transportation-Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Each subcommittee holds hearings to review the President’s request and gather input from federal agency leaders, then drafts its bill, marks it up at the subcommittee and full committee levels, and sends it to the floor. After both chambers act, the House and Senate must reconcile their versions before sending a final bill to the President. All twelve bills are supposed to be enacted before the start of the new fiscal year on October 1.

Why this matters for counties

Counties are key intergovernmental partners in delivering federally funded programs and services to local residents. Decisions made through the FY 2027 appropriations process will directly shape funding levels for PILT, Community Development Block Grants, rural development and broadband programs, FEMA disaster assistance, transportation and infrastructure formula funding, behavioral health programs and many other county priorities.

NACo will continue engaging with lawmakers and the administration throughout the FY 2027 cycle to ensure county priorities are reflected in final spending decisions.

Visit the NACo FY 2027 Appropriations Tracker 

• Pro Tip: Bookmark or favorite the tracker in your browser. We update it as each of the twelve FY 2027 bills advances, so a quick check-in keeps you current on county funding priorities without hunting for the latest version.