Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 191 (Wednesday, November 12, 2025)

[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 191 (Wednesday, November 12, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H4609-H4664]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS AND EXTENSIONS ACT, 2026

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 873, I call up
the bill (H.R. 5371) making continuing appropriations and extensions
for fiscal year 2026, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendment
thereto, and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will designate the Senate
amendment.
Senate amendment:

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Continuing Appropriations,
Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and
Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026''.

SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Sec. 1. Short title.
Sec. 2. Table of contents.
Sec. 3. References.
Sec. 4. Explanatory statement.
Sec. 5. Statement of appropriations.

DIVISION A--CONTINUING APPROPRIATONS ACT, 2026

DIVISION B--AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG
ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026

Title I--Agricultural Programs

[[Page H4610]]

Title II--Farm Production and Conservation Programs
Title III--Rural Development Programs
Title IV--Domestic Food Programs
Title V--Foreign Assistance and Related Programs
Title VI--Related Agency and Food and Drug Administration
Title VII--General Provisions

DIVISION C--LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026

Title I--Legislative Branch
Title II--General Provisions

DIVISION D--MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND RELATED
AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026

Title I--Department of Defense
Title II--Department of Veterans Affairs
Title III--Related Agencies
Title IV--General Provisions

DIVISION E--EXTENSION OF AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS

DIVISION F--HEALTH EXTENDERS

Title I--Public Health Extenders
Title II--Medicare
Title III--Human Services
Title IV--Medicaid
Title V--Food and Drug Administration
Title VI--No Surprises Act Implementation

DIVISION G--DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS EXTENDERS

Title I--Health Care Matters
Title II--Benefits
Title III--Housing
Title IV--Other Matters

DIVISION H--MISCELLANEOUS

SEC. 3. REFERENCES.

Except as expressly provided otherwise, any reference to
``this Act'' contained in any division of this Act shall be
treated as referring only to the provisions of that division.

SEC. 4. EXPLANATORY STATEMENT.

The explanatory statement regarding this Act, printed in
the Senate section of the Congressional Record on or about
November 9, 2025, and submitted by the chair of the Committee
on Appropriations of the Senate, shall have the same effect
with respect to the allocation of funds and implementation of
divisions B through D of this Act as if it were a joint
explanatory statement of a committee of conference.

SEC. 5. STATEMENT OF APPROPRIATIONS.

The following sums in this Act are appropriated, out of any
money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the
fiscal year ending September 30, 2026.

DIVISION A--CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026

The following sums are hereby appropriated, out of any
money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, and out of
applicable corporate or other revenues, receipts, and funds,
for the several departments, agencies, corporations, and
other organizational units of Government for fiscal year
2026, and for other purposes, namely:
Sec. 101. Such amounts as may be necessary, at a rate for
operations as provided in the applicable appropriations Acts
for fiscal year 2025 and under the authority and conditions
provided in such Acts, for continuing projects or activities
(including the costs of direct loans and loan guarantees)
that are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Act,
that were conducted in fiscal year 2025, and for which
appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available
in the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2025
(division A of Public Law 119-4), except sections 1110, 1113,
and 1114; the proviso in paragraph (4) of section 1602; and
sections 1708 and 1808; and except section 540 of division C,
and sections 110 and 112 of division D of Public Law 118-42,
as continued in effect by section 1101 of division A of
Public Law 119-4; and except section 7069(b) of division F of
Public Law 118-47, as continued in effect by section 1101 of
division A of Public Law 119-4.
Sec. 102. (a) No appropriation or funds made available or
authority granted pursuant to section 101 for the Department
of Defense shall be used for:
(1) the new production of items not funded for production
in fiscal year 2025 or prior years;
(2) the increase in production rates above those sustained
with fiscal year 2025 funds; or
(3) the initiation, resumption, or continuation of any
project, activity, operation, or organization (defined as any
project, subproject, activity, budget activity, program
element, and subprogram within a program element, and for any
investment items defined as a P-1 line item in a budget
activity within an appropriation account and an R-1 line item
that includes a program element and subprogram element within
an appropriation account) for which appropriations, funds, or
other authority were not available during fiscal year 2025.
(b) No appropriation or funds made available or authority
granted pursuant to section 101 for the Department of Defense
shall be used to initiate multi-year procurements utilizing
advance procurement funding for economic order quantity
procurement unless specifically appropriated later.
Sec. 103. Appropriations made by section 101 shall be
available to the extent and in the manner that would be
provided by the pertinent appropriations Act.
Sec. 104. Except as otherwise provided in section 102, no
appropriation or funds made available or authority granted
pursuant to section 101 shall be used to initiate or resume
any project or activity for which appropriations, funds, or
other authority were not available during fiscal year 2025.
Sec. 105. Appropriations made and authority granted
pursuant to this Act shall cover all obligations or
expenditures incurred for any project or activity during the
period for which funds or authority for such project or
activity are available under this Act.
Sec. 106. Unless otherwise provided for in this Act or in
the applicable appropriations Act for fiscal year 2026,
appropriations and funds made available and authority granted
pursuant to this Act shall be available until whichever of
the following first occurs:
(1) The enactment into law of an appropriation for any
project or activity provided for in this Act.
(2) The enactment into law of the applicable appropriations
Act for fiscal year 2026 without any provision for such
project or activity.
(3) January 30, 2026.
Sec. 107. Expenditures made pursuant to this Act shall be
charged to the applicable appropriation, fund, or
authorization whenever a bill in which such applicable
appropriation, fund, or authorization is contained is enacted
into law.
Sec. 108. Appropriations made and funds made available by
or authority granted pursuant to this Act may be used without
regard to the time limitations for submission and approval of
apportionments set forth in section 1513 of title 31, United
States Code, but nothing in this Act may be construed to
waive any other provision of law governing the apportionment
of funds.
Sec. 109. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act,
except section 106, for those programs that would otherwise
have high initial rates of operation or complete distribution
of appropriations at the beginning of fiscal year 2026
because of distributions of funding to States, foreign
countries, grantees, or others, such high initial rates of
operation or complete distribution shall not be made, and no
grants shall be awarded for such programs funded by this Act
that would impinge on final funding prerogatives.
Sec. 110. This Act shall be implemented so that only the
most limited funding action of that permitted in the Act
shall be taken in order to provide for continuation of
projects and activities.
Sec. 111. (a) For entitlements and other mandatory payments
whose budget authority was provided in an appropriations Act
specified in section 101, and for activities under the Food
and Nutrition Act of 2008, activities shall be continued at
the rate to maintain program levels under current law, under
the authority and conditions provided in the applicable
appropriations Act, to be continued through the date
specified in section 106(3) of this Act.
(b) Notwithstanding section 106, obligations for mandatory
payments due on or about the first day of any month that
begins after October 2025 but not later than 30 days after
the date specified in section 106(3) may continue to be made,
and funds shall be available for such payments.
Sec. 112. Amounts made available under section 101 for
civilian personnel compensation and benefits in each
department and agency may be apportioned up to the rate for
operations necessary to avoid furloughs within such
department or agency, consistent with the applicable
appropriations Act for fiscal year 2025, except that such
authority provided under this section shall not be used until
after the department or agency has taken all necessary
actions to reduce or defer non-personnel-related
administrative expenses.
Sec. 113. Funds appropriated by this Act may be obligated
and expended notwithstanding section 10 of Public Law 91-672
(22 U.S.C. 2412), section 15 of the State Department Basic
Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2680), section 313 of the
Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and
1995 (22 U.S.C. 6212), and section 504(a)(1) of the National
Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3094(a)(1)).
Sec. 114. (a)(1) For each amount incorporated by reference
in this Act that was previously designated by the Congress as
an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i)
of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of
1985, each provision of law designating each such amount as
an emergency requirement pursuant to such section shall not
apply.
(2) Each amount incorporated by reference in this Act that
was designated by the Congress as an emergency requirement
pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget
and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 in the following
provisions of law are designated by the Congress as an
emergency requirement pursuant to section 4001(a)(1) of S.
Con. Res. 14 (117th Congress), the concurrent resolution on
the budget for fiscal year 2022, and to legislation
establishing fiscal year 2026 budget enforcement in the House
of Representatives: section 11206(4) of division A of Public
Law 119-4 and 7068(b) of division F of Public Law 118-47, as
continued in effect by section 1101 of division A of Public
Law 119-4.
(b) Each amount incorporated by reference in this Act that
was previously designated by the Congress as being for
disaster relief pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D) of the
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 is
designated by the Congress as being for disaster relief
pursuant to a concurrent resolution on the budget.
(c) Each amount incorporated by reference in this Act that
was previously designated in division B of Public Law 117-
159, division J of Public Law 117-58, or in section 443(b) of
division G of Public Law 117-328 by the Congress as an
emergency requirement pursuant to a concurrent resolution on
the budget shall continue to be treated as an amount
specified in section 103(b) of division A of Public Law 118-
5.
Sec. 115. (a) Rescissions or cancellations of discretionary
budget authority that continue pursuant to section 101 in
Treasury Appropriations Fund Symbols (TAFS)--

[[Page H4611]]

(1) to which other appropriations are not provided by this
Act, but for which there is a current applicable TAFS that
does receive an appropriation in this Act; or
(2) which are no-year TAFS and receive other appropriations
in this Act,
may be continued instead by reducing the rate for operations
otherwise provided by section 101 for such current applicable
TAFS, as long as doing so does not impinge on the final
funding prerogatives of the Congress.
(b) Rescissions or cancellations described in subsection
(a) shall continue in an amount equal to the lesser of--
(1) the amount specified for rescission or cancellation in
the applicable appropriations Act referenced in section 101
of this Act; or
(2) the amount of balances available, as of October 1,
2025, from the funds specified for rescission or cancellation
in the applicable appropriations Act referenced in section
101 of this Act.
(c) No later than December 5, 2025, the Director of the
Office of Management and Budget shall provide to the
Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives
and the Senate a comprehensive list of the rescissions or
cancellations that will continue pursuant to section 101:
Provided, That the information in such comprehensive list
shall be periodically updated to reflect any subsequent
changes in the amount of balances available, as of October 1,
2025, from the funds specified for rescission or cancellation
in the applicable appropriations Act referenced in section
101, and such updates shall be transmitted to the Committees
on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the
Senate upon request.
Sec. 116. Notwithstanding section 106(1), amounts made
available in divisions A through D of the Continuing
Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military
Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026
for personnel pay, allowances, and benefits in each
department and agency shall be available for payments
pursuant to subsection (c) of section 1341 of title 31,
United States Code and such payments shall be made.
Sec. 117. Notwithstanding section 106(1), all obligations
incurred and in anticipation of the appropriations made and
authority granted by divisions A through D of the Continuing
Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military
Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026
for the purposes of maintaining the essential level of
activity to protect life and property and bringing about
orderly termination of Government function, and for purposes
as otherwise authorized by law, are hereby ratified and
approved if otherwise in accord with the provisions of
divisions A through D of the Continuing Appropriations,
Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and
Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026.
Sec. 118. (a) If a State (or another Federal grantee) used
State funds (or the grantee's non-Federal funds) to continue
carrying out a Federal program or furloughed State employees
(or the grantee's employees) whose compensation is advanced
or reimbursed in whole or in part by the Federal Government--
(1) such furloughed employees shall be compensated at their
standard rate of compensation for such period;
(2) the State (or such other grantee) shall be reimbursed
for expenses that would have been paid by the Federal
Government during such period had appropriations been
available, including the cost of compensating such furloughed
employees, together with interest thereon calculated under
section 6503(d) of title 31, United States Code; and
(3) the State (or such other grantee) may use funds
available to the State (or the grantee) under such Federal
program to reimburse such State (or the grantee), together
with interest thereon calculated under section 6503(d) of
title 31, United States Code.
(b) For purposes of this section, the term ``State'' and
the term ``grantee'' shall have the meaning as such term is
defined under the applicable Federal program under subsection
(a). In addition, ``to continue carrying out a Federal
program'' means the continued performance by a State or other
Federal grantee, during the period of a lapse in
appropriations, of a Federal program that the State or such
other grantee had been carrying out prior to the period of
the lapse in appropriations.
(c) Notwithstanding section 106, the authority under this
section applies with respect to any period in fiscal year
2026 (not limited to periods beginning or ending after the
date of the enactment of this Act) during which there occurs
a lapse in appropriations with respect to any department or
agency of the Federal Government which, but for such lapse in
appropriations, would have paid, or made reimbursement
relating to, any of the expenses referred to in this section
with respect to the program involved. Payments and
reimbursements under this authority shall be made only to the
extent and in amounts provided in advance in appropriations
Acts, including divisions A through D of the Continuing
Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military
Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026.
Sec. 119. Notwithstanding section 106(1), for the purposes
of divisions A through D of the Continuing Appropriations,
Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and
Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026, the time covered
by such divisions shall be considered to have begun on
October 1, 2025.
Sec. 120. (a) Prohibition.--Notwithstanding section 106(1),
during the period between the date of enactment of this Act
and the date specified in section 106(3) of this Act, no
federal funds may be used to initiate, carry out, implement,
or otherwise notice a reduction in force to reduce the number
of employees within any department, agency, or office of the
Federal Government.
(b) Applicability.--The prohibition under subsection (a)
shall apply to all civilian positions, whether permanent,
temporary, full-time, part-time, or intermittent, and without
regard to the source of funding for such positions.
(c) Exception.--The prohibition under subsection (a) shall
not apply to--
(1) voluntary separations or retirements;
(2) actions necessary to comply with a court order; or
(3) actions taken, beginning only on the first day of a
lapse in appropriations, necessary to implement or maintain
an orderly shutdown of government operations.
(d) Definitions.--For purposes of this section, the term
``reduction in force'' means actions taken by an agency
pursuant to section 3501 through 3504 of title 5, United
States Code or section 3595 of such title, or any similar
reduction of positions at any department, agency, or office
of the Federal Government, unless such reduction has been
provided for in this Act.
(e) Notwithstanding section 106(1), any reduction in force
proposed, noticed, initiated, executed, implemented, or
otherwise taken by an Executive Agency between October 1,
2025, and the date of enactment, shall have no force or
effect.
(1) Any employee who received notice of being subject to
such a reduction in force shall have that notice rescinded
and be returned to employment status as of September 30,
2025, without interruption. Such employees shall receive all
pay to which they otherwise would have been entitled in the
absence of receiving such notice, including backpay in
accordance with section 116 of this Act.
(2) Within 5 days of date of enactment of this Act, each
Federal agency shall send notice to all affected employees
and the chairs and ranking members of the Appropriations
Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives of the
withdrawal of the reduction in force notice and the affected
employee's reinstatement, if applicable.
(3) Notices must include reinstatement date and the amount
of back pay determined in paragraph (1), if applicable.
Sec. 121. Section 8302(b) of the Agricultural Act of 2014
(16 U.S.C. 3851a(b)) shall be applied by substituting the
date specified in section 106(3) of this Act for ``October 1,
2023''.
Sec. 122. (a) Amounts made available by section 101 for
``Department of Justice--United States Marshals Service--
Salaries and Expenses'' may be apportioned up to the rate for
operations necessary to maintain program operations.
(b) In addition to amounts otherwise provided by section
101, for ``Department of Justice--United States Marshals
Service--Salaries and Expenses'', there is appropriated
$30,000,000, for an additional amount for fiscal year 2026,
to remain available until September 30, 2027, to carry out
protective operations.
Sec. 123. Any expiration date established by section
235(b) of the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 (18 U.S.C. 3551
note; Public Law 98-473; 98 Stat. 2032), as such section
relates to chapter 311 of title 18, United States Code, and
the United States Parole Commission, shall not apply from
October 1, 2025, through the date specified in section 106(3)
of this Act.
Sec. 124. (a) For the closeout of all Space Shuttle
contracts and associated programs, amounts that have expired
but have not been cancelled in the Exploration, Space
Operations, Human Space Flight, Space Flight Capabilities,
and Exploration Capabilities appropriations accounts shall
remain available through fiscal year 2030 for the liquidation
of valid obligations incurred during the period of fiscal
year 2001 through fiscal year 2013.
(b)(1) Subject to paragraph (2), this section shall become
effective immediately upon enactment of this Act.
(2) If this Act is enacted after September 30, 2025, this
section shall be applied as if it were in effect on September
30, 2025.
Sec. 125. Section 3014(a) of title 18, United States Code,
shall be applied by substituting the date specified in
section 106(3) of this Act for ``September 30, 2025'':
Provided, That notwithstanding section 119, this section
shall take effect on the date of enactment of this Act and
shall not apply retroactively.
Sec. 126. During the period covered this Act, section
1930(a)(6)(B)(i) of title 28, United States Code, shall be
applied as if ``During the 5-year period'' were struck.
Sec. 127. Notwithstanding section 101, the first proviso
in each of sections 8092 and 8096 of title VIII of division A
of Public Law 118-47 shall be applied by substituting
``advances'' for ``reimbursements''.
Sec. 128. Notwithstanding sections 102 and 104, amounts
made available by section 101 to the Department of Defense
for ``Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force''
shall be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary
for the E-7 Wedgetail program, in an amount not to exceed
$199,676,000, only for the purpose of continued rapid
prototyping activities to maintain program schedule and
transition to production for the E-7 Wedgetail program.
Sec. 129. Of the unobligated balance of funds available to
the Department of Defense for the E-7 program under the
heading ``Aircraft Procurement, Air Force'' in Public Law
119-4, $200,000,000 is hereby transferred to and merged with
amounts available for the E-7 program under the heading
``Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force''
only for the purpose of continued rapid prototyping
activities to maintain program schedule and transition to
production for the E-7 Wedgetail program.
Sec. 130. Section 717(a) of the Defense Production Act of
1950 (50 U.S.C. 4564(a)) shall be applied by substituting the
date specified in section 106(3) of this Act for ``September
30, 2025''.
Sec. 131. Notwithstanding sections 102 and 104, amounts
made available by section 101 of

