Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026
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Would provide FY2026 appropriations for the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and related agencies — including more than $118 billion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), $35.8 billion for child nutrition programs, $7.7 billion for WIC, and $6.7 billion for FDA.
Beyond the funding, the bill would include dozens of policy riders that would block recent livestock and poultry market competition rules, ban Chinese-sourced poultry and seafood from federally funded school meals, mandate FDA enforcement against illegal e-cigarettes, and amend the statutory definition of hemp.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would appropriate FY2026 funding for the USDA, FDA, and related agencies. Its largest single allocations would include $118.1 billion for SNAP (the federal food-stamp program), $35.8 billion for school lunch and other child nutrition programs, $7.7 billion for WIC, and $6.7 billion for the FDA. Additional funding would cover agricultural research, animal and plant health inspection, farm loans, conservation programs, rural housing, rural broadband, and international food aid under Food for Peace.
Beyond the appropriations, the bill would include policy riders blocking five named USDA livestock and poultry market competition rules and requiring the Secretary to withdraw any finalized versions; banning Chinese-sourced poultry and seafood from federally funded school meals; requiring FDA to spend at least $200 million on e-cigarette enforcement; expanding SNAP pilot authority to allow restricting purchases of non-nutritious foods; and amending the legal definition of hemp to exclude synthesized cannabinoid products.
Key provisions
- 1Would appropriate $118.1 billion for SNAP, including a $3 billion emergency operations reserve, subject to work registration requirements as required by law.
- 2Would appropriate $35.8 billion for child nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch Program and school breakfast program, available through September 30, 2027.
- 3Would appropriate $7.7 billion for WIC and, separately, require USDA to add peanut-containing foods to WIC food packages within 180 days, consistent with 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines.
- 4Would appropriate $6.7 billion for FDA, allocating specific amounts by program center and requiring at least $200 million for enforcement actions against illegal e-cigarettes and vaping products.
- 5Would prohibit USDA from implementing or enforcing five named livestock and poultry market competition rules and would require the Secretary to withdraw any finalized versions of those rules.
- 6Would prohibit using appropriated funds to procure Chinese-sourced poultry products or seafood for the National School Lunch Program, school breakfast, or Child and Adult Care Food Program.
- 7Would amend the statutory definition of hemp to distinguish industrial hemp from hemp-derived cannabinoid products and explicitly exclude synthesized or manufactured cannabinoids from the hemp definition.
Who would be affected
SNAP recipients (tens of millions of low-income Americans), WIC participants, and students eating school meals; farmers using USDA loans, crop insurance, and conservation programs; rural communities relying on USDA housing and broadband funding; food and drug manufacturers overseen by FDA; tobacco product companies; and livestock and poultry producers affected by the bill's riders blocking market competition rules.
Why it matters
SNAP and child nutrition funding supports the diets of tens of millions of Americans, making funding levels and eligibility rules consequential for food access. The riders blocking livestock competition rules directly affect how poultry growers are compensated by integrators. The hemp definition amendment would determine which cannabis-derived products are treated as agricultural commodities rather than regulated drugs, affecting a broad industry.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, Section 297A (7 U.S.C. 1639o) (Sec. 759)
Rewrites the statutory definition of hemp, adding definitions for industrial hemp and hemp-derived cannabinoid products, and excluding synthesized cannabinoids from the hemp definition.
Amends Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, Section 17(b)(1)(A) (Sec. 776)
Adds authority for SNAP pilot programs to restrict participants' purchase of non-nutritious food and beverage items as determined by the Secretary.
Amends Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act
Updates date references in sections 26(d), 9(h)(3), and 9(h)(4) from fiscal year 2024 or 2025 to fiscal year 2026 to extend those program authorities.
Amends Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999, Section 942 (Sec. 768)
Extends mandatory livestock price reporting authority by replacing the 2025 expiration year with 2026.
Amends Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, Section 260 (7 U.S.C. 1636i) (Sec. 768)
Extends mandatory livestock and meat price reporting by replacing the 2025 expiration year with 2026.
Amends Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, Section 7502 (Sec. 771)
Extends the prohibition on declaring the Grazinglands Research Laboratory in El Reno, Oklahoma as excess or surplus federal property through September 30, 2026.
