Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2026
Click any stage to learn more about the legislative process.
Would provide FY2026 appropriations across three combined spending bills: military construction and veterans' programs, agriculture and food assistance, and the legislative branch — together covering hundreds of billions of dollars in federal spending and affecting programs from veterans' healthcare to food stamps to Capitol security.
The bill also rescinds billions in previously appropriated VA and agriculture funds, sets conditions and reporting requirements on major agency expenditures, and makes targeted amendments to statutes governing nutrition programs, tobacco product enforcement, and rural housing.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would appropriate FY2026 funds across three divisions. Division A covers roughly $17 billion in Department of Defense military construction for all service branches, the National Guard, and Reserve components, as well as hundreds of billions in veterans' compensation, pensions, readjustment benefits, and healthcare — including $52.7 billion for the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund for veterans harmed by burn pits and other environmental hazards. Division B covers the Department of Agriculture, rural development programs, and domestic food assistance programs including SNAP ($118.1 billion), WIC ($8.2 billion), and child nutrition ($36.3 billion), as well as the Food and Drug Administration ($7 billion). Division C funds the Senate, Capitol Police, Library of Congress, Government Accountability Office, Congressional Budget Office, and other legislative branch entities.
The bill would simultaneously rescind $15.9 billion in previously appropriated VA Medical Services funds and $610 million in VA Medical Support and Compliance funds carried over from FY2025. It sets detailed conditions on fund transfers between agency accounts, imposes quarterly and other reporting requirements, prohibits use of funds for several specific purposes (including closing Guantanamo Naval Station or reducing Veterans Crisis Line capacity), and makes targeted statutory amendments to nutrition, tobacco, and rural housing laws. Funds for the House of Representatives are not included, consistent with longstanding congressional practice.
Key provisions
- 1Would appropriate roughly $17 billion for DoD military construction across the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Defense-Wide activities, Army and Air National Guard, and Reserve components for FY2026, available through September 30, 2030.
- 2Would appropriate $241.9 billion for VA compensation and pensions and $20.1 billion for readjustment benefits, both becoming available October 1, 2026, and $97.9 million for veterans' insurance and indemnities.
- 3Would appropriate $59.9 billion for VA medical services, $38.7 billion for medical community care, $12 billion for medical support and compliance, and $11.7 billion for medical facilities, all becoming available October 1, 2026.
- 4Would appropriate $52.7 billion for the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund to deliver healthcare and research for veterans exposed to environmental hazards such as burn pits.
- 5Would appropriate $3.49 billion for the Veterans Electronic Health Record system, withholding 25 percent until the VA submits a required deployment plan and cost estimate to Congress by June 1, 2026.
- 6Would appropriate $118.1 billion for SNAP, $8.2 billion for WIC, and $36.3 billion for child nutrition programs including school lunch and breakfast, available through September 30, 2027.
- 7Would appropriate $7 billion for FDA operations with designated allocations for human foods, drug evaluation, biologics, veterinary medicine, devices, tobacco products, and other activities.
Who would be affected
Veterans receiving disability compensation, healthcare, housing loans, and education benefits; active-duty service members and military families living in or near military construction projects; farmers, rural businesses, and rural utilities customers; low-income households receiving SNAP, WIC, or school lunch benefits; states and localities receiving agriculture and rural development grants and loans; FDA-regulated industries; and congressional employees and offices funded through the legislative branch division.
Why it matters
These programs underpin daily services for tens of millions of Americans. Veterans' healthcare and compensation together exceed $300 billion; SNAP alone serves roughly 42 million people. Without enacted appropriations, agencies operate under continuing resolutions that can freeze new projects, hiring, and grant awards. The bill's conditions on fund transfers, reporting requirements, and specific program carve-outs also define the guardrails Congress would impose on agency discretion for the full fiscal year.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (Title IV, Division B (child nutrition programs heading))
Extends the fresh fruit and vegetable program authority from 2026 to 2027, updates paid lunch pricing requirement to fiscal year 2026, and adjusts farm-to-school grant caps.
Amends Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, Section 260 (7 U.S.C. 1636i) (Sec. 775(a))
Extends the livestock mandatory price reporting authorization from 2025 to 2026.
Amends Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999, Section 942 (Sec. 775(b))
Extends the livestock mandatory reporting program authorization from 2025 to 2026.
Amends Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. 381(a) (Sec. 773(d))
Adds 'tobacco product' alongside 'drug or device' in four import inspection sentences, expanding FDA's import refusal authority to cover tobacco.
Amends Multifamily Mortgage Foreclosure Act of 1981, Section 363 (12 U.S.C. 3702) (Sec. 765)
Adds Section 514 and 515 Housing Act loans (rural farm labor housing) to the list of covered mortgage instruments under the foreclosure act.