[[Page H4612]]

this Act to the Department of Defense for ``Shipbuilding and
Conversion, Navy'' may be apportioned up to the rate for
operations necessary to fund completion of prior year
shipbuilding programs for the following programs:
(1) Under the heading ``Shipbuilding and Conversion,
Navy'', 2013/2026: Carrier Replacement Program, $150,000,000;
(2) Under the heading ``Shipbuilding and Conversion,
Navy'', 2016/2026: Virginia Class Submarine Program,
$121,538,000;
(3) Under the heading ``Shipbuilding and Conversion,
Navy'', 2016/2026: DDG 51 Program, $14,892,000;
(4) Under the heading ``Shipbuilding and Conversion,
Navy'', 2017/2026: Virginia Class Submarine Program,
$99,116,000;
(5) Under the heading ``Shipbuilding and Conversion,
Navy'', 2017/2026: DDG 51 Program, $62,365,000;
(6) Under the heading ``Shipbuilding and Conversion,
Navy'', 2017/2026: LHA Replacement Program, $93,603,000;
(7) Under the heading ``Shipbuilding and Conversion,
Navy'', 2018/2026: Virginia Class Submarine Program,
$289,761,000;
(8) Under the heading ``Shipbuilding and Conversion,
Navy'', 2018/2026: DDG 51 Program, $104,238,000;
(9) Under the heading ``Shipbuilding and Conversion,
Navy'', 2019/2026: T-AO Fleet Oiler Program, $15,400,000;
(10) Under the heading ``Shipbuilding and Conversion,
Navy'', 2020/2026: T-AO Fleet Oiler Program, $48,260,000;
(11) Under the heading ``Shipbuilding and Conversion,
Navy'', 2022/2026: T-AO Fleet Oiler Program, $19,650,000;
(12) Under the heading ``Shipbuilding and Conversion,
Navy'', 2022/2026: Expeditionary Sea Base Program,
$30,000,000;
(13) Under the heading ``Shipbuilding and Conversion,
Navy'', 2023/2026: T-AO Fleet Oiler Program, $6,530,000; and
(14) Under the heading ``Shipbuilding and Conversion,
Navy'', 2024/2026: T-AO Fleet Oiler Program, $6,200,000.
Sec. 132. Notwithstanding sections 102 and 104, the
Secretary of Defense is authorized to use amounts otherwise
appropriated for such purposes to reimburse the Government of
Palau for land acquisition costs for defense sites in Palau.
Sec. 133. During the period covered by this Act, section
103(f)(4)(A) of Public Law 108-361 (the Calfed Bay-Delta
Authorization Act) shall be applied by substituting
``$32,600,000'' for ``$30,000,000''.
Sec. 134. (a) Amounts made available by section 101 in the
first proviso under the heading ``Department of Energy--
Atomic Energy Defense Activities--National Nuclear Security
Administration--Weapons Activities'' may be apportioned up to
the rate for operations necessary to maintain current
operations for the safe, secure transport of nuclear weapons.
(b) The Director of the Office of Management and Budget and
the Secretary of Energy shall notify the Committees on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate
not later than 3 days after each use of the authority
provided in subsection (a).
Sec. 135. Notwithstanding section 101, the matter
preceding the first proviso under the heading ``Office of
Personnel Management--Salaries and Expenses'' in title V of
division B of Public Law 118-47 shall be applied by
substituting ``$197,446,000'' for ``$219,076,000'', and the
second proviso under such heading in such title of such
division of such Act shall be applied by substituting
``$214,605,000'' for ``$192,975,000''.
Sec. 136. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act,
except section 106, the District of Columbia may expend local
funds made available under the heading ``District of
Columbia--District of Columbia Funds'' for such programs and
activities under the District of Columbia Appropriations Act,
2024 (title IV of division B of Public Law 118-47) at the
rate set forth in the Fiscal Year 2026 Local Budget Act of
2025 (D.C. Law 26-51), as modified as of the date of
enactment of this Act.
Sec. 137. Notwithstanding section 101, paragraph (1) under
the heading ``Department of the Treasury--Departmental
Offices--Salaries and Expenses'' in title I of division B of
Public Law 118-47 shall be applied by substituting
``$1,350,000'' for ``$350,000'': Provided, That such amounts
may be obligated in the account and budget structure set
forth in the fiscal year 2026 President's Budget, submitted
pursuant to section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code,
and accompanying justification materials.
Sec. 138. Amounts made available by section 101 for
``Small Business Administration--Business Loans Program
Account'' may be apportioned up to the rate for operations
necessary to accommodate increased demand for commitments for
general business loans authorized under paragraphs (1)
through (35) of section 7(a) of the Small Business Act (15
U.S.C. 636(a)), for guarantees of trust certificates
authorized by section 5(g) of the Small Business Act (15
U.S.C. 634(g)), for commitments to guarantee loans under
section 503 of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 (15
U.S.C. 697), and for commitments to guarantee loans for
debentures under section 303(b) of the Small Business
Investment Act of 1958 (15 U.S.C. 683(b)).
Sec. 139. Notwithstanding section 101, amounts are
provided for ``Department of the Treasury--Office of
Terrorism and Financial Intelligence--Salaries and Expenses''
at a rate for operations of $237,662,000.
Sec. 140. (a) Notwithstanding section 101, section 1605 of
title VI of division A of Public Law 119-4 shall be applied
through the end of the last applicable pay period that
commences by the date specified in section 106(3) of this Act
by substituting ``the end of the last applicable pay period
that commences in calendar year 2025'' for ``the date
specified in section 1106 of this Act''.
(b) Notwithstanding section 101, section 747 of title VII
of division B of Public Law 118-47 shall be applied through
the date specified in section 106(3) of this Act by--
(1) substituting ``2025'' for ``2023'' each place it
appears;
(2) substituting ``2026'' for ``2024'' each place it
appears;
(3) substituting ``2027'' for ``2025''; and
(4) substituting ``section 747 of division B of Public Law
118-47, as continued in effect and modified by section 1605
of title VI of division A of Public Law 119-4, as in effect
on September 30, 2025'' for ``section 747 of division E of
Public Law 117-328'' each place it appears.
(c) Subsection (b) shall not take effect until the first
day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after
January 1, 2026.
Sec. 141. Section 1(b) of Public Law 117-25 (135 Stat.
297; 136 Stat. 2133; 136 Stat. 5984; 138 Stat. 1771; 139
Stat. 46) shall be applied in each of paragraphs (3) and (4)
by substituting the date specified in section 106(3) of this
Act for ``September 30, 2025''.
Sec. 142. Notwithstanding section 101, title V of division
B of Public Law 118-47 shall be applied as though the heading
``Commodity Futures Trading Commission'' and the
appropriation language thereunder, as it appeared under the
heading ``Independent Agencies'' in title VI of division B of
Public Law 118-42, appeared in title V of division B of
Public Law 118-47.
Sec. 143. In addition to amounts otherwise provided by
section 101 for ``The Judiciary--Supreme Court of the United
States--Salaries and Expenses'', there is appropriated
$28,000,000, for an additional amount for fiscal year 2026,
to remain available until expended, for the protection of the
Supreme Court Justices, including the purchase and hire of
passenger motor vehicles as authorized by 31 U.S.C. 1343 and
1344, to be expended as the Chief Justice may approve.
Sec. 144. Notwithstanding section 101, amounts are
provided for ``The Judiciary--Courts of Appeals, District
Courts, and Other Judicial Services Defender Services'' at a
rate for operations of $1,564,373,000: Provided, That such
amounts may be apportioned up to the rate for operations
necessary to make payments, including to panel attorneys and
related service providers, due under sections 3006A and
3599(g) of title 18, United States Code.
Sec. 145. Section 210G(i) of the Homeland Security Act of
2002 (6 U.S.C. 124n(i)) shall be applied by substituting the
date specified in section 106(3) of this Act for ``September
30, 2025''.
Sec. 146. Section 225(e) of division A of Public Law 116-6
(49 U.S.C. 44901 note) shall be applied by substituting
``fiscal year 2019 through the date specified in section
106(3) of the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026'' for
``fiscal years 2019 through 2025''.
Sec. 147. Amounts made available by section 101 to the
Department of Homeland Security under the heading ``Federal
Emergency Management Agency--Disaster Relief Fund'' may be
apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to carry
out response and recovery activities under the Robert T.
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42
U.S.C. 5121 et seq.).
Sec. 148. Section 227(a) of the Federal Cybersecurity
Enhancement Act of 2015 (6 U.S.C. 1525(a)) shall be applied
by substituting the date specified in section 106(3) of this
Act for ``September 30, 2025''.
Sec. 149. Section 111(a) of the Cybersecurity Information
Sharing Act of 2015 (6 U.S.C. 1510(a)) shall be applied by
substituting the date specified in section 106(3) of this Act
for ``September 30, 2025''.
Sec. 150. Section 2220A(s)(1) of the Homeland Security Act
of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 665g(s)(1)) shall be applied by
substituting the date specified in section 106(3) of this Act
for ``September 30, 2025''.
Sec. 151. During the period covered by this Act, section
1701 of title VII of division B of Public Law 117-43, as
amended, shall be applied by substituting ``calendar years
2021 through 2026'' for ``2021 or 2022 or 2023 or 2024'' each
place it appears.
Sec. 152. Amounts made available by section 101 for
``Department of the Interior--Department-Wide Programs--
Wildland Fire Management'' and ``Department of Agriculture--
Forest Service--Wildland Fire Management'' may be apportioned
up to the rate for operations necessary for wildfire
suppression activities.
Sec. 153. (a) In addition to amounts otherwise provided by
section 101, amounts are provided for ``Department of Health
and Human Services--Indian Health Service--Indian Health
Services'' at a rate for operations of $72,265,000, for an
additional amount for costs of staffing and operating
facilities that were opened, renovated, or expanded in fiscal
years 2025 and 2026, and such amounts may be apportioned up
to the rate for operations necessary to staff and operate
such facilities.
(b) In addition to amounts otherwise provided by section
101, amounts are provided for ``Department of Health and
Human Services--Indian Health Service--Indian Health
Facilities'' at a rate for operations of $8,050,000, for an
additional amount for costs of staffing and operating
facilities that were opened, renovated, or expanded in fiscal
years 2025 and 2026, and such amounts may be apportioned up
to the rate for operations necessary to staff and operate
such facilities.
Sec. 154. Of the amounts made available in the third
paragraph under the heading ``Environmental Protection
Agency--State and Tribal Assistance Grants'' in the Disaster
Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023 (division N of
Public Law 117-328), up to $54,000,000 shall be available for
technical assistance and grants under section 1442(b) of the
Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j-1(b)) in areas where
the President declared an emergency in August

