The Buildout · Week of May 4–10, 2026
Published May 4, 2026. Auto-generated from The Buildout's pipeline; not edited.
U.S. federal spending, week ending 2026-05-10.
The Department of Health and Human Services obligated $100.1 billion to California's Medicaid program in a single entitlement drawdown, while the Department of Energy awarded $134.1 billion across three national laboratory management contracts—Oak Ridge, Los Alamos, and Pacific Northwest—in what amounts to the annual refresh of the government's nuclear weapons and energy research infrastructure. The week's ten awards totaled $541.8 billion, with entitlements and lab operations consuming 96 percent of the total spend. The National Institute of Corrections and Bureau of Justice Assistance have ten grant competitions closing this week across correctional training and recidivism reduction programs.
Context. $567,623,601,028 is the #2 largest weekly total in the trailing 12 weeks — versus an average of $153,331,183,631. The week's largest single obligation, $100,096,643,196, is the largest we've tracked.
This week's biggest contracts
$100,096,643,196 · Department of Health and Human Services → HEALTH CARE SERVICES, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF · other
Medicaid entitlement funding to California for healthcare services delivery in fiscal year 2026.
$41,398,021,317 · Department of Energy → UT-BATTELLE LLC · energy
Funds management and operations of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a major U.S. research facility.
Why it matters: Oak Ridge is critical for nuclear science, materials research, and advanced computing supporting U.S. technological competitiveness.
$35,295,689,219 · Department of Energy → REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, THE · energy
Management and operations of Los Alamos National Laboratory by University of California.
Why it matters: LANL is critical to U.S. nuclear weapons stewardship, energy research, and national security capabilities.
Also this week:
| Date | Recipient | Agency | Amount | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-08 | BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE | Department of Energy | $30,369,205,683 | energy |
| 2026-05-06 | LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL SECURITY LLC | Department of Energy | $27,422,768,631 | defense |
| 2026-05-05 | NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERV | Department of Health and Human Servi | $24,819,288,393 | other |
| 2026-05-06 | THE BOEING COMPANY | National Aeronautics and Space Admin | $22,405,025,934 | aerospace |
| 2026-05-05 | OHIO DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAID | Department of Health and Human Servi | $22,101,649,259 | other |
| 2026-05-05 | NEW YORK STATE DIVISION OF HOMELAND SECURITY & E | Department of Homeland Security | $17,731,410,475 | other |
| 2026-05-07 | BECHTEL NATIONAL, INC. | Department of Energy | $17,034,586,106 | energy |
Where the money went, by sector
- other — $322,761,665,268 across 226 awards (58%)
- energy — $128,754,306,994 across 24 awards (23%)
- aerospace — $47,899,049,413 across 31 awards (9%)
- defense — $40,989,223,332 across 54 awards (7%)
- biotech — $11,176,048,219 across 99 awards (2%)
From the Federal Register
Notices and other
- Determination That Leucovorin Calcium, Oral Solution, Equivalent to 60 Milligrams Base/Vial, Was Not Withdrawn From Sale for Reasons of Safe — Health and Human Services Department, Food and Drug Administration, 2026-05-08
- Center for Scientific Review; Amended Notice of Meeting — Health and Human Services Department, National Institutes of Health, 2026-05-08
- Center for Scientific Review; Notice of Closed Meetings — Health and Human Services Department, National Institutes of Health, 2026-05-08
- Formations of, Acquisitions by, and Mergers of Bank Holding Companies — Federal Reserve System, 2026-05-08
- Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; — Commerce Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2026-05-08
On the record
Verbatim from agencies' own Federal Register filings this week.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) has determined that leucovorin calcium, oral solution, equivalent to (EQ) 60 milligrams (mg) base/vial, was not withdrawn from sale for reasons of safety or effectiveness.
— Health and Human Services Department, notice, 2026-05-08
The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact
— Commerce Department, notice, 2026-05-08
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Bluefish Advisory Panel will hold a public meeting, jointly with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Bluefish Advisory Panel.
— Commerce Department, notice, 2026-05-08
Grants closing soon
Funding windows that close in the next 30 days. Quick-glance view — open Grants.gov for the SF-424 packet.
| Closes | Opportunity | Agency | Ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-05 | Direct Service Delivery for the National Sheriffs’ Institute | National Institute of Corrections | — |
| 2026-05-20 | Immersive Employment Readiness Training for People under Correctional Authority | National Institute of Corrections | — |
| 2026-06-03 | BJA FY25 Justice Reinvestment Initiative: Strengthening State and Local Operations to Redu | Bureau of Justice Assistance | — |
| 2026-06-08 | Countering Terrorist Financing Flows In and Through Tajikistan | Bureau of Counterterrorism | — |
| 2026-06-09 | Countering Terrorist Recruitment of Central Asian Foreign Workers | Bureau of Counterterrorism | — |
| 2026-06-08 | Strategic commercial engagement for U.S.–AU Trade and Investment | U.S. Mission to Ethiopia | — |
| 2026-06-09 | NIJ FY25 Research and Evaluation of Policing Practices | National Institute of Justice | — |
| 2026-06-09 | Career Pathways Exploration Grant Program 84.424J | Office of Elementary and Secondary Edu | — |
| 2026-05-29 | FY 2026 Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Academic Fellows Program | Bureau Of Educational and Cultural Aff | — |
| 2026-06-04 | BJA FY25 Invited to Apply – Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Reallocation Funds Pr | Bureau of Justice Assistance | — |
Out of the agencies
- FTC Chairman Ferguson Issues Noncompete Warning Letter to Mortgage Connect — Ftc News, 2026-05-08
- FTC to Co-Host Workshop on Financial Services with Institute for Consumer Financial Choice on May 14-15 — Ftc News, 2026-05-07
- FTC Finalizes Consent Order in Valvoline-Greenbriar Deal — Ftc News, 2026-05-07
- FTC to Ban Kochava and Subsidiary from Selling Sensitive Location Data to Settle Charges They Sold Location Data Linked to Millions of Mobil — Ftc News, 2026-05-04
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
- Safety Zone; Bancroft Canal, Cameron Parish, LA — effective 2026-05-11
- Official Seal — effective 2026-05-11
- Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fisheries off West Coast States; Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; 2026 Pacific Whiting — effective 2026-05-11
- Airworthiness Directives; Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. Airplanes — effective 2026-05-11
The Buildout · Issue covering 2026-05-04 – 2026-05-10. Generated 2026-05-14. Data: USAspending.gov, Federal Register, Grants.gov, agency RSS. Subscribe · Archive · Methodology.