As the federal budget process stalls, uncertainty continues to ripple through Washington. ASTHO’s Senior Director of Government Affairs, Jeffrey Ekoma, joins us to break down the latest on the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown, which is the longest on record, and what it means for the broader FY26 budget timeline. He’ll unpack how congressional gridlock is delaying progress on FY27 appropriations, what to expect from the president’s upcoming budget request, and why growing talk of a reconciliation bill could have major implications for public health funding. While current delays may not directly hit public health programs, the indirect effects could shape funding priorities and advocacy efforts in the months ahead.
As the federal budget process stalls, uncertainty continues to ripple through Washington. ASTHO’s Senior Director of Government Affairs, Jeffrey Ekoma, joins us to break down the latest on the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown, which is the longest on record, and what it means for the broader FY26 budget timeline. He’ll unpack how congressional gridlock is delaying progress on FY27 appropriations, what to expect from the president’s upcoming budget request, and why growing talk of a reconciliation bill could have major implications for public health funding. While current delays may not directly hit public health programs, the indirect effects could shape funding priorities and advocacy efforts in the months ahead.
JOHN SHEEHAN:
This is Public Health Review Morning Edition for Friday, April 3rd, 2026. I'm John Sheehan with news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
On today's View from Washington, D.C., budget gridlock, a shutdown over DHS funding, and what it all
means for public health. ASTHO's Senior Director of Government Affairs, Jeffrey Ekoma, joins us to discuss what's happening as the federal budget process stalls and uncertainty continues to ripple through Washington. The ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown is the longest on record and has implications for the broader FY26 budget timeline.
Jeffrey Ekoma, welcome back to the show.
JEFFREY EKOMA:
Glad to be back. Thank you.
SHEEHAN:
So, Jeffrey, fiscal year 2026 is up in September. What's going on with the budget process as you see it?
EKOMA:
There's been a lot of activity in this space. Now, I may sound like a broken record, but FY26 has not been resolved. The Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, is still shut down, and the shutdown is currently the longest on record. Congress is currently on a two-week recess that began earlier this week, and prior to going on recess, the Senate and the House were unable to come to an agreement on a bill to end the DHS shutdown. The House passed a bill that would extend all DHS funding through May 22, and the Senate passed a bill that would fund most of DHS, excluding immigration enforcement activities, through the rest of the fiscal year. There was no conference on either of the bills before both sides went on recess. Now, there are lots of competing perspectives on how to resolve the situation, and it doesn't seem like we'll have a resolution until Congress returns to Capitol Hill in the next week.
SHEEHAN:
Yeah, no matter what, we're going to be waiting. So, how are all the delays and the uncertainty and just the sort of chaos of the governmental budget process, how's that all playing out for public health programs on the ground?
EKOMA:
Yeah. Now, while the delays related to DHS do not directly impact funding for governmental public health programs, they do indirectly impact activities related to advocacy for FY27 funding. For example, Congress is somewhat at a standstill until they address DHS funding, and while there has been movement on FY27 appropriations, more so in the House than the Senate, this issue is at the top of their priority list until it's been addressed.
SHEEHAN:
Right, nothing's going to happen until they fix up the DHS funding.
EKOMA:
Correct.
SHEEHAN:
So, you also have mentioned the President's FY27 budget request. What's the latest on that, and are we getting any idea of where it's going?
EKOMA:
Now, it's been a moving target, but I think we got a date. The President's budget is expected to be released on April 3. We expect it to include high-level funding numbers for agencies across the federal government. With more details to follow in the following weeks, we will be releasing a legislative alert in the coming days, summarizing what's actually in the budget.
SHEEHAN:
Okay, looking for that today. And there's been rumblings of a reconciliation process. Can you talk us through what that means and what the likelihood is?
EKOMA:
Yeah, there's been a slow build around discussions in Congress of possibly drafting another reconciliation bill. And if you remember, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was a reconciliation bill. Several members in the House are publicly expressing their interest and their wish list of what potentially could be included in that bill. There have also been discussions around including outstanding items that are not included in a DHS funding bill, hopefully when that gets resolved, and a reconciliation bill as well. Similarly, some members have also sought to use the reconciliation to address a need for supplemental funding for activities in the Middle East, and tariffs, to name a few. So, there's still lots of more discussions that we expect to happen in the coming weeks.
SHEEHAN:
And what could reconciliation mean for public health funding?
EKOMA:
Yeah, reconciliation brings forth an interest from some members of Congress who want to ensure that any new spending, as part of the bill, is offset with cuts to spending. While there are no clear indications that cuts to public health funding will be pursued, it's something that we're paying very, very close attention to.
SHEEHAN:
Yeah, whenever you hear paid for with more cuts, that's a scary sound.
EKOMA:
Especially for health and public health, considering that a lot of the cuts that were a part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act did impact health and public health.
SHEEHAN:
Well, Jeffrey Ekoma, thanks again. We'll check in with you soon.
EKOMA:
Appreciate it and have a great weekend.
SHEEHAN:
Jeffrey Ekoma is ASTHO's senior director of government affairs.
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Congratulations to ASTHO member Ayanna Bennett, who has been appointed as a member-at-large for the 2026-27 Big Cities Health Coalition Board of Directors. This year's board of directors collectively brings leadership experience for more than 10 big city health departments serving more than 21 million people.
This has been Public Health Review Morning Edition. I'm John Sheehan for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