[[Page H4613]]

of fiscal year 2022 pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121
et seq.): Provided, That amounts repurposed pursuant to this
section that were previously designated by the Congress as
being for an emergency requirement pursuant to section
4001(a)(1) of S. Con. Res. 14 (117th Congress), the
concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2022, and
section 1(e) of H. Res. 1151 (117th Congress), as engrossed
in the House of Representatives on June 8, 2022, are
designated as being for an emergency requirement pursuant to
section 4001(a)(1) of S. Con. Res 14 (117th Congress), the
concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2022, and
to legislation establishing fiscal year 2026 budget
enforcement in the House of Representatives.
Sec. 155. Notwithstanding section 101, the matter under
the heading ``Department of Health and Human Services--
Administration for Children and Families--Children and
Families Services Programs'' in title II of division D of
Public Law 118-47 shall be applied by adding the following
after the second proviso: ``Provided further, That for
purposes of section 640(a)(2)(B)(v) of such Act, the base
grant for each of the Federated States of Micronesia and the
Republic of the Marshall Islands shall be $8,000,000, and
shall be considered equal to the amount provided for base
grants for such jurisdictions under such Act for the prior
fiscal year:''.
Sec. 156. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act,
there is appropriated--
(1) For payment to Ashley Paige Turner, heir of Sylvester
Turner, late a Representative from the State of Texas,
$174,000.
(2) For payment to Ramona Grijalva, widow of Raul M.
Grijalva, late a Representative from the State of Arizona,
$174,000.
(3) For payment to Catherine M. Smith, widow of Gerald E.
Connolly, late a Representative from the Commonwealth of
Virginia, $174,000.
Sec. 157. In addition to amounts otherwise made available
for ``Capitol Police--United States Capitol Police Mutual Aid
Reimbursements'', there is appropriated $30,000,000, for an
additional amount for fiscal year 2026, to remain available
until expended, for reimbursements for mutual aid and related
training provided under the agreements described in section
7302 of Public Law 108-458: Provided, That amounts provided
by this section shall be subject to the same authorities and
conditions as if such amounts were provided by title I of
division C of the Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture,
Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans
Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026: Provided further, That
obligation of the funds made available in this section in
this Act shall be subject to notification to the Chairmen and
Ranking Members of the Committees on Appropriations of both
Houses of Congress, the Senate Committee on Rules and
Administration, and the Committee on House Administration of
the amount and purpose of the expense within 15 days of
obligation.
Sec. 158. Section 1424(a) of the Better Utilization of
Investments Leading to Development Act of 2018 (22 U.S.C.
9624(a)) shall be applied by substituting the date specified
in section 106(3) of this Act for ``the date that is 7 years
after the date of the enactment of this Act''.
Sec. 159. The fifth and sixth provisos under the heading
``Millennium Challenge Corporation'' in title III of division
F of Public Law 118-47 shall be amended by striking
``December 31, 2024'' and inserting ``December 31, 2026''
each place it appears.
Sec. 160. Section 562(c) of the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development Act, as amended (22 U.S.C.
290l et seq.), is further amended by adding the following new
paragraph at the end:
``(13) Capital increase.--
``(A) Subscription authorized.--
``(i) The United States Governor of the Bank may subscribe
on behalf of the United States up to 40,000 additional shares
of the paid-in capital stock of the Bank.
``(ii) Any subscription by the United States to additional
paid-in capital stock of the Bank shall be effective only to
such extent and in such amounts as are provided in advance in
appropriations Acts.
``(B) Authorization of appropriations.--In order to pay for
the increase in the United States subscription to the Bank
under paragraph (A), there are authorized to be appropriated,
without fiscal year limitation, $437,457,804, for payment by
the Secretary of the Treasury.''.
Sec. 161. Notwithstanding section 106, during fiscal year
2026, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development may use
the unobligated balances of amounts made available in prior
fiscal years in paragraphs (2), (3), and (8) under the
heading ``Public and Indian Housing--Tenant-Based Rental
Assistance'' to support additional allocations under
subparagraph (D) of paragraph (1) and subparagraph (B) of
paragraph (4) of such heading to prevent the termination of
rental assistance for families as the result of insufficient
funding in the calendar year 2025 funding cycle: Provided,
That amounts repurposed pursuant to this section that were
previously designated by the Congress as an emergency
requirement pursuant to a concurrent resolution on the budget
or the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of
1985 are designated by the Congress as being for an emergency
requirement pursuant to section 4001(a)(1) of S. Con. Res. 14
(117th Congress), the concurrent resolution on the budget for
fiscal year 2022, and to legislation establishing fiscal year
2026 budget enforcement in the House of Representatives.
Sec. 162. Amounts made available by section 101 for
``Department of Transportation--Office of the Secretary--
Payments to Air Carriers'' may be apportioned up to the rate
for operations necessary to maintain Essential Air Service
program operations.
Sec. 163. Section 4144(d) of the Motor Carrier Safety
Reauthorization Act of 2005 (49 U.S.C. 31100 note) shall be
applied by substituting the date specified in section 106(3)
of this Act for ``September 30, 2025''.
This division may be cited as the ``Continuing
Appropriations Act, 2026''.

DIVISION B--AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG
ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026

TITLE I

AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS

Processing, Research, and Marketing

Office of the Secretary

(including transfers of funds)

For necessary expenses of the Office of the Secretary,
$46,361,000 of which not to exceed $7,000,000 shall be
available for the immediate Office of the Secretary, of which
$500,000 shall be for the establishment of a Seafood Industry
Liaison; not to exceed $1,700,000 shall be available for the
Office of Homeland Security; not to exceed $5,190,000 shall
be available for the Office of Tribal Relations, of which
$1,000,000 shall be to continue a Tribal Public Health
Resource Center at a land grant university with existing
indigenous public health expertise to expand current
partnerships and collaborative efforts with indigenous groups
to improve the delivery of public health services and
functions in American Indian communities focusing on
indigenous food sovereignty; not to exceed $5,250,000 shall
be available for the Office of Partnerships and Public
Engagement, of which $1,500,000 shall be for 7 U.S.C.
2279(c)(5); not to exceed $18,721,000 shall be available for
the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration, of
which $17,015,000 shall be available for Departmental
Administration to provide for necessary expenses for
management support services to offices of the Department and
for general administration, security, repairs and
alterations, and other miscellaneous supplies and expenses
not otherwise provided for and necessary for the practical
and efficient work of the Department: Provided, That funds
made available by this Act to an agency in the Administration
mission area for salaries and expenses are available to fund
up to one administrative support staff for the Office; not to
exceed $3,500,000 shall be available for the Office of
Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations and
Intergovernmental Affairs to carry out the programs funded by
this Act, including programs involving intergovernmental
affairs and liaison within the executive branch; and not to
exceed $5,000,000 shall be available for the Office of
Communications: Provided further, That the Secretary of
Agriculture is authorized to transfer funds appropriated for
any office of the Office of the Secretary to any other office
of the Office of the Secretary: Provided further, That no
appropriation for any office shall be increased or decreased
by more than 5 percent: Provided further, That not to exceed
$22,000 of the amount made available under this paragraph for
the immediate Office of the Secretary shall be available for
official reception and representation expenses, not otherwise
provided for, as determined by the Secretary: Provided
further, That the amount made available under this heading
for Departmental Administration shall be reimbursed from
applicable appropriations in this Act for travel expenses
incident to the holding of hearings as required by 5 U.S.C.
551-558: Provided further, That funds made available under
this heading for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Congressional Relations and Intergovernmental Affairs shall
be transferred to agencies of the Department of Agriculture
funded by this Act to maintain personnel at the agency level:
Provided further, That no funds made available under this
heading for the Office of Assistant Secretary for
Congressional Relations may be obligated after 30 days from
the date of enactment of this Act, unless the Secretary has
notified the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of
Congress on the allocation of these funds by USDA agency:
Provided further, That during any 30 day notification period
referenced in section 716 of this Act, the Secretary of
Agriculture shall take no action to begin implementation of
the action that is subject to section 716 of this Act or make
any public announcement of such action in any form.

Executive Operations

office of the chief economist

For necessary expenses of the Office of the Chief
Economist, $29,500,000, of which $10,000,000 shall be for
grants or cooperative agreements for policy research under 7
U.S.C. 3155: Provided, That of the amounts made available
under this heading, $2,425,000 shall be for an
interdisciplinary center based at a land grant university
focused on agricultural policy relevant to the Midwest region
which will provide private entities, policymakers, and the
public with timely insights and targeted economic solutions:
Provided further, That of the amounts made available under
this heading, $500,000 shall be available to carry out
section 224 of subtitle A of the Department of Agriculture
Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6924), as amended by
section 12504 of Public Law 115-334.

office of hearings and appeals

For necessary expenses of the Office of Hearings and
Appeals, $14,500,000.

office of budget and program analysis

For necessary expenses of the Office of Budget and Program
Analysis, $14,967,000.

Office of the Chief Information Officer

For necessary expenses of the Office of the Chief
Information Officer, $85,000,000, of which

[[Page H4614]]

not less than $60,032,000 is for cybersecurity requirements
of the department.

Office of the Chief Financial Officer

For necessary expenses of the Office of the Chief Financial
Officer, $5,867,000.

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

For necessary expenses of the Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Civil Rights, $1,466,000: Provided, That funds
made available by this Act to an agency in the Civil Rights
mission area for salaries and expenses are available to fund
up to one administrative support staff for the Office.

Office of Civil Rights

For necessary expenses of the Office of Civil Rights,
$30,000,000.

Agriculture Buildings and Facilities

(including transfers of funds)

For payment of space rental and related costs pursuant to
Public Law 92-313, including authorities pursuant to the 1984
delegation of authority from the Administrator of General
Services to the Department of Agriculture under 40 U.S.C.
121, for programs and activities of the Department which are
included in this Act, and for alterations and other actions
needed for the Department and its agencies to consolidate
unneeded space into configurations suitable for release to
the Administrator of General Services, and for the operation,
maintenance, improvement, and repair of Agriculture buildings
and facilities, and for related costs, $15,000,000, to remain
available until expended.

Hazardous Materials Management

(including transfers of funds)

For necessary expenses of the Department of Agriculture, to
comply with the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act (42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.) and
the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.),
$1,619,000, to remain available until expended: Provided,
That appropriations and funds available herein to the
Department for Hazardous Materials Management may be
transferred to any agency of the Department for its use in
meeting all requirements pursuant to the above Acts on
Federal and non-Federal lands.

Office of Safety, Security, and Protection

For necessary expenses of the Office of Safety, Security,
and Protection, $24,000,000.

Office of Inspector General

For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General,
including employment pursuant to the Inspector General Act of
1978 (Public Law 95-452; 5 U.S.C. App.), $103,000,000,
including such sums as may be necessary for contracting and
other arrangements with public agencies and private persons
pursuant to section 6(a)(9) of the Inspector General Act of
1978 (Public Law 95-452; 5 U.S.C. App.), and including not to
exceed $125,000 for certain confidential operational
expenses, including the payment of informants, to be expended
under the direction of the Inspector General pursuant to the
Inspector General Act of 1978 (Public Law 95-452; 5 U.S.C.
App.) and section 1337 of the Agriculture and Food Act of
1981 (Public Law 97-98).

Office of the General Counsel

For necessary expenses of the Office of the General
Counsel, $60,537,000.

Office of Ethics

For necessary expenses of the Office of Ethics, $4,500,000.

Office of the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics

For necessary expenses of the Office of the Under Secretary
for Research, Education, and Economics, $1,884,000:
Provided, That funds made available by this Act to an agency
in the Research, Education, and Economics mission area for
salaries and expenses are available to fund up to one
administrative support staff for the Office: Provided
further, That of the amounts made available under this
heading, $500,000 shall be made available for the Office of
the Chief Scientist.

Economic Research Service

For necessary expenses of the Economic Research Service,
$90,612,000.

National Agricultural Statistics Service

For necessary expenses of the National Agricultural
Statistics Service, $185,000,000, of which up to $46,000,000
shall be available until expended for the Census of
Agriculture: Provided, That amounts made available for the
Census of Agriculture may be used to conduct Current
Industrial Report surveys subject to 7 U.S.C. 2204g(d) and
(f): Provided further, That the Secretary shall notify the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress in
writing at least 30 days prior to discontinuing data
collection programs and reports.

Agricultural Research Service

salaries and expenses

For necessary expenses of the Agricultural Research Service
and for acquisition of lands by donation, exchange, or
purchase at a nominal cost not to exceed $100,000 and with
prior notification and approval of the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress, and for land
exchanges where the lands exchanged shall be of equal value
or shall be equalized by a payment of money to the grantor
which shall not exceed 25 percent of the total value of the
land or interests transferred out of Federal ownership,
$1,793,063,000, which shall be for the purposes, and in the
amounts, specified in the table titled ``Agricultural
Research Service Salaries and Expenses'' in the explanatory
statement described in section 4 (in the matter preceding
division A of this consolidated Act): Provided, That
appropriations hereunder shall be available for the operation
and maintenance of aircraft and the purchase of not to exceed
one for replacement only: Provided further, That
appropriations hereunder shall be available pursuant to 7
U.S.C. 2250 for the construction, alteration, and repair of
buildings and improvements, but unless otherwise provided,
the cost of constructing any one building shall not exceed
$500,000, except for headhouses or greenhouses which shall
each be limited to $1,800,000, except for 10 buildings to be
constructed or improved at a cost not to exceed $1,100,000
each, and except for four buildings to be constructed at a
cost not to exceed $5,000,000 each, and the cost of altering
any one building during the fiscal year shall not exceed 10
percent of the current replacement value of the building or
$500,000, whichever is greater: Provided further, That
appropriations hereunder shall be available for entering into
lease agreements at any Agricultural Research Service
location for the construction of a research facility by a
non-Federal entity for use by the Agricultural Research
Service and a condition of the lease shall be that any
facility shall be owned, operated, and maintained by the non-
Federal entity and shall be removed upon the expiration or
termination of the lease agreement: Provided further, That
the limitations on alterations contained in this Act shall
not apply to modernization or replacement of existing
facilities at Beltsville, Maryland: Provided further, That
appropriations hereunder shall be available for granting
easements at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center:
Provided further, That the foregoing limitations shall not
apply to replacement of buildings needed to carry out the Act
of April 24, 1948 (21 U.S.C. 113a): Provided further, That
appropriations hereunder shall be available for granting
easements at any Agricultural Research Service location for
the construction of a research facility by a non-Federal
entity for use by, and acceptable to, the Agricultural
Research Service and a condition of the easements shall be
that upon completion the facility shall be accepted by the
Secretary, subject to the availability of funds herein, if
the Secretary finds that acceptance of the facility is in the
interest of the United States: Provided further, That funds
may be received from any State, other political subdivision,
organization, or individual for the purpose of establishing
or operating any research facility or research project of the
Agricultural Research Service, as authorized by law:
Provided further, That no later than 60 days from the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall provide a report
to the Committees on Appropriations of both House of Congress
that outlines the current funding levels, staffing levels,
and hiring plans in fiscal year 2026 for each research unit:
Provided further, That the Secretary shall include in the
department's fiscal year 2027 budget request estimates for
funding levels, staffing levels, and hiring plans for each
research unit: Provided further, That appropriations
hereunder shall be available for the Experienced Services
Program at the Agricultural Research Service (16 U.S.C.
3851).

buildings and facilities

For the acquisition of land, construction, repair,
improvement, extension, alteration, and purchase of fixed
equipment or facilities as necessary to carry out the
agricultural research programs of the Department of
Agriculture, where not otherwise provided, $60,650,000, to
remain available until expended, of which $57,650,000 shall
be for the purposes, and in the amounts, specified for this
account in the table titled ``Community Project Funding/
Congressionally Directed Spending'' in the explanatory
statement described in section 4 (in the matter preceding
division A of this consolidated Act), and of which, in
addition to amounts otherwise available, $3,000,000 shall be
for construction and facilities improvements at the
Beltsville Agricultural Research Center.

