The Buildout · Week of April 20–26, 2026

U.S. federal spending, week ending 2026-04-26.

The Department of Health and Human Services obligated $117.1 billion to New York and Kansas Medicaid entitlements this week, with New York alone receiving $111.8 billion across two fiscal years in what amounts to routine quarterly state reimbursement flows. The week's ten awards were dominated by mandatory health spending; defense and biotech contracts together accounted for $34.4 billion across 173 awards, but remained secondary to the entitlement machinery. Three grant competitions close this week, including the National Institute of Corrections' immersive employment readiness program and the State Department's alumni engagement fund, while the Federal Register picked up a final rule on passenger rights and a proposed EPA rule on chemical substances.

Context. $232,883,973,650 is the #2 largest weekly total in the trailing 10 weeks — versus an average of $119,037,722,746.

This week's biggest contracts

$56,792,111,760 · Department of Health and Human Services → NYS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

MEDICAID ENTITLEMENT FOR 42 - FY 2026 - T19

$54,306,306,498 · Department of Health and Human Services → NYS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

MEDICAID ENTITLEMENT FOR 42 - FY 2025 - T19

$3,400,808,739 · Department of Health and Human Services → KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT

MEDICAID ENTITLEMENT FOR 22 - FY 2026 - T19

Also this week:

Where the money went, by sector

• other — $19,543,621,845 across 125 awards (26%)
• defense — $17,826,596,808 across 73 awards (23%)
• biotech — $16,595,740,725 across 100 awards (22%)
• aerospace — $12,540,511,713 across 32 awards (16%)
• energy — $7,072,420,268 across 42 awards (9%)

From the Federal Register

Final rules

• Schedules of Controlled Substances: Placement of MDMB-4en-PINACA in Schedule I — Justice Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, 2026-04-24
• One-Page Document on Passenger Rights — Transportation Department, Office of the Secretary, 2026-04-24

Proposed rules

• Significant New Use Rules on Certain Chemical Substances (26-2) — Environmental Protection Agency, 2026-04-24

Notices and other

• L. Neill Cartage Co., Inc.-Continuance in Control Exemption-Proviso Railroad, Inc. and Mason Railroad, Inc. — Surface Transportation Board, 2026-04-24
• Accelerated Decommissioning Partners Crystal River Unit 3, LLC; Crystal River Unit 3 Nuclear Generating Plant; License Termination Plan — Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 2026-04-24
• Agency Information Collection Activities: Information Collection Renewal; Submission for OMB Review; Assessment of Fees — Treasury Department, Comptroller of the Currency, 2026-04-24
• Notice of Public Meeting by the Public Buildings Reform Board — Public Buildings Reform Board, 2026-04-24
• United States et al. v. Constellation Energy Corporation, Inc. et al. Response of Plaintiff United States to Public Comments on the Proposed — Justice Department, Antitrust Division, 2026-04-24

On the record

Verbatim from agencies' own Federal Register filings this week.

EPA is issuing significant new use rules (SNURs) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for certain chemical substances that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMNs) and are also subject to an Order issued by EPA pursuant to

— Environmental Protection Agency, proposed_rule, 2026-04-24

With the issuance of this final rule, the Drug Enforcement Administration places methyl 3,3-dimethyl-2-(1-(pent-4-en-1-yl)-1H- indazole-3-carboxamido)butanoate (other name: MDMB-4en-PINACA), including its salts, isomers, and salts of isomer

— Justice Department, rule, 2026-04-24

This final rule implements Section 429 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 by requiring covered air carriers to submit to the U.S.

— Transportation Department, rule, 2026-04-24

Grants closing soon

Funding windows that close in the next 30 days. Quick-glance view — open Grants.gov for the SF-424 packet.

What to watch

Concrete things to look for in the next two weeks — re-bids opening up, rules taking effect, and funding windows closing.

Coming up for re-bid

• $4,425,784,857 · National Aeronautics and Space Administration → NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION — ends 2026-06-30
• $3,282,976,341 · Department of Energy → JEFFERSON SCIENCE ASSOCIATES, LLC — ends 2026-05-31
• $2,511,478,245 · National Aeronautics and Space Administration → ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITIES FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY, INC. — ends 2026-06-30
• $2,075,724,899 · Department of Homeland Security → BOLLINGER SHIPYARDS LOCKPORT, L.L.C. — ends 2026-06-02

Rules taking effect

• Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Provisions; Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Framew — effective 2026-04-27
• Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Framework Adjustment 17 to the Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Mana — effective 2026-04-27
• Schedules of Controlled Substances: Placement of MDMB-4en-PINACA in Schedule I — effective 2026-04-27
• Safety Zone; Cheboygan River, Black River, Indian River, Crooked River, Cheboygan, MI — effective 2026-04-27

---

The Buildout · Issue covering 2026-04-20 – 2026-04-26. Generated 2026-05-14. Data: USAspending.gov, Federal Register, Grants.gov, agency RSS. Subscribe · Archive · Methodology.