Amends Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, Section 203(a)(1) (2 U.S.C. 1313(a)(1)) (Sec. 212)
Extends PUMP Act breastfeeding protections to congressional employees by adding relevant FLSA sections to the Act's covered provisions.
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- VA Compensation and Pensions, Readjustment Benefits, and Veterans Insurance and Indemnities appropriations become available
- VA Medical Services, Medical Community Care, Medical Support and Compliance, and Medical Facilities appropriations become available
- 25 percent of Veterans Electronic Health Record funds released, contingent on VA submitting required deployment plan
- VA must discontinue using Social Security numbers as authentication in all information systems
Funding and costs
- $241,947,603,000
VA compensation and pensions for veterans and their survivors
- $52,676,000,000
Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund for veterans harmed by environmental hazards including burn pits
- $59,858,000,000
VA medical services for inpatient and outpatient care at VA and community facilities
- $38,700,000,000
VA medical community care for health services provided at non-VA facilities
- $20,057,841,000
VA readjustment and rehabilitation benefits including education and vocational programs
- $118,140,341,000
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits
- $36,285,902,000
Child nutrition programs including school lunch and breakfast
- $8,200,000,000
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
- $7,015,038,000
Food and Drug Administration operations including drug, device, food safety, and tobacco oversight
- $5,906,524,000
Military construction for Navy and Marine Corps installations
- $3,488,000,000
Veterans Electronic Health Record system implementation, maintenance, and deployment
- $811,894,000
Government Accountability Office salaries and expenses
How implementation would work
Each of the three divisions operates through direct appropriations with detailed conditions. Agencies must notify and receive approval from the relevant appropriations committees before reprogramming funds beyond specified thresholds. The VA must submit quarterly financial reports, spending plans for the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund, and electronic health record deployment schedules. Agriculture agencies follow parallel 30-day notification protocols before reorganizing, contracting out functions, or making significant budget shifts. Several VA and Agriculture accounts permit limited inter-account transfers with committee approval. Rescissions of prior-year balances take effect upon enactment.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Message on House action received in Senate and at desk: House requests a conference.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill provides FY2026 appropriations to several federal departments and agencies for activities and programs related to military construction, veterans, agriculture, and the legislative branch.
Specifically, the bill includes 3 of the 12 regular FY2026 appropriations bills:
- the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026;
- the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026; and
- the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2026.
The departments, agencies, and activities funded in the bill include
- Department of Defense military construction and family housing activities,
- the Department of Veterans Affairs,
- the Department of Agriculture,
- the Food and Drug Administration,
- the Senate,
- various agencies that support Congress, and
- several related and independent agencies.
(Pursuant to the longstanding practice of each chamber of Congress determining its own requirements, funds for the House of Representatives are not included in the Senate bill.)
The bill also sets forth requirements and restrictions for using funds provided by this and other appropriations acts.
Legislative subjects
Abortion; Alaska; Alaska Natives and Hawaiians; Alliances; Alternative and renewable resources; American Battle Monuments Commission; Animal protection and human-animal relationships; Appropriations; Armed Forces Retirement Home; Building construction; Cancer; Cardiovascular and respiratory health; Caribbean area; Cemeteries and funerals; Climate change and greenhouse gases; Collective security; Computers and information technology; Congressional oversight; Congressional-executive branch relations; Correctional facilities and imprisonment; Cuba; Data collection, sharing, protection; Defense spending; Department of Defense; Department of Veterans Affairs; Disability and paralysis; District of Columbia; Economics and Public Finance; Emergency communications systems; Environmental health; Europe; Executive agency funding and structure; Family planning and birth control; Federal appellate courts; Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management; Government information and archives; Government studies and investigations; Government trust funds; Hazardous wastes and toxic substances; Health care coverage and access; Health facilities and institutions; Health information and medical records; Health personnel; Health technology, devices, supplies; Immunology and vaccination; Indian social and development programs; Infrastructure development; Internet, web applications, social media; Life, casualty, property insurance; Medical research; Mental health; Military education and training; Military facilities and property; Military personnel and dependents; Military procurement, research, weapons development; Mississippi; Motor vehicles; National Guard and reserves; Prescription drugs; Public contracts and procurement; Religion; Research administration and funding; Residential rehabilitation and home repair; Roads and highways; Sex and reproductive health; Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination; Specialized courts; State and local government operations; Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation; Veterans' loans, housing, homeless programs; Veterans' medical care; Veterans' organizations and recognition; Veterans' pensions and compensation; Virginia; Women's health
Committee report
S. Rept. 119-43