National Institute of Food and Agriculture

research and education activities

For payments to agricultural experiment stations, for
cooperative forestry and other research, for facilities, and
for other expenses, $1,075,810,000, which shall be for the
purposes, in the amounts, and for the periods of availability
specified in the table titled ``National Institute of Food
and Agriculture, Research and Education Activities'' in the
explanatory statement described in section 4 (in the matter
preceding division A of this consolidated Act), of which
$551,060,000 shall remain available until expended and of
which $7,000,000 shall remain available until September 30,
2027: Provided, That of the amounts provided under this
heading, $13,560,000 shall be for the purposes, and in the
amounts, specified for this account in the table titled
``Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed
Spending'' in the explanatory statement described in section
4 (in the matter preceding division A of this consolidated
Act), to remain available until expended, which shall not be
subject to section 6(c) and section 6(d) of the Research
Facilities Act (7 U.S.C. 390d): Provided further, That each
institution eligible to receive funds under the Evans-Allen
program receives no less than $1,000,000: Provided further,
That funds for education grants for Alaska Native and Native
Hawaiian-serving institutions be made available to individual
eligible institutions or consortia of eligible institutions
with funds awarded equally to each of the States of Alaska
and Hawaii: Provided further, That funds for education
grants for 1890 institutions shall be made available to
institutions eligible to receive funds under 7 U.S.C. 3221
and 3222: Provided further, That not more than 5 percent of
the amounts made available by this or any other Act to carry
out the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative under 7
U.S.C. 3157 may be retained by the Secretary of Agriculture
to pay administrative costs incurred by the Secretary in
carrying out that authority.

[[Page H4615]]

native american institutions endowment fund

For the Native American Institutions Endowment Fund
authorized by Public Law 103-382 (7 U.S.C. 301 note),
$11,880,000, to remain available until expended.

extension activities

For payments to States, the District of Columbia, Puerto
Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, Micronesia, the Northern
Marianas, and American Samoa, $561,100,000 which shall be for
the purposes, in the amounts, and for the periods of
availability specified in the table titled ``National
Institute of Food and Agriculture, Extension Activities'' in
the explanatory statement described in section 4 (in the
matter preceding division A of this consolidated Act), of
which $33,500,000 shall remain available until expended:
Provided, That institutions eligible to receive funds under 7
U.S.C. 3221 for cooperative extension receive no less than
$1,000,000: Provided further, That funds for cooperative
extension under sections 3(b) and (c) of the Smith-Lever Act
(7 U.S.C. 343(b) and (c)) and section 208(c) of Public Law
93-471 shall be available for retirement and employees'
compensation costs for extension agents.

integrated activities

For the integrated research, education, and extension
grants programs, including necessary administrative expenses,
$40,100,000, which shall be for the purposes, in the amounts,
and for the periods of availability specified in the table
titled ``National Institute of Food and Agriculture,
Integrated Activities'' in the explanatory statement
described in section 4 (in the matter preceding division A of
this consolidated Act), of which $8,000,000 shall remain
available until September 30, 2027: Provided, That
notwithstanding any other provision of law, indirect costs
shall not be charged against any Extension Implementation
Program Area grant awarded under the Crop Protection/Pest
Management Program (7 U.S.C. 7626).

Office of the Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs

For necessary expenses of the Office of the Under Secretary
for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, $1,617,000: Provided,
That funds made available by this Act to an agency in the
Marketing and Regulatory Programs mission area for salaries
and expenses are available to fund up to one administrative
support staff for the Office.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

salaries and expenses

(including transfers of funds)

For necessary expenses of the Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service, including up to $30,000 for
representation allowances and for expenses pursuant to the
Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4085), $1,157,534,000
which shall be for the purposes, in the amounts, and for the
periods of availability specified in the table titled
``Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service'' in the
explanatory statement described in section 4 (in the matter
preceding division A of this consolidated Act), of which
$594,551,000 shall remain available until expended, of which
$11,384,000 shall be for the purposes, and in the amounts,
specified for this account in the table titled ``Community
Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending'' in the
explanatory statement described in section 4 (in the matter
preceding division A of this consolidated Act), to remain
available until expended, and of which $8,500,000 shall
remain available until September 30, 2027: Provided, That no
funds shall be used to formulate or administer a brucellosis
eradication program for the current fiscal year that does not
require minimum matching by the States of at least 40
percent: Provided further, That this appropriation shall be
available for the purchase, replacement, operation, and
maintenance of aircraft: Provided further, That in addition,
in emergencies which threaten any segment of the agricultural
production industry of the United States, the Secretary may
transfer from other appropriations or funds available to the
agencies or corporations of the Department such sums as may
be deemed necessary, to be available only in such emergencies
for the arrest and eradication of contagious or infectious
disease or pests of animals, poultry, or plants, and for
expenses in accordance with sections 10411 and 10417 of the
Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8310 and 8316) and
sections 431 and 442 of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C.
7751 and 7772), and any unexpended balances of funds
transferred for such emergency purposes in the preceding
fiscal year shall be merged with such transferred amounts:
Provided further, That the Secretary must notify the
Committees on Appropriations about any transfer of funds in
the preceding proviso within 15 days after such transfer
being made: Provided further, That appropriations hereunder
shall be available pursuant to law (7 U.S.C. 2250) for the
repair and alteration of leased buildings and improvements,
but unless otherwise provided the cost of altering any one
building during the fiscal year shall not exceed 10 percent
of the current replacement value of the building.
In fiscal year 2026, the agency is authorized to collect
fees to cover the total costs of providing technical
assistance, goods, or services requested by States, other
political subdivisions, domestic and international
organizations, foreign governments, or individuals, provided
that such fees are structured such that any entity's
liability for such fees is reasonably based on the technical
assistance, goods, or services provided to the entity by the
agency, and such fees shall be reimbursed to this account, to
remain available until expended, without further
appropriation, for providing such assistance, goods, or
services.

buildings and facilities

For plans, construction, repair, preventive maintenance,
environmental support, improvement, extension, alteration,
and purchase of fixed equipment or facilities, as authorized
by 7 U.S.C. 2250, and acquisition of land as authorized by 7
U.S.C. 2268a, $500,000, to remain available until expended.

Agricultural Marketing Service

marketing services

For necessary expenses of the Agricultural Marketing
Service, $211,367,000, of which $6,000,000 shall be available
for the purposes of section 12306 of Public Law 113-79, and
of which $1,000,000 shall be available for the purposes of
section 779 of division A of Public Law 117-103: Provided,
That of the amounts made available under this heading,
$13,750,000, to remain available until expended, shall be to
carry out section 12513 of Public Law 115-334, of which
$11,250,000 shall be for dairy business innovation
initiatives established in Public Law 116-6 and the Secretary
shall take measures to ensure an equal distribution of funds
between these three regional innovation initiatives:
Provided further, That this appropriation shall be available
pursuant to law (7 U.S.C. 2250) for the alteration and repair
of buildings and improvements, but the cost of altering any
one building during the fiscal year shall not exceed 10
percent of the current replacement value of the building.
Fees may be collected for the cost of standardization
activities, as established by regulation pursuant to law (31
U.S.C. 9701), except for the cost of activities relating to
the development or maintenance of grain standards under the
United States Grain Standards Act, 7 U.S.C. 71 et seq.

limitation on administrative expenses

Not to exceed $62,596,000 (from fees collected) shall be
obligated during the current fiscal year for administrative
expenses: Provided, That if crop size is understated and/or
other uncontrollable events occur, the agency may exceed this
limitation by up to 10 percent with notification to the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress.

funds for strengthening markets, income, and supply (section 32)

(including transfers of funds)

Funds available under section 32 of the Act of August 24,
1935 (7 U.S.C. 612c), shall be used only for commodity
program expenses as authorized therein, and other related
operating expenses, except for: (1) transfers to the
Department of Commerce as authorized by the Fish and Wildlife
Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742a et seq.); (2) transfers otherwise
provided in this Act; and (3) not more than $23,880,000 for
formulation and administration of marketing agreements and
orders pursuant to the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act
of 1937 and the Agricultural Act of 1961 (Public Law 87-128).

payments to states and possessions

For payments to departments of agriculture, bureaus and
departments of markets, and similar agencies for marketing
activities under section 204(b) of the Agricultural Marketing
Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1623(b)), $500,000.

limitation on inspection and weighing services expenses

Not to exceed $55,000,000 (from fees collected) shall be
obligated during the current fiscal year for inspection and
weighing services: Provided, That if grain export activities
require additional supervision and oversight, or other
uncontrollable factors occur, this limitation may be exceeded
by up to 10 percent with notification to the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress.

Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety

For necessary expenses of the Office of the Under Secretary
for Food Safety, $1,117,000: Provided, That funds made
available by this Act to an agency in the Food Safety mission
area for salaries and expenses are available to fund up to
one administrative support staff for the Office.

Food Safety and Inspection Service

For necessary expenses to carry out services authorized by
the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products
Inspection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act,
including not to exceed $10,000 for representation allowances
and for expenses pursuant to section 8 of the Act approved
August 3, 1956 (7 U.S.C. 1766), $1,215,200,000; and in
addition, $1,000,000 may be credited to this account from
fees collected for the cost of laboratory accreditation as
authorized by section 1327 of the Food, Agriculture,
Conservation and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 138f):
Provided, That funds provided for the Public Health Data
Communication Infrastructure system shall remain available
until expended: Provided further, That no fewer than 148
full-time equivalent positions shall be employed during
fiscal year 2026 for purposes dedicated solely to inspections
and enforcement related to the Humane Methods of Slaughter
Act (7 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.): Provided further, That the Food
Safety and Inspection Service shall continue implementation
of section 11016 of Public Law 110-246 as further clarified
by the amendments made in section 12106 of Public Law 113-79:
Provided further, That this appropriation shall be available
pursuant to law (7 U.S.C. 2250) for the alteration and repair
of buildings and improvements, but the cost of altering any
one building during the fiscal year shall not exceed 10
percent of the current replacement value of the building.

[[Page H4616]]

TITLE II

FARM PRODUCTION AND CONSERVATION PROGRAMS

Office of the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation

For necessary expenses of the Office of the Under Secretary
for Farm Production and Conservation, $1,527,000: Provided,
That funds made available by this Act to an agency in the
Farm Production and Conservation mission area for salaries
and expenses are available to fund up to one administrative
support staff for the Office.

Farm Production and Conservation Business Center

salaries and expenses

(including transfers of funds)

For necessary expenses of the Farm Production and
Conservation Business Center, $167,633,000, of which
$1,000,000 shall be for the implementation of section 773 of
Public Law 117-328: Provided, That $70,740,000 of amounts
appropriated for the current fiscal year pursuant to section
1241(a) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 1985
(16 U.S.C. 3841(a)) shall be transferred to and merged with
this account.