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- All FY2026 appropriations
- Agency obligation plans due to Appropriations Committees
- USDA must add peanut-containing foods to WIC food packages
- FDA plan for Abraham Accords Bureau within FDA
- FDA food traceability rule enforcement blocked until conditions are met
- APHIS employee premium pay exemption for animal disease outbreaks retroactively takes effect
Funding and costs
- $118,141,341,000
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) operations, including a $3 billion emergency reserve
- $35,784,402,000
Child nutrition programs including National School Lunch Program and school breakfast
- $7,697,000,000
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
- $6,682,889,000
Food and Drug Administration salaries, expenses, and program operations
- $1,790,550,000
Agricultural Research Service salaries, expenses, and research programs
- $1,216,009,000
Food Safety and Inspection Service for meat, poultry, and egg products inspection
- $1,146,000,000
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service salaries and program expenses
- $1,058,000,000
National Institute of Food and Agriculture research and education activities
- $1,100,000,000
Farm Service Agency salaries and expenses, including county office operations
- $900,000,000
Food for Peace Title II grants for international emergency food aid
- $100,000,000
Rescission of unobligated WIC balances from prior year appropriations
- $100,000,000
Rescission of unobligated NRCS Conservation Operations balances from prior year appropriations
- $100,000,000
Rescission of unobligated Inflation Reduction Act conservation funds (Public Law 117-169)
- $78,000,000
Permanent cancellation of unobligated Working Capital Fund prior year balances
How implementation would work
Each agency head would submit a detailed obligation plan to Congress within 30 days of enactment; reprogramming or restructuring programs requires 30-day advance written notice and approval from both Appropriations Committees. FDA must submit semi-annual reports on e-cigarette enforcement and has one year to propose and two years to finalize new animal food regulations. USDA must add peanut-containing foods to WIC packages within 180 days. The Secretary must report on a Buy American feasibility study for SNAP and WIC within one year of enactment.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 138.
Official CRS summary
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This bill provides FY2026 appropriations for the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration, and related agencies.
The bill provides appropriations to USDA for agricultural programs, including
- the Office of the Secretary,
- Executive Operations,
- the Economic Research Service,
- the National Agricultural Statistics Service,
- the Agricultural Research Service,
- the National Institute of Food and Agriculture,
- the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service,
- the Agricultural Marketing Service, and
- the Food Safety and Inspection Service.
The bill also provides appropriations to USDA for farm production and conservation programs, including
- the Farm Production and Conservation Business Center,
- the Farm Service Agency,
- the Risk Management Agency, and
- the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The bill provides appropriations to the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Fund and the Commodity Credit Corporation Fund.
For USDA rural development programs, the bill includes appropriations for
- Salaries and Expenses,
- the Rural Housing Service,
- the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, and
- the Rural Utilities Service.
The bill provides appropriations to the Food and Nutrition Service for
- Child Nutrition Programs;
- the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC);
- the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP);
- the Commodity Assistance Program; and
- Nutrition Programs Administration.
The bill provides appropriations to the Foreign Agricultural Service for (1) Food for Peace Title II Grants, and (2) McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program Grants.
The bill also provides appropriations for
- the Food and Drug Administration,
- the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and
- the Farm Credit Administration.
Additionally, the bill sets forth requirements and restrictions for using funds provided by this and other appropriations acts.
Legislative subjects
Adult day care; Agricultural conservation and pollution; Agricultural education; Agricultural insurance; Agricultural marketing and promotion; Agricultural prices, subsidies, credit; Agricultural research; Agricultural trade; Animal and plant health; Animal protection and human-animal relationships; Appropriations; Asia; Cardiovascular and respiratory health; Child care and development; Child health; China; Commodities markets; Commodity Futures Trading Commission; Congressional oversight; Department of Agriculture; Department of Health and Human Services; Drug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulation; Economic development; Economics and Public Finance; Educational technology and distance education; Electric power generation and transmission; Elementary and secondary education; Emergency medical services and trauma care; Environmental assessment, monitoring, research; Executive agency funding and structure; Farm Credit Administration; Floods and storm protection; Food and Drug Administration (FDA); Food assistance and relief; Food supply, safety, and labeling; Foreign aid and international relief; Government buildings, facilities, and property; Government lending and loan guarantees; Hazardous wastes and toxic substances; Historical and cultural resources; Housing and community development funding; Indian lands and resources rights; Infectious and parasitic diseases; Meat; Nutrition and diet; Pest management; Public utilities and utility rates; Rural conditions and development; Solid waste and recycling; Trade restrictions; Water use and supply; Watersheds; Wildlife conservation and habitat protection; Worker safety and health
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-172