Funding Bill

• Überparteiliche Maßnahme enthält Mittel für Secret Service und TSA, schließt jedoch Operationen zur Durchsetzung der Einwanderungsbestimmungen aus • Teilweiser Government Shutdown endet, nachdem der Kongress für die Finanzierung des DHS gestimmt hat • Das US-Repräsentantenhaus hat dafür gestimmt, große Teile des Department of Homeland Security zu finanzieren – mit Ausnahme von Operationen zur Durchsetzung der Einwanderungsbestimmungen – und den längsten Shutdown einer Regierungsbehörde in der Geschichte zu beenden.

• Das US-Repräsentantenhaus verabschiedete am 29. April 2026 eine vom Senat genehmigte Haushaltsresolution, die Finanzmittel in Milliardenhöhe für Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) und Customs and Border Protection (CBP) freigibt. • Die Republikaner nutzten ein Verfahren zur Umgehung des Filibusters, um den Entwurf voranzutreiben, was von Demokraten wie der Kongressabgeordneten Doris Matsui kritisiert wurde, da dies die Durchsetzung gegenüber anderen Bedürfnissen prioritär behandle. • Dieser Schritt unterstützt die Einwanderungspolitik der Trump-Administration inmitten laufender Debatten über die Grenzsicherheit und des Drucks durch die Zwischenwahlen.

• Anthropic announced a $4 billion Series E funding round on April 25, 2026, with lead investments from Amazon and Google, valuing the AI safety firm at $61.5 billion post-money. • The capital will accelerate development of Claude 4 models and expand enterprise AI infrastructure across US data centers in California and Virginia. • This funding underscores intensifying competition in AI amid regulatory scrutiny, positioning Anthropic as a key challenger to OpenAI's dominance.

• Perplexity AI announced a Series D funding round of $500 million at an $8.5 billion post-money valuation on April 19, led by prominent venture capital firms and strategic investors including Nvidia and Saudi PIF. • The funding will support expansion of Perplexity's AI search engine capabilities, development of enterprise API offerings, and geographic expansion into European and Asian markets with localized language models. • The round positions Perplexity as a serious challenger to Google Search and reflects growing investor confidence in AI-powered search alternatives and conversational information retrieval platforms.

• Databricks announced a Series H funding round of $10 billion at a $43 billion valuation on April 18, led by existing investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital, to accelerate development of its AI and data platform. • The funding will support expansion of Databricks' lakehouse architecture, which integrates data warehousing and data lakes, and fund aggressive hiring in engineering and sales across North America. • The round positions Databricks as one of the fastest-growing enterprise software companies and signals strong investor confidence in the competitive data infrastructure market dominated by Snowflake and others.

• Anthropic secured $8 billion in its Series E funding round on April 9, 2026, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners with participation from US-based investors including Amazon and Google. • The funds will accelerate development of Claude 4 AI models and expand enterprise AI infrastructure in US data centers. • This round values Anthropic at $61.5 billion post-money, solidifying its position as a leading US AI challenger to OpenAI amid intensifying competition.

• Scale AI raised $1 billion on April 9, 2026, at $2.5 billion valuation from Accel and Founders Fund for US data labeling expansion. • Funding supports hiring 1,000 engineers in San Francisco to improve RLHF datasets for models like Llama 4. • Positions Scale as critical US AI infrastructure player, with CEO Alexandr Wang noting 'data is the new oil.'

• Shield AI, a U.S.-based developer of autonomous pilot platforms, secured $1.5 billion in Series G funding as part of a $2.25 billion capital package on April 4, 2026. • The round values the company at $12.7 billion, a 140% increase in one year, with its Hivemind platform selected by the U.S. military for defense applications. • This funding underscores surging investor confidence in AI-driven defense tech amid rising geopolitical tensions.

• Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act has darkened the outlook for approximately 17,000 federally-funded health clinics across the United States, which collectively stand to lose $32 billion in government support. • The policy represents a significant threat to community health infrastructure that serves vulnerable populations, though specific implementation details and timeline remain under review. • Federal health clinics provide essential services including primary care, preventive services, and treatment for underinsured and uninsured Americans in underserved communities.