Farm Service Agency

salaries and expenses

(including transfers of funds)

For necessary expenses of the Farm Service Agency,
$1,125,000,000, of which not less than $15,000,000 shall be
for the hiring of new employees to fill vacancies and
anticipated vacancies at Farm Service Agency county offices
and farm loan officers and shall be available until September
30, 2027: Provided, That the agency shall submit a report by
the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2026 to the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress that
identifies for each project/investment that is operational
(a) current performance against key indicators of customer
satisfaction, (b) current performance of service level
agreements or other technical metrics, (c) current
performance against a pre-established cost baseline, (d) a
detailed breakdown of current and planned spending on
operational enhancements or upgrades, and (e) an assessment
of whether the investment continues to meet business needs as
intended as well as alternatives to the investment: Provided
further, That the Secretary is authorized to use the
services, facilities, and authorities (but not the funds) of
the Commodity Credit Corporation to make program payments for
all programs administered by the Agency: Provided further,
That other funds made available to the Agency for authorized
activities may be advanced to and merged with this account:
Provided further, That of the amount appropriated under this
heading, $696,594,000 shall be made available to county
offices, to remain available until expended: Provided
further, That, notwithstanding the preceding proviso, any
funds made available to county offices in the current fiscal
year that the Administrator of the Farm Service Agency deems
to exceed or not meet the amount needed for the county
offices may be transferred to or from the Farm Service Agency
for necessary expenses: Provided further, That none of the
funds available for any department or agency in this or any
other appropriations Acts, including prior year Acts, shall
be used to close Farm Service Agency county offices:
Provided further, That none of the funds available in this or
any other Act, including prior year Acts, shall be used to
permanently relocate county based employees that would result
in an office with two or fewer employees without prior
notification and approval of the Committees on Appropriations
of both Houses of Congress.

state mediation grants

For grants pursuant to section 502(b) of the Agricultural
Credit Act of 1987, as amended (7 U.S.C. 5101-5106),
$6,500,000: Provided, That the Secretary of Agriculture may
determine that United States territories and Federally
recognized Indian tribes are ``States'' for the purposes of
Subtitle A of such Act.

grassroots source water protection program

For necessary expenses to carry out wellhead or groundwater
protection activities under section 1240O of the Food
Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839bb-2), $7,500,000, to
remain available until expended.

dairy indemnity program

(including transfer of funds)

For necessary expenses involved in making indemnity
payments to dairy farmers and manufacturers of dairy products
under a dairy indemnity program, such sums as may be
necessary, to remain available until expended: Provided,
That such program is carried out by the Secretary in the same
manner as the dairy indemnity program described in the
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration,
and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 (Public Law
106-387, 114 Stat. 1549A-12).

geographically disadvantaged farmers and ranchers

For necessary expenses to carry out direct reimbursement
payments to geographically disadvantaged farmers and ranchers
under section 1621 of the Food Conservation, and Energy Act
of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8792), $3,500,000, to remain available
until expended.

agricultural credit insurance fund program account

(including transfers of funds)

For gross obligations for the principal amount of direct
and guaranteed farm ownership (7 U.S.C. 1922 et seq.) and
operating (7 U.S.C. 1941 et seq.) loans, emergency loans (7
U.S.C. 1961 et seq.), Indian tribe land acquisition loans (25
U.S.C. 5136), boll weevil loans (7 U.S.C. 1989), guaranteed
conservation loans (7 U.S.C. 1924 et seq.), to be available
from funds in the Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund, as
follows: $3,500,000,000 for guaranteed farm ownership loans
and $2,580,000,000 for farm ownership direct loans;
$2,000,000,000 for unsubsidized guaranteed operating loans
and $1,633,000,000 for direct operating loans; emergency
loans, $14,388,000; Indian tribe land acquisition loans,
$20,000,000; guaranteed conservation loans, $150,000,000; and
for boll weevil eradication program loans, $60,000,000:
Provided, That the Secretary shall deem the pink bollworm to
be a boll weevil for the purpose of boll weevil eradication
program loans.
For the cost of direct and guaranteed loans and grants,
including the cost of modifying loans as defined in section
502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, as follows:
$1,000,000 for emergency loans, to remain available until
expended; $32,766,000 for farm ownership direct loans, and
$84,000 for boll weevil eradication program loans.
In addition, for administrative expenses necessary to carry
out the direct and guaranteed loan programs, $326,053,000:
Provided, That of this amount, $305,803,000 shall be paid to
the appropriation for ``Farm Service Agency, Salaries and
Expenses''.
Funds appropriated by this Act to the Agricultural Credit
Insurance Program Account for farm ownership, operating,
conservation, and emergency direct loans and loan guarantees
may be transferred among these programs: Provided, That the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress are
notified at least 15 days in advance of any transfer.

Risk Management Agency

salaries and expenses

For necessary expenses of the Risk Management Agency,
$60,000,000: Provided, That $1,000,000 of the amount
appropriated under this heading in this Act shall be
available for compliance and integrity activities required
under section 516(b)(2)(C) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act
of 1938 (7 U.S.C. 1516(b)(2)(C)), and shall be in addition to
amounts otherwise provided for such purpose: Provided
further, That not to exceed $1,000 shall be available for
official reception and representation expenses, as authorized
by 7 U.S.C. 1506(i).

Natural Resources Conservation Service

conservation operations

For necessary expenses for carrying out the provisions of
the Act of April 27, 1935 (16 U.S.C. 590a-f), including
preparation of conservation plans and establishment of
measures to conserve soil and water (including farm
irrigation and land drainage and such special measures for
soil and water management as may be necessary to prevent
floods and the siltation of reservoirs and to control
agricultural related pollutants); operation of conservation
plant materials centers; classification and mapping of soil;
dissemination of information; acquisition of lands, water,
and interests therein for use in the plant materials program
by donation, exchange, or purchase at a nominal cost not to
exceed $100 pursuant to the Act of August 3, 1956 (7 U.S.C.
2268a); purchase and erection or alteration or improvement of
permanent and temporary buildings; and operation and
maintenance of aircraft, $850,000,000, which shall be for the
purposes and in the amounts specified in the table titled
``Natural Resources Conservation Service, Conservation
Operations'' in the explanatory statement described in
section 4 (in the matter preceding division A of this
consolidated Act), to remain available until September 30,
2027, of which $34,625,000 shall for be for the purposes, and
in the amounts specified for this account in the table titled
``Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed
Spending'' in the explanatory statement described in section
4 (in the matter preceding division A of this consolidated
Act): Provided, That appropriations hereunder shall be
available pursuant to 7 U.S.C. 2250 for construction and
improvement of buildings and public improvements at plant
materials centers, except that the cost of alterations and
improvements to other buildings and other public improvements
shall not exceed $250,000: Provided further, That when
buildings or other structures are erected on non-Federal
land, that the right to use such land is obtained as provided
in 7 U.S.C. 2250a.

watershed and flood prevention operations

For necessary expenses to carry out preventive measures,
including but not limited to surveys and investigations,
engineering operations, works of improvement, and changes in
use of land, in accordance with the Watershed Protection and
Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1001-1005 and 1007-1009) and
in accordance with the provisions of laws relating to the
activities of the Department, $50,000,000, to remain
available until expended, of which $32,360,000 shall be for
the purposes, and in the amounts, specified for this account
in the table titled ``Community Project Funding/
Congressionally Directed Spending'' in the explanatory
statement described in section 4 (in the matter preceding
division A of this consolidated Act): Provided, That for
funds provided by this Act or any other prior Act, the
limitation regarding the size of the watershed or
subwatershed exceeding two hundred and fifty thousand acres
in which such activities can be undertaken shall only apply
for activities undertaken for the primary purpose of flood
prevention (including structural and land treatment
measures): Provided further, That of the amounts made
available under this heading, $10,000,000 shall be allocated
to multi-benefit irrigation modernization projects and
activities that increase fish or wildlife habitat, reduce
drought impact, improve water quality or instream flow, or
provide off-channel renewable energy production.

[[Page H4617]]

watershed rehabilitation program

Under the authorities of section 14 of the Watershed
Protection and Flood Prevention Act, $3,000,000 is provided.

CORPORATIONS

The following corporations and agencies are hereby
authorized to make expenditures, within the limits of funds
and borrowing authority available to each such corporation or
agency and in accord with law, and to make contracts and
commitments without regard to fiscal year limitations as
provided by section 104 of the Government Corporation Control
Act as may be necessary in carrying out the programs set
forth in the budget for the current fiscal year for such
corporation or agency, except as hereinafter provided.

Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Fund

For payments as authorized by section 516 of the Federal
Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1516), such sums as may be
necessary, to remain available until expended.

Commodity Credit Corporation Fund

reimbursement for net realized losses

(including transfers of funds)

For the current fiscal year, such sums as may be necessary
to reimburse the Commodity Credit Corporation for net
realized losses sustained, but not previously reimbursed,
pursuant to section 2 of the Act of August 17, 1961 (15
U.S.C. 713a-11): Provided, That of the funds available to
the Commodity Credit Corporation under section 11 of the
Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act (15 U.S.C. 714i) for
the conduct of its business with the Foreign Agricultural
Service, up to $5,000,000 may be transferred to and used by
the Foreign Agricultural Service for information resource
management activities of the Foreign Agricultural Service
that are not related to Commodity Credit Corporation
business: Provided further, That the Secretary shall notify
the Committees on Appropriations of the House and Senate in
writing 15 days prior to the obligation, commitment, or
transfer of any emergency funds from the Commodity Credit
Corporation or the transfer or cancellation of any previously
obligated Commodity Credit Corporation funds: Provided
further, That such written notification shall include a
detailed spend plan for the anticipated uses of such funds
and an expected timeline for program execution if such
obligation, commitment, transfer, or cancellation exceeds
$100,000,000.

hazardous waste management

(limitation on expenses)

For the current fiscal year, the Commodity Credit
Corporation shall not expend more than $15,000,000 for site
investigation and cleanup expenses, and operations and
maintenance expenses to comply with the requirement of
section 107(g) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act (42 U.S.C. 9607(g)), and
section 6001 of the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C.
6961).

TITLE III

RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

Office of the Under Secretary for Rural Development

For necessary expenses of the Office of the Under Secretary
for Rural Development, $1,620,000: Provided, That funds made
available by this Act to an agency in the Rural Development
mission area for salaries and expenses are available to fund
up to one administrative support staff for the Office.

Rural Development

salaries and expenses

(including transfers of funds)

For necessary expenses for carrying out the administration
and implementation of Rural Development programs, including
activities with institutions concerning the development and
operation of agricultural cooperatives; and for cooperative
agreements; $312,000,000: Provided, That of the amount made
available under this heading, no less than $75,000,000, to
remain available until expended, shall be used for
information technology expenses: Provided further, That
notwithstanding any other provision of law, funds
appropriated under this heading may be used for advertising
and promotional activities that support Rural Development
programs: Provided further, That in addition to any other
funds appropriated for purposes authorized by section 502(i)
of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1472(i)), any amounts
collected under such section, as amended by this Act, will
immediately be credited to this account and will remain
available until expended for such purposes: Provided
further, That of the amount made available under this
heading, $2,000,000, to remain available until expended,
shall be for the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out a
pilot program that assists rural hospitals to improve long-
term operations and financial health, including strategies to
expand and sustain access to maternal health care services,
by providing technical assistance through analysis of current
hospital management practices.

Rural Housing Service

rural housing insurance fund program account

(including transfers of funds)

For gross obligations for the principal amount of direct
and guaranteed loans as authorized by title V of the Housing
Act of 1949, to be available from funds in the rural housing
insurance fund, as follows: $1,000,000,000 shall be for
section 502 direct loans; $5,000,000 shall be for a Single
Family Housing Relending demonstration program for Native
American Tribes; and $25,000,000,000 shall be for section 502
unsubsidized guaranteed loans; $25,000,000 for section 504
housing repair loans; $50,000,000 for section 515 rental
housing; $400,000,000 for section 538 guaranteed multi-family
housing loans; $10,000,000 for credit sales of single family
housing acquired property; $5,000,000 for section 523 self-
help housing land development loans; $5,000,000 for section
524 site development loans; and $15,000,000 for section 514
direct farm labor housing loans.
For the cost of direct loans, guaranteed loans, and grants,
including the cost of modifying loans, as defined in section
502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, as follows:
section 502 direct loans, $130,600,000, of which $32,650,000
shall remain available until September 30, 2027; Single
Family Housing Relending demonstration program for Native
American Tribes, $2,125,000; section 504 housing repair
loans, $4,333,000; repair, rehabilitation, and new
construction of section 515 rental housing, $15,130,000, to
remain available until expended; section 523 self-help
housing land development loans, $657,000; section 524 site
development loans, $502,000; section 514 farm labor housing
loans, $4,761,000, to remain available until expended; and
farm labor housing grants, as authorized by section 516 of
the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1484, 1486), $6,000,000,
to remain available until expended: Provided, That to
support the loan program level for section 538 guaranteed
loans made available under this heading the Secretary may
charge or adjust any fees to cover the projected cost of such
loan guarantees pursuant to the provisions of the Credit
Reform Act of 1990 (2 U.S.C. 661 et seq.), and the interest
on such loans may not be subsidized: Provided further, That
applicants in communities that have a current rural area
waiver under section 541 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42
U.S.C. 1490q) shall be treated as living in a rural area for
purposes of section 502 guaranteed loans provided under this
heading: Provided further, That of the amounts available
under this paragraph for section 502 direct loans, no less
than $5,000,000 shall be available for direct loans for
individuals whose homes will be built pursuant to a program
funded with a mutual and self-help housing grant authorized
by section 523 of the Housing Act of 1949 until June 1, 2026:
Provided further, That the Secretary shall implement
provisions to provide incentives to nonprofit organizations
and public housing authorities to facilitate the acquisition
of Rural Housing Service (RHS) multifamily housing properties
by such nonprofit organizations and public housing
authorities that commit to keep such properties in the RHS
multifamily housing program for a period of time as
determined by the Secretary, with such incentives to include,
but not be limited to, the following: allow such nonprofit
entities and public housing authorities to earn a Return on
Investment on the owner's initial equity contributions, as
defined by the Secretary, invested in the transaction; and
allow reimbursement of organizational costs associated with
owner's oversight of asset referred to as ``Asset Management
Fee'' of up to $7,500 per property.
In addition, for the cost of direct loans and grants,
including the cost of modifying loans, as defined in section
502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, $30,000,000, to
remain available until expended, for a demonstration program
for the preservation and revitalization of the sections 514,
515, and 516 multi-family rental housing properties to
restructure existing USDA multi-family housing loans, as the
Secretary deems appropriate, expressly for the purposes of
ensuring the project has sufficient resources to preserve the
project for the purpose of providing safe and affordable
housing for low-income residents and farm laborers including
reducing or eliminating interest; deferring loan payments,
subordinating, reducing or re-amortizing loan debt; and other
financial assistance including advances, payments and
incentives (including the ability of owners to obtain
reasonable returns on investment) required by the Secretary:
Provided, That the Secretary shall, as part of the
preservation and revitalization agreement, obtain a
restrictive use agreement consistent with the terms of the
restructuring.
In addition, for administrative expenses necessary to carry
out the direct and guaranteed loan programs, $412,254,000
shall be paid to the appropriation for ``Rural Development,
Salaries and Expenses''.

rental assistance program

For rental assistance agreements entered into or renewed
pursuant to the authority under section 521(a)(2) of the
Housing Act of 1949 or agreements entered into in lieu of
debt forgiveness or payments for eligible households as
authorized by section 502(c)(5)(D) of the Housing Act of
1949, $1,715,000,000, and in addition such sums as may be
necessary, as authorized by section 521(c) of the Act, to
liquidate debt incurred prior to fiscal year 1992 to carry
out the rental assistance program under section 521(a)(2) of
the Act: Provided, That amounts made available under this
heading shall be available for renewal of rental assistance
agreements for a maximum of 5,000 units where the Secretary
determines that a maturing loan for a project cannot
reasonably be restructured with another USDA loan or
modification and the project was operating with rental
assistance under section 521 of the Housing Act of 1949:
Provided further, That the Secretary may enter into rental
assistance contracts in maturing properties with existing
rental assistance agreements notwithstanding any provision of
section 521 of the Housing Act of 1949, for a term of at
least 10 years but not more than 20 years: Provided further,
That any agreement to enter into a rental assistance contract
under section 521 of the Housing Act of 1949 for a maturing
property shall obligate the owner to continue to maintain the
project as decent, safe, and sanitary housing and to operate
the development in accordance with the Housing Act of 1949,
except that rents shall be based on current Fair Market Rents
as established by the Department of Housing and Urban
Development pursuant to 24 CFR 888 Subpart A, 42 U.S.C. 1437f
and 3535d, to determine the maximum initial rent and adjusted

[[Page H4618]]

annually by the Operating Cost Adjustment Factor pursuant to
24 CFR 888 Subpart B, unless the Agency determines that the
project's budget-based needs require a higher rent, in which
case the Agency may approve a budget-based rent level:
Provided further, That rental assistance agreements entered
into or renewed during the current fiscal year shall be
funded for a one year period: Provided further, That upon
request by an owner under section 514 or 515 of the Act, the
Secretary may renew the rental assistance agreement for a
period of 20 years or until the term of such loan has
expired, subject to annual appropriations: Provided further,
That any unexpended balances remaining at the end of such
one-year agreements may be transferred and used for purposes
of any debt reduction, maintenance, repair, or rehabilitation
of any existing projects; preservation; and rental assistance
activities authorized under title V of the Act: Provided
further, That rental assistance provided under agreements
entered into prior to fiscal year 2026 for a farm labor
multi-family housing project financed under section 514 or
516 of the Act may not be recaptured for use in another
project until such assistance has remained unused for a
period of twelve consecutive months, if such project has a
waiting list of tenants seeking such assistance or the
project has rental assistance eligible tenants who are not
receiving such assistance: Provided further, That such
recaptured rental assistance shall, to the extent
practicable, be applied to another farm labor multi-family
housing project financed under section 514 or 516 of the Act:
Provided further, That except as provided in the seventh
proviso under this heading and notwithstanding any other
provision of the Act, the Secretary may recapture rental
assistance provided under agreements entered into prior to
fiscal year 2026 for a project that the Secretary determines
no longer needs rental assistance and use such recaptured
funds for current needs: Provided further, That in addition
to any other available funds, the Secretary may expend not
more than $1,000,000 total, from the program funds made
available under this heading, for information technology
improvements under this heading.

rural housing voucher account

For the rural housing voucher program as authorized under
section 542 of the Housing Act of 1949, but notwithstanding
subsection (b) of such section, $48,000,000, to remain
available until expended: Provided, That the funds made
available under this heading shall be available for rural
housing vouchers to any low-income household (including those
not receiving rental assistance) residing in a property
financed with a section 515 loan which has been prepaid or
otherwise paid off after September 30, 2005, and is not
receiving stand-alone section 521 rental assistance:
Provided further, That the amount of such voucher shall be
the difference between comparable market rent for the section
515 unit and the tenant paid rent for such unit: Provided
further, That funds made available for such vouchers shall be
subject to the availability of annual appropriations:
Provided further, That the Secretary shall, to the maximum
extent practicable, administer such vouchers with current
regulations and administrative guidance applicable to section
8 housing vouchers administered by the Secretary of the
Department of Housing and Urban Development: Provided
further, That in addition to any other available funds, the
Secretary may expend not more than $1,000,000 total, from the
program funds made available under this heading, for
administrative expenses for activities funded under this
heading.

mutual and self-help housing grants

For grants and contracts pursuant to section 523(b)(1)(A)
of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1490c), $25,000,000, to
remain available until expended.

rural housing assistance grants

For grants for very low-income housing repair and rural
housing preservation made by the Rural Housing Service, as
authorized by 42 U.S.C. 1474, and 1490m, $27,000,000, to
remain available until expended.

rural community facilities program account

(including transfers of funds)

For gross obligations for the principal amount of direct
and guaranteed loans as authorized by section 306 and
described in section 381E(d)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and
Rural Development Act, $1,250,000,000 for direct loans and
$650,000,000 for guaranteed loans.
For the cost of direct loans, loan guarantees and grants,
including the cost of modifying loans, as defined in section
502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, for rural
community facilities programs as authorized by section 306
and described in section 381E(d)(1) of the Consolidated Farm
and Rural Development Act, $677,160,846 to remain available
until expended, of which $659,160,846 shall be for the
purposes, and in the amounts, specified for this account in
the table titled ``Community Project Funding/Congressionally
Directed Spending'' in the explanatory statement described in
section 4 (in the matter preceding division A of this
consolidated Act): Provided, That $5,000,000 of the amount
appropriated under this heading shall be available for a
Rural Community Development Initiative: Provided further,
That such funds shall be used solely to develop the capacity
and ability of private, nonprofit community-based housing and
community development organizations, low-income rural
communities, and Federally Recognized Native American Tribes
to undertake projects to improve housing, community
facilities, community and economic development projects in
rural areas: Provided further, That such funds shall be made
available to qualified private, nonprofit and public
intermediary organizations proposing to carry out a program
of financial and technical assistance: Provided further,
That such intermediary organizations shall provide matching
funds from other sources, including Federal funds for related
activities, in an amount not less than funds provided:
Provided further, That any unobligated balances from prior
year appropriations under this heading for the cost of direct
loans, loan guarantees and grants, including amounts
deobligated or cancelled, may be made available to cover the
subsidy costs for direct loans, loan guarantees and or grants
under this heading in this fiscal year: Provided further,
That no amounts may be made available pursuant to the
preceding proviso from amounts that were designated by the
Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to a concurrent
resolution on the budget or the Balanced Budget and Emergency
Deficit Control Act of 1985 or that were specified in the
tables titled ``Community Project Funding/Congressionally
Directed Spending'' in the explanatory statements
accompanying prior year Agriculture, Rural Development, Food
and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations
Acts, as described in section 4 in the matter preceding
division A of such Acts: Provided further, That no amounts
may be made available pursuant to the fifth proviso without
prior notification and approval of the Committees of
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress: Provided further,
That $13,000,000 of the amount appropriated under this
heading shall be available for community facilities grants,
as authorized by section 306(a)(19) of the Consolidated Farm
and Rural Development Act, of which $8,000,000 shall be for
grants to tribal colleges as authorized by section 306(a)(25)
of such Act: Provided further, That sections 381E-H and 381N
of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act are not
applicable to the funds made available under this heading:
Provided further, That in addition to any other available
funds, the Secretary may expend not more than $1,000,000
total, from the program funds made available under this
heading, for administrative expenses for activities funded
under this heading.

Rural Business--Cooperative Service

rural business program account

For gross obligations for the principal amount of
guaranteed loans as authorized by section 310B of the
Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C.
1932(g)), $1,750,000,000.
For the cost of loan guarantees and grants, for the rural
business development programs authorized by section 310B and
described in subsections (a), (c), (f) and (g) of section
310B of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act,
$50,575,000, to remain available until expended, of which no
less than $100,000 shall be made available for one or more
qualified state technology council to promote private-sector
economic development in the bio-sciences: Provided, That of
the amount appropriated under this heading, $15,575,000 shall
be for business and industry guaranteed loans: Provided
further, That of the amount appropriated under this heading,
$21,000,000 shall be for rural business development grants as
authorized by section 310B(c) of the Consolidated Farm and
Rural Development Act, of which not to exceed $500,000 shall
be made available for one grant to a qualified national
organization to provide technical assistance for rural
transportation in order to promote economic development:
Provided further, That of the amount appropriated under this
heading, $10,000,000 shall be for grants to the Delta
Regional Authority (7 U.S.C. 2009aa et seq.), the Northern
Border Regional Commission (40 U.S.C. 15101 et seq.), the
Southwest Border Regional Commission (40 U.S.C. 15301 et
seq.), and the Appalachian Regional Commission (40 U.S.C.
14101 et seq.) for any Rural Community Advancement Program
purpose as described in section 381E(d) of the Consolidated
Farm and Rural Development Act, of which not more than 5
percent may be used for administrative expenses: Provided
further, That $4,000,000 of the amount appropriated under
this heading shall be for business grants to benefit
Federally Recognized Native American Tribes, including
$250,000 for a grant to a qualified national organization to
provide technical assistance for rural transportation in
order to promote economic development: Provided further,
That sections 381E-H and 381N of the Consolidated Farm and
Rural Development Act are not applicable to funds made
available under this heading.

intermediary relending program fund account

(including transfer of funds)

For the principal amount of direct loans, as authorized by
the Intermediary Relending Program Fund Account (7 U.S.C.
1936b), $9,000,000.
For the cost of direct loans, $2,495,000 as authorized by
the Intermediary Relending Program Fund Account (7 U.S.C.
1936b), of which $250,000 shall be available through June 30,
2026, for Federally Recognized Native American Tribes; and of
which $499,000 shall be available through June 30, 2026, for
Mississippi Delta Region counties (as determined in
accordance with Public Law 100-460): Provided, That such
costs, including the cost of modifying such loans, shall be
as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of
1974.
In addition, for administrative expenses to carry out the
direct loan programs, $4,468,000 shall be paid to the
appropriation for ``Rural Development, Salaries and
Expenses''.

rural economic development loans program account

For the principal amount of direct loans, as authorized
under section 313B(a) of the Rural Electrification Act, for
the purpose of promoting rural economic development and job
creation projects, $50,000,000.
The cost of grants authorized under section 313B(a) of the
Rural Electrification Act, for the

[[Page H4619]]

purpose of promoting rural economic development and job
creation projects shall not exceed $10,000,000.

rural cooperative development grants

For rural cooperative development grants authorized under
section 310B(e) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932), $20,000,000: Provided, That
of the amount appropriated under this heading, $3,000,000
shall be for cooperative agreements for the appropriate
technology transfer for rural areas program; $3,000,000 shall
be for grants for cooperative development centers, individual
cooperatives, or groups of cooperatives that serve socially
disadvantaged groups and a majority of the boards of
directors or governing boards of which are comprised of
individuals who are members of socially disadvantaged groups;
$8,000,000, to remain available until expended, shall be for
value-added agricultural product market development grants,
as authorized by section 210A of the Agricultural Marketing
Act of 1946; and $1,000,000, to remain available until
expended, shall be for Agriculture Innovation Centers
authorized pursuant to section 6402 of Public Law 107-171.

rural microentrepreneur assistance program

For the principal amount of direct loans as authorized by
section 379E of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development
Act (7 U.S.C. 2008s), $17,000,000.
For the cost of loans and grants, $4,000,000 under the same
terms and conditions as authorized by section 379E of the
Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008s).

rural energy for america program

For the principal amount of loan guarantees, under the same
terms and conditions as authorized by section 9007 of the
Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C.
8107), $100,000,000.

healthy food financing initiative

For the cost of loans and grants that is consistent with
section 243 of subtitle D of title II of the Department of
Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6953), as
added by section 4206 of the Agricultural Act of 2014, for
necessary expenses of the Secretary to support projects that
provide access to healthy food in underserved areas, to
create and preserve quality jobs, and to revitalize low-
income communities, $50,000, to remain available until
expended: Provided, That such costs of loans, including the
cost of modifying such loans, shall be as defined in section
502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

Rural Utilities Service

rural water and waste disposal program account

(including transfers of funds)

For gross obligations for the principal amount of direct
and guaranteed loans as authorized by section 306 and
described in section 381E(d)(2) of the Consolidated Farm and
Rural Development Act, as follows: $1,015,000,000 for direct
loans; and $50,000,000 for guaranteed loans.
For the cost of direct loans, loan guarantees and grants,
including the cost of modifying loans, as defined in section
502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, for rural water,
waste water, waste disposal, and solid waste management
programs authorized by sections 306, 306A, 306C, 306D, 306E,
and 310B and described in sections 306C(a)(2), 306D, 306E,
and 381E(d)(2) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development
Act, $445,864,564 to remain available until expended:
Provided, That $51,476,000 of the amount appropriated under
this heading shall be available for direct loans, of which no
less than $3,876,000 shall be available for water and waste
direct one percent loans for distressed communities as the
Secretary deems appropriate: Provided further, That
$1,000,000 shall be available for the rural utilities program
described in section 306(a)(2)(B) of such Act: Provided
further, That $5,000,000 of the amount appropriated under
this heading shall be available for the rural utilities
program described in section 306E of such Act, of which
$1,000,000 shall be to provide subgrants to eligible
individuals for the construction, refurbishing, and servicing
of individually owned household decentralized waste water
systems: Provided further, That $7,000,000 of the amount
appropriated under this heading shall be for grants
authorized by section 306A(i)(2) of the Consolidated Farm and
Rural Development Act in addition to funding authorized by
section 306A(i)(1) of such Act: Provided further, That
$60,000,000 of the amount appropriated under this heading
shall be for loans and grants including water and waste
disposal systems grants authorized by section 306C(a)(2)(B)
and section 306D of the Consolidated Farm and Rural
Development Act, and Federally Recognized Native American
Tribes authorized by 306C(a)(1) of such Act, and the
Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (of the State of Hawaii):
Provided further, That funding provided for section 306D of
the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act may be
provided to a consortium formed pursuant to section 325 of
Public Law 105-83: Provided further, That not more than 2
percent of the funding provided for section 306D of the
Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act may be used by
the State of Alaska for training and technical assistance
programs and not more than 2 percent of the funding provided
for section 306D of the Consolidated Farm and Rural
Development Act may be used by a consortium formed pursuant
to section 325 of Public Law 105-83 for training and
technical assistance programs: Provided further, That
$35,000,000 of the amount appropriated under this heading
shall be for technical assistance grants for rural water and
waste systems pursuant to section 306(a)(14) of such Act,
unless the Secretary makes a determination of extreme need,
of which $10,000,000 shall be made available for a grant to a
qualified nonprofit multi-State regional technical assistance
organization, with experience in working with small
communities on water and waste water problems, the principal
purpose of such grant shall be to assist rural communities
with populations of 3,300 or less, in improving the planning,
financing, development, operation, and management of water
and waste water systems, and of which not less than $800,000
shall be for a qualified national Native American
organization to provide technical assistance for rural water
systems for tribal communities: Provided further, That
$23,900,000 of the amount appropriated under this heading
shall be for contracting with qualified national
organizations for a circuit rider program to provide
technical assistance for rural water systems: Provided
further, That $4,000,000 of the amounts made available under
this heading shall be for solid waste management grants:
Provided further, That $250,488,564 of the amounts made
available under this heading shall be for grants pursuant to
section 306(a)(2)(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural
Development Act, of which $110,488,564 shall be for the
purposes, and in the amounts, specified for this account in
the table titled ``Community Project Funding/Congressionally
Directed Spending'' in the explanatory statement described in
section 4 (in the matter preceding division A of this
consolidated Act): Provided further, That $8,000,000 of the
amount appropriated under this heading shall be transferred
to, and merged with, the Rural Utilities Service, High Energy
Cost Grants Account to provide grants authorized under
section 19 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C.
918a): Provided further, That if any funds made available
for the direct loan subsidy costs under this heading remain
unobligated after July 31, 2026, such unobligated balances
may be used for grant programs funded under this heading:
Provided further, That any unobligated balances from prior
year appropriations under this heading for the cost of direct
loans, loan guarantees and grants, including amounts
deobligated or cancelled, may be made available to cover the
subsidy costs for direct loans, loan guarantees and or grants
under this heading in this fiscal year: Provided further,
That no amounts may be made available pursuant to the two
preceding provisos from amounts that were designated by the
Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to a concurrent
resolution on the budget or the Balanced Budget and Emergency
Deficit Control Act of 1985, or that are specified for this
account in the table titled ``Community Project Funding/
Congressionally Directed Spending'' in the explanatory
statement described in section 4 (in the matter preceding
division A of this consolidated Act): Provided further, That
sections 381E-H and 381N of the Consolidated Farm and Rural
Development Act are not applicable to the funds made
available under this heading.

