WASHINGTON — As the U.S. House takes up a spending package to end the partial shutdown Tuesday, Alabama lawmakers secured more than $200 million in earmarks in the measure.
But the earmarks, called congressionally directed spending, in the Department of Homeland Security bill are frozen. The two-week funding patch for DHS does not include earmarks, which means more than $18 million for Alabama projects in that bill are on hold.
The five other spending bills that the House will vote on Tuesday include funding for bridge improvements, university programming and surgical robots across Alabama. The earmarks for the state total more than $205 million in the five-bill fiscal year 2026 package.
The Boll Weevil Circle project in Enterprise will receive the most money at about $15.7 million. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., an appropriator, secured that funding. In the package, Britt secured more than $111.3 million for projects across the state.
“The passage of this package of bills will invest in critical medical and research equipment, fund transportation and infrastructure projects across the state, strengthen military readiness, increase our servicemembers’ pay, and modernize our defense industrial base,” Britt said in a statement.
Appropriations cardinal Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, secured the second largest project for Alabama as part of the legislation. It provides $13.5 million to replace the St. Bernard bridge in Cullman. Aderholt secured more than $44 million.
“I’m proud of the key investments made possible through the appropriations process, these investments strengthen our rural communities and improve the quality of life for Alabama’s Fourth Congressional District,” Aderholt said.
The package will fund multiple agencies, including the departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services and Education. It also includes funding for the Department of Defense.
More than $32 million will go toward airports in Alabama, including $8.5 million for terminal improvements at Tuscaloosa National Airport and $4 million for an aircraft ramp and apron project at Bessemer Airport.
Earmarks for Alabama road improvements and bridge replacements total more than $76 million, including $5.5 million for additional lanes on Capshaw Road in north Alabama and $4 million to extend Deerfoot Parkway in Jefferson County.
“As more families and businesses choose to call north Alabama home, the need for strategic infrastructure improvements has never been greater,” Rep. Dale Strong, R-Huntsville, said in a statement. “I know firsthand the traffic challenges and need for safer, more efficient roads.”
The package will also provide $10 million to the University of Alabama in Huntsville for AI research infrastructure, $6.3 million for a regional fire, EMS and police substation in Gadsden and about $5.3 million for Tuskegee University’s aerospace and aero technology program.
The House is set to vote on the five-bill package and two-week continuing resolution for DHS on Tuesday after the Senate approved the legislation late Friday. A partial shutdown started Saturday and will end once the House passes the bills.
Lawmakers will then turn their focus to negotiating the Homeland Security bill, which is expected to be contentious, in the wake of the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Finding a way to fund DHS through September will be tricky as Republicans and Democrats diverge on reforming Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Until Congress reaches a deal to fully fund DHS, Alabama’s earmarks in that bill (listed below) will be on hold. The projects total more than $18.5 million.