• The Senate voted early Friday morning to approve a Department of Homeland Security funding bill that excludes funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and portions of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), ending weeks of stalled negotiations. • Republicans indicated they plan to fund immigration enforcement agencies through a separate reconciliation bill in fiscal 2027, bypassing the normal appropriations process and relying solely on GOP votes. • The Senate-passed measure faces significant obstacles in the House, where hardline conservatives have already signaled opposition, threatening to extend the DHS shutdown beyond its current five-week duration.

Bill passes by 213 to 203 votes in move prolonging weeks-long budget standoff that has disrupted travelUS House Republicans rejected a bipartisan Senate deal to temporarily fund the Department of Homeland Security and instead passed their own funding measure late Friday, extending a weeks-long budget standoff that has disrupted travel.The stopgap bill, which proposes funding the DHS in full for eight weeks, passed by 213 to 203 votes after Republicans in the lower chamber refused to take up a Senate-passed deal that excluded money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol. Continue reading...

• Shield AI, a San Diego-based defense tech firm, raised new funding that more than doubled its valuation to $12.7 billion on March 27, 2026. • The company projects revenue exceeding $540 million this year, driven by its Hivemind autonomy software used in drones and fighter-jet programs. • This funding underscores growing investor confidence in AI-powered military autonomy amid rising defense tech demand in the US.

• The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation Thursday, March 26, 2026, to end the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, marking the third such attempt in two months after funding lapsed nearly six weeks ago. • The bill aims to restore operations but faces uncertain prospects in the Senate, unlikely to immediately resolve the prolonged funding crisis affecting border security and immigration enforcement. • This repeated House action underscores deepening partisan divides on federal spending priorities during a critical period for national security infrastructure.

• Congress rejected Trump administration's $18 billion NIH budget cut proposal, providing stability for 2026 grantees at institutions like University of Wisconsin-Madison. • Delays in grant reviews and dispersal have stalled projects, hiring, and caused anxiety, with NIH months behind schedule as of March 26, 2026. • Vice Chancellor Dorota Brzezinska noted core funding protection but ongoing uncertainty impacts lab operations and future awards before September 30 deadline.

• On March 20, 2026, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the Pentagon's request for $200 billion in extra funding, stating 'it takes money to kill bad guys'. • The request supports ongoing U.S. offensives, including jet patrols and helicopter strikes against Iranian forces in key waterways. • Funding comes amid surging oil prices from Iranian attacks on facilities, prompting Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to propose lifting sanctions on Iranian oil.

• The Pentagon is requesting more than $200 billion in additional funding from Congress to sustain the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, which has been ongoing for approximately three weeks with thousands of strikes. • The funding request aims to urgently increase production of weapons that have been heavily expended during the intensive air campaign, according to the Washington Post. • Lawmakers from both parties are demanding detailed justification before approving the massive expenditure, with some questioning why the administration is requesting such funds if the conflict is expected to end soon.

• Advanced Machine Intelligence raised over $1 billion in a major funding round on March 16, 2026, targeting AI systems specialized in reasoning, planning, and world models. • Investors are shifting capital toward alternative AI architectures beyond traditional large language models, prioritizing deep tech with strategic advantages. • This deal highlights the growing emphasis on startups with access to computational power and proprietary data in the US venture market.

• The House passed DHS funding bill H.R. 7147 earlier in 2026 to secure operations, but Senate disagreements over spending have delayed votes as of March 2026. • Delays threaten USCIS offices in Florida and nationwide, slowing visa applications, renewals, and Dreamer status adjustments. • Without approval, DHS faces potential shutdown, limiting immigration processing and creating uncertainty for immigrants.

• The U.S. House Agriculture Committee approved the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 on March 5 in a 34-17 vote after a 20-hour markup session. • GOP-proposed cuts to SNAP nutrition programs sparked partisan disputes, with Rep. Angie Craig warning they 'jeopardize the path forward for this bill.' • The 802-page bill sets policy and funding for food, agriculture, and conservation programs over five years, but faces hurdles needing Democratic support in the Senate's 60-vote threshold.