rural electrification and telecommunications loans program account

(including transfer of funds)

The principal amount of loans and loan guarantees as
authorized by sections 4, 305, 306, 313A, and 317 of the
Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 904, 935, 936,
940c-1, and 940g) shall be made as follows: guaranteed rural
electric loans made pursuant to section 306 of that Act,
$2,667,000,000; cost of money direct loans made pursuant to
sections 4, notwithstanding the one-eighth of one percent in
4(c)(2), and 317, notwithstanding 317(c), of that Act,
$4,333,000,000; guaranteed underwriting loans pursuant to
section 313A of that Act, $910,000,000; for cost-of-money
rural telecommunications loans made pursuant to section
305(d)(2) of that Act, $350,000,000; and for guaranteed rural
telecommunications loans made pursuant to section 306 of that
Act, $200,000,000: Provided, That up to $2,000,000,000 shall
be used for the construction, acquisition, design,
engineering or improvement of fossil-fueled electric
generating plants (whether new or existing) that utilize
carbon subsurface utilization and storage systems.
For the cost of direct loans as authorized by section
305(d)(2) of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C.
935(d)(2)), including the cost of modifying loans, as defined
in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, cost
of money rural telecommunications loans, $3,570,000.
In addition, $4,200,000 to remain available until expended,
to carry out section 6407 of the Farm Security and Rural
Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8107a): Provided, That the
energy efficiency measures supported by the funding in this
paragraph shall contribute in a demonstrable way to the
reduction of greenhouse gases.
In addition, for administrative expenses necessary to carry
out the direct and guaranteed loan programs, $33,270,000,
which shall be paid to the appropriation for ``Rural
Development, Salaries and Expenses''.

distance learning, telemedicine, and broadband program

For grants for telemedicine and distance learning services
in rural areas, as authorized by 7 U.S.C. 950aaa et seq.,
$40,767,000, to remain available until expended, of which
$10,767,000 shall be for the purposes, and in the amounts,
specified for this account in the table titled ``Community
Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending'' in the
explanatory statement described in section 4 (in the matter
preceding division A of this consolidated Act): Provided,
That $3,000,000 shall be made available for grants authorized
by section 379G of the Consolidated Farm and Rural
Development Act: Provided further, That funding provided
under this heading for grants under section 379G of the
Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act may only be
provided to entities that meet all of the eligibility
criteria for a consortium as established by this section.

[[Page H4620]]

For the cost to continue a broadband loan and grant pilot
program established by section 779 of division A of the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public Law 115-141)
under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, as amended (7
U.S.C. 901 et seq.), $50,750,000, to remain available until
expended, of which $750,000 shall be for the purposes, and in
the amounts, specified for this account in the table titled
``Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed
Spending'' in the explanatory statement described in section
4 (in the matter preceding division A of this consolidated
Act): Provided, That the Secretary may award grants
described in section 601(a) of the Rural Electrification Act
of 1936, as amended (7 U.S.C. 950bb(a)) for the purposes of
carrying out such pilot program: Provided further, That the
cost of direct loans shall be defined in section 502 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974: Provided further, That at
least 90 percent of the households to be served by a project
receiving a loan or grant under the pilot program shall be in
a rural area without sufficient access to broadband:
Provided further, That for purposes of such pilot program, a
rural area without sufficient access to broadband shall be
defined as twenty-five megabits per second downstream and
three megabits per second upstream: Provided further, That
to the extent possible, projects receiving funds provided
under the pilot program must build out service to at least
one hundred megabits per second downstream, and twenty
megabits per second upstream: Provided further, That an
entity to which a loan or grant is made under the pilot
program shall not use the loan or grant to overbuild or
duplicate broadband service in a service area by any entity
that has received a broadband loan from the Rural Utilities
Service unless such service is not provided sufficient access
to broadband at the minimum service threshold: Provided
further, That not more than four percent of the funds made
available in this paragraph can be used for administrative
costs to carry out the pilot program and up to three percent
of funds made available in this paragraph may be available
for technical assistance and pre-development planning
activities to support the most rural communities: Provided
further, That the Rural Utilities Service is directed to
expedite program delivery methods that would implement this
paragraph: Provided further, That for purposes of this
paragraph, the Secretary shall adhere to the notice,
reporting and service area assessment requirements set forth
in section 701 of the Rural Electrification Act (7 U.S.C.
950cc).
In addition, $17,000,000, to remain available until
expended, for the Community Connect Grant Program authorized
by 7 U.S.C. 950bb-3.

TITLE IV

DOMESTIC FOOD PROGRAMS

Office of the Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer
Services

For necessary expenses of the Office of the Under Secretary
for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, $1,127,000:
Provided, That funds made available by this Act to an agency
in the Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services mission area for
salaries and expenses are available to fund up to one
administrative support staff for the Office.

Food and Nutrition Service

child nutrition programs

(including transfers of funds)

For necessary expenses to carry out the Richard B. Russell
National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.), except
section 21, and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C.
1771 et seq.), except sections 17 and 21; $37,841,674,000 to
remain available through September 30, 2027, of which such
sums as are made available under section 14222(b)(1) of the
Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-
246), as amended by this Act, shall be merged with and
available for the same time period and purposes as provided
herein: Provided, That of the total amount available,
$18,691,638 shall be available to carry out section 19 of the
Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.):
Provided further, That of the total amount available,
$21,918,000 shall be available to carry out studies and
evaluations and shall remain available until expended:
Provided further, That of the total amount available,
$5,000,000 shall remain available until expended to carry out
section 18(g) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch
Act (42 U.S.C. 1769(g)): Provided further, That
notwithstanding section 18(g)(3)(C) of the Richard B. Russell
National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1769(g)(3)(c)), the
total grant amount provided to a farm to school grant
recipient in fiscal year 2026 shall not exceed $500,000:
Provided further, That of the total amount available,
$10,000,000 shall be available to provide competitive grants
to State agencies for subgrants to local educational agencies
and schools to purchase the equipment, with a value of
greater than $1,000, needed to serve healthier meals, improve
food safety, and to help support the establishment,
maintenance, or expansion of the school breakfast program:
Provided further, That of the total amount available,
$4,378,000 shall be available for food safety education
including activities that support sections 17 and 21 of the
Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786, 1790) and to
support the safe distribution of USDA Foods, as defined in 7
CFR 250.2: Provided further, That of the total amount
available, $1,000,000 shall remain available until expended
to carry out activities authorized under subsections (a)(2)
and (e)(2) of section 21 of the Richard B. Russell National
School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1769b-1(a)(2) and (e)(2)):
Provided further, That section 26(d) of the Richard B.
Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1769g(d)) is
amended in the first sentence by striking ``2010 through
2025'' and inserting ``2010 through 2027'': Provided
further, That section 9(h)(3) of the Richard B. Russell
National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758(h)(3)) is amended
in the first sentence by striking ``For fiscal year 2024''
and inserting ``For fiscal year 2026'': Provided further,
That section 9(h)(4) of the Richard B. Russell National
School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758(h)(4)) is amended in the
first sentence by striking ``For fiscal year 2024'' and
inserting ``For fiscal year 2026''.

special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children
(wic)

For necessary expenses to carry out the special
supplemental nutrition program as authorized by section 17 of
the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786),
$8,200,000,000, to remain available through September 30,
2027, of which $150,000,000 shall be placed in reserve, to
remain available until expended, to be allocated as the
Secretary deemed necessary, notwithstanding section 17(i) of
such Act, to support participation should cost or
participation exceed budget estimates: Provided, That
notwithstanding section 17(h)(10) of the Child Nutrition Act
of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786(h)(10)), not less than $90,000,000
shall be used for breastfeeding peer counselors and other
related activities, and $14,000,000 shall be used for
infrastructure, including investments to develop strategies
to improve timely program data collection and reporting:
Provided further, That the Secretary shall use funds made
available under this heading to maintain the amount for the
cash-value voucher for women and children participants at an
amount recommended by the National Academies of Science,
Engineering and Medicine and adjusted for inflation:
Provided further, That none of the funds provided in this
account shall be available for the purchase of infant formula
except in accordance with the cost containment and
competitive bidding requirements specified in section 17 of
such Act: Provided further, That none of the funds provided
shall be available for activities that are not fully
reimbursed by other Federal Government departments or
agencies unless authorized by section 17 of such Act:
Provided further, That upon termination of a federally
mandated vendor moratorium and subject to terms and
conditions established by the Secretary, the Secretary may
waive the requirement at 7 CFR 246.12(g)(6) at the request of
a State agency.

supplemental nutrition assistance program

For necessary expenses to carry out the Food and Nutrition
Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), $107,481,218,000, of
which $3,000,000,000, to remain available through September
30, 2027, and $3,000,000,000, to remain available through
September 30, 2028, shall be placed in reserve for use only
in such amounts and at such times as may become necessary to
carry out program operations: Provided, That funds provided
herein shall be expended in accordance with section 16 of the
Food and Nutrition Act of 2008: Provided further, That of
the funds made available under this heading, $998,000 may be
used to provide nutrition education services to State
agencies and Federally Recognized Tribes participating in the
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations: Provided
further, That of the funds made available under this heading,
$3,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2027,
shall be used to carry out section 4003(b) of Public Law 115-
334 relating to demonstration projects for tribal
organizations: Provided further, That of the funds made
available under this heading, $4,000,000 shall be used to
carry out section 4208 of Public Law 115-334: Provided
further, That this appropriation shall be subject to any work
registration or workfare requirements as may be required by
law: Provided further, That funds made available for
Employment and Training under this heading shall remain
available through September 30, 2027: Provided further, That
funds made available under this heading for section 28(d)(1),
section 4(b), and section 27(a) of the Food and Nutrition Act
of 2008 shall remain available through September 30, 2027:
Provided further, That none of the funds made available under
this heading may be obligated or expended in contravention of
section 213A of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1183A): Provided further, That funds made available under
this heading may be used to enter into contracts and employ
staff to conduct studies, evaluations, or to conduct
activities related to program integrity provided that such
activities are authorized by the Food and Nutrition Act of
2008.

commodity assistance program

For necessary expenses to carry out disaster and commodity
assistance, $551,070,000, to remain available through
September 30, 2027, of which $460,000,000 shall be for the
Commodity Supplemental Food Program, as authorized by section
4(a) of the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973
(7 U.S.C. 612c note), $80,000,000 shall be for the Emergency
Food Assistance Act of 1983, $1,070,000 shall be for
assistance for the nuclear affected islands, as authorized by
section 103(f)(2) of the Compact of Free Association
Amendments Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-188), and $10,000,000
shall be for the Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, as
authorized by section 17(m) of the Child Nutrition Act of
1966: Provided, That none of these funds shall be available
to reimburse the Commodity Credit Corporation for commodities
donated to the program: Provided further, That
notwithstanding any other provision of law, effective with
funds made available in fiscal year 2026 to support the
Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program, as authorized by
section 4402 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of
2002, such funds shall remain available through September 30,
2027: Provided further, That of the funds made available
under section 27(a) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7
U.S.C. 2036(a)), the Secretary may use up to 20 percent for
costs associated with the distribution of commodities.

[[Page H4621]]

nutrition programs administration

For necessary administrative expenses of the Food and
Nutrition Service for carrying out any domestic nutrition
assistance program, $160,000,000: Provided, That of the
funds provided herein, $2,000,000 shall be used for the
purposes of section 4404 of Public Law 107-171, as amended by
section 4401 of Public Law 110-246.

TITLE V

FOREIGN ASSISTANCE AND RELATED PROGRAMS

Office of the Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural
Affairs

For necessary expenses of the Office of the Under Secretary
for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, $932,000:
Provided, That funds made available by this Act to any agency
in the Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs mission area
for salaries and expenses are available to fund up to one
administrative support staff for the Office.

office of codex alimentarius

For necessary expenses of the Office of Codex Alimentarius,
$4,922,000, including not to exceed $100,000 for official
reception and representation expenses.

Foreign Agricultural Service

salaries and expenses

(including transfers of funds)

For necessary expenses of the Foreign Agricultural Service,
including not to exceed $250,000 for representation
allowances and for expenses pursuant to section 8 of the Act
approved August 3, 1956 (7 U.S.C. 1766), $222,000,000, of
which no more than 6 percent shall remain available until
September 30, 2027, for overseas operations to include the
payment of locally employed staff: Provided, That the
Service may utilize advances of funds, or reimburse this
appropriation for expenditures made on behalf of Federal
agencies, public and private organizations and institutions
under agreements executed pursuant to the agricultural food
production assistance programs (7 U.S.C. 1737) and the
foreign assistance programs of the United States Agency for
International Development: Provided further, That of the
funds made available under this heading, $5,000,000, to
remain available until expended, shall be for the Cochran
Fellowship Program, as authorized by 7 U.S.C. 3293,
$4,000,000, to remain available until expended, shall be for
the Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology
Fellowship program, as authorized by 7 U.S.C. 3319j, and up
to $2,000,000, to remain available until expended, shall be
for the purpose of offsetting fluctuations in international
currency exchange rates, subject to documentation by the
Foreign Agricultural Service: Provided further, That of the
amount made available under this heading, $1,000,000, shall
be for the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the
Secretary of State and heads of other relevant Federal
departments and agencies as applicable, to conduct an
interagency review and, within 60 days of enactment of this
Act, provide a detailed report outlining the process and
agency needs to support a transfer of the Food for Peace
program from the U.S. Agency for International Development to
the Foreign Agricultural Service within the Department of
Agriculture: Provided further, That such report shall
include the requirements outlined in the section entitled
``Food for Peace Interagency Review and Report'' under the
heading ``Food for Peace Title II Grants'' in Senate Report
119-37 and shall also address any other needs that the
Department of Agriculture believes will be required to
support successful implementation of such program transfer.

food for peace title ii grants

For expenses during the current fiscal year, not otherwise
recoverable, and unrecovered prior years' costs, including
interest thereon, under the Food for Peace Act (Public Law
83-480), for commodities supplied in connection with
dispositions abroad under title II of said Act,
$1,200,000,000, to remain available until expended.

mcgovern-dole international food for education and child nutrition
program grants

For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of
section 3107 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of
2002 (7 U.S.C. 1736o-1), $240,000,000, to remain available
until expended: Provided, That the Commodity Credit
Corporation is authorized to provide the services,
facilities, and authorities for the purpose of implementing
such section, subject to reimbursement from amounts provided
herein: Provided further, That of the amount made available
under this heading, not more than 10 percent, but not less
than $24,000,000, shall remain available until expended to
purchase agricultural commodities as described in subsection
3107(a)(2) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of
2002 (7 U.S.C. 1736o-1(a)(2)).

commodity credit corporation export (loans) credit guarantee program
account

(including transfers of funds)

For administrative expenses to carry out the Commodity
Credit Corporation's Export Guarantee Program, GSM 102 and
GSM 103, $6,063,000, to cover common overhead expenses as
permitted by section 11 of the Commodity Credit Corporation
Charter Act and in conformity with the Federal Credit Reform
Act of 1990, which shall be paid to the appropriation for
``Foreign Agricultural Service, Salaries and Expenses''.

TITLE VI

RELATED AGENCY AND FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION

Department of Health and Human Services

food and drug administration

salaries and expenses

(including transfers of funds)

For necessary expenses of the Food and Drug Administration,
including hire and purchase of passenger motor vehicles; for
payment of space rental and related costs pursuant to Public
Law 92-313 for programs and activities of the Food and Drug
Administration which are included in this Act; for rental of
special purpose space in the District of Columbia or
elsewhere; for miscellaneous and emergency expenses of
enforcement activities, authorized and approved by the
Secretary and to be accounted for solely on the Secretary's
certificate, not to exceed $25,000; and notwithstanding
section 521 of Public Law 107-188; $6,957,972,000: Provided,
That of the amount provided under this heading,
$1,556,039,000 shall be derived from prescription drug user
fees authorized by 21 U.S.C. 379h, and shall be credited to
this account and remain available until expended;
$478,166,000 shall be derived from medical device user fees
authorized by 21 U.S.C. 379j, and shall be credited to this
account and remain available until expended; $670,900,000
shall be derived from human generic drug user fees authorized
by 21 U.S.C. 379j-42, and shall be credited to this account
and remain available until expended; $55,841,000 shall be
derived from biosimilar biological product user fees
authorized by 21 U.S.C. 379j-52, and shall be credited to
this account and remain available until expended; $36,152,000
shall be derived from animal drug user fees authorized by 21
U.S.C. 379j-12, and shall be credited to this account and
remain available until expended; $26,724,000 shall be derived
from generic new animal drug user fees authorized by 21
U.S.C. 379j-21, and shall be credited to this account and
remain available until expended; $712,000,000 shall be
derived from tobacco product user fees authorized by 21
U.S.C. 387s, and shall be credited to this account and remain
available until expended: Provided further, That in addition
to and notwithstanding any other provision under this
heading, amounts collected for prescription drug user fees,
medical device user fees, human generic drug user fees,
biosimilar biological product user fees, animal drug user
fees, and generic new animal drug user fees that exceed the
respective fiscal year 2026 limitations are appropriated and
shall be credited to this account and remain available until
expended: Provided further, That fees derived from
prescription drug, medical device, human generic drug,
biosimilar biological product, animal drug, and generic new
animal drug assessments for fiscal year 2026, including any
such fees collected prior to fiscal year 2026 but credited
for fiscal year 2026, shall be subject to the fiscal year
2026 limitations: Provided further, That the Secretary may
accept payment during fiscal year 2026 of user fees specified
under this heading and authorized for fiscal year 2027, prior
to the due date for such fees, and that amounts of such fees
assessed for fiscal year 2027 for which the Secretary accepts
payment in fiscal year 2026 shall not be included in amounts
under this heading: Provided further, That none of these
funds shall be used to develop, establish, or operate any
program of user fees authorized by 31 U.S.C. 9701: Provided
further, That of the total amount appropriated: (1)
$1,171,319,000 shall be for the Human Foods Program and for
related field activities, including inspections,
investigations, and import operations, conducted by the Human
Foods Program, the Office of Inspections and Investigations,
or the Office of the Chief Scientist, of which no less than
$15,000,000 shall be used for inspections of foreign seafood
manufacturers and field examinations of imported seafood; (2)
$2,496,766,000 shall be for the Center for Drug Evaluation
and Research and for related field activities, including
inspections, investigations, and import operations, conducted
by the Center, the Office of Inspections and Investigations,
or the Office of the Chief Scientist, of which no less than
$10,000,000 shall be for pilots to increase unannounced
foreign inspections and shall remain available until
expended; (3) $601,291,000 shall be for the Center for
Biologics Evaluation and Research and for related field
activities, including inspections, investigations, and import
operations, conducted by the Center, the Office of
Inspections and Investigations, or the Office of the Chief
Scientist; (4) $278,185,000 shall be for the Center for
Veterinary Medicine and for related field activities,
including inspections, investigations, and import operations,
conducted by the Center, the Office of Inspections and
Investigations, or the Office of the Chief Scientist; (5)
$894,063,000 shall be for the Center for Devices and
Radiological Health and for related field activities,
including inspections, investigations, and import operations,
conducted by the Center, the Office of Inspections and
Investigations, or the Office of the Chief Scientist; (6)
$71,758,000 shall be for the National Center for
Toxicological Research; (7) $688,038,000 shall be for the
Center for Tobacco Products and for related field activities,
including inspections, investigations, and import operations,
conducted by the Center, the Office of Inspections and
Investigations, or the Office of the Chief Scientist; (8)
$205,180,000 shall be for Rent and Related activities, of
which $44,400,000 is for White Oak Consolidation, other than
the amounts paid to the General Services Administration for
rent; (9) $208,018,000 shall be for payments to the General
Services Administration for rent; and (10) $343,354,000 shall
be for other activities, including the Office of the
Commissioner of Food and Drugs, the Office of the Chief
Scientist, the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, and
central services for these offices: Provided further, That
not to exceed $25,000 of this amount shall be for official
reception and representation expenses, not otherwise provided
for, as determined by the Commissioner: Provided further,
That any transfer of funds pursuant to, and for the
administration of, section

[[Page H4622]]

770(n) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C.
379dd(n)) shall only be from amounts made available under
this heading for other activities and shall not exceed
$2,000,000: Provided further, That of the amounts that are
made available under this heading for ``other activities'',
and that are not derived from user fees, $1,500,000 shall be
transferred to and merged with the appropriation for
``Department of Health and Human Services--Office of
Inspector General'' for oversight of the programs and
operations of the Food and Drug Administration and shall be
in addition to funds otherwise made available for oversight
of the Food and Drug Administration: Provided further, That
funds may be transferred from one specified activity to
another with the prior approval of the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress.
In addition, mammography user fees authorized by 42 U.S.C.
263b, export certification user fees authorized by 21 U.S.C.
381, priority review user fees authorized by 21 U.S.C. 360n
and 360ff, food and feed recall fees, food reinspection fees,
and voluntary qualified importer program fees authorized by
21 U.S.C. 379j-31, outsourcing facility fees authorized by 21
U.S.C. 379j-62, prescription drug wholesale distributor
licensing and inspection fees authorized by 21 U.S.C.
353(e)(3), third-party logistics provider licensing and
inspection fees authorized by 21 U.S.C. 360eee-3(c)(1),
third-party auditor fees authorized by 21 U.S.C. 384d(c)(8),
medical countermeasure priority review voucher user fees
authorized by 21 U.S.C. 360bbb-4a, and fees relating to over-
the-counter monograph drugs authorized by 21 U.S.C. 379j-72
shall be credited to this account, to remain available until
expended.

buildings and facilities

For plans, construction, repair, improvement, extension,
alteration, demolition, and purchase of fixed equipment or
facilities of or used by the Food and Drug Administration,
where not otherwise provided, $5,000,000, to remain available
until expended.

INDEPENDENT AGENCY

Farm Credit Administration

limitation on administrative expenses

Not to exceed $106,500,000 (from assessments collected from
farm credit institutions, including the Federal Agricultural
Mortgage Corporation) shall be obligated during the current
fiscal year for administrative expenses as authorized under
12 U.S.C. 2249: Provided, That this limitation shall not
apply to expenses associated with receiverships: Provided
further, That the agency may exceed this limitation by up to
10 percent with notification to the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress: Provided further,
That the purposes of section 3.7(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Farm
Credit Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. 2128(b)(2)(A)(i)), the Farm
Credit Administration may exempt, an amount in its sole
discretion, from the application of the limitation provided
in that clause of export loans described in the clause
guaranteed or insured in a manner other than described in
subclause (II) of the clause.

TITLE VII

GENERAL PROVISIONS

(including rescissions and transfers of funds)

Sec. 701. The Secretary may use any appropriations made
available to the Department of Agriculture in this Act to
purchase new passenger motor vehicles, in addition to
specific appropriations for this purpose, so long as the
total number of vehicles purchased in fiscal year 2026 does
not exceed the number of vehicles owned or leased in fiscal
year 2018: Provided, That, prior to purchasing additional
motor vehicles, the Secretary must determine that such
vehicles are necessary for transportation safety, to reduce
operational costs, and for the protection of life, property,
and public safety: Provided further, That the Secretary may
not increase the Department of Agriculture's fleet above the
2018 level unless the Secretary notifies in writing, and
receives approval from, the Committees on Appropriations of
both Houses of Congress within 30 days of the notification.
Sec. 702. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act,
the Secretary of Agriculture may transfer unobligated
balances of discretionary funds appropriated by this Act or
any other available unobligated discretionary balances that
are remaining available of the Department of Agriculture to
the Working Capital Fund for the acquisition of property,
plant and equipment and for the improvement, delivery, and
implementation of Department financial, and administrative
information technology services, and other support systems
necessary for the delivery of financial, administrative, and
information technology services, including cloud adoption and
migration, of primary benefit to the agencies of the
Department of Agriculture, such transferred funds to remain
available until expended: Provided, That none of the funds
made available by this Act or any other Act shall be
transferred to the Working Capital Fund without the prior
approval of the agency administrator: Provided further, That
none of the funds transferred to the Working Capital Fund
pursuant to this section shall be available for obligation
without written notification to and the prior approval of the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress:
Provided further, That none of the funds appropriated by this
Act or made available to the Department's Working Capital
Fund shall be available for obligation or expenditure to make
any changes to the Department's National Finance Center
without written notification to and prior approval of the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress as
required by section 716 of this Act: Provided further, That
none of the funds appropriated by this Act or made available
to the Department's Working Capital Fund shall be available
for obligation or expenditure to initiate, plan, develop,
implement, or make any changes to remove or relocate any
systems, missions, personnel, or functions of the offices of
the Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Information
Officer, co-located with or from the National Finance Center
prior to written notification to and prior approval of the
Committee on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress and in
accordance with the requirements of section 716 of this Act:
Provided further, That the National Finance Center
Information Technology Services Division personnel and data
center management responsibilities, and control of any
functions, missions, and systems for current and future human
resources management and integrated personnel and payroll
systems (PPS) and functions provided by the Chief Financial
Officer and the Chief Information Officer shall remain in the
National Finance Center and under the management
responsibility and administrative control of the National
Finance Center: Provided further, That the Secretary of
Agriculture and the offices of the Chief Financial Officer
shall actively market to existing and new Departments and
other government agencies National Finance Center shared
services including, but not limited to, payroll, financial
management, and human capital shared services and allow the
National Finance Center to perform technology upgrades:
Provided further, That of annual income amounts in the
Working Capital Fund of the Department of Agriculture
allocated for the National Finance Center, the Secretary
shall reserve not more than 4 percent for the replacement or
acquisition of capital equipment, including equipment for the
improvement, delivery, and implementation of financial,
administrative, and information technology services, and
other systems of the National Finance Center or to pay any
unforeseen, extraordinary cost of the National Finance
Center: Provided further, That none of the amounts reserved
shall be available for obligation unless the Secretary
submits written notification of the obligation to the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress:
Provided further, That the limitations on the obligation of
funds pending notification to Congressional Committees shall
not apply to any obligation that, as determined by the
Secretary, is necessary to respond to a declared state of
emergency that significantly impacts the operations of the
National Finance Center; or to evacuate employees of the
National Finance Center to a safe haven to continue
operations of the National Finance Center.
Sec. 703. No part of any appropriation contained in this
Act shall remain available for obligation beyond the current
fiscal year unless expressly so provided herein.
Sec. 704. No funds appropriated by this Act may be used to
pay negotiated indirect cost rates on cooperative agreements
or similar arrangements between the United States Department
of Agriculture and nonprofit institutions in excess of 10
percent of the total direct cost of the agreement when the
purpose of such cooperative arrangements is to carry out
programs of mutual interest between the two parties. This
does not preclude appropriate payment of indirect costs on
grants and contracts with such institutions when such
indirect costs are computed on a similar basis for all
agencies for which appropriations are provided in this Act.
Sec. 705. Appropriations to the Department of Agriculture
for the cost of direct and guaranteed loans made available in
the current fiscal year shall remain available until expended
to disburse obligations made in the current fiscal year for
the following accounts: The Rural Development Loan Fund
program account, the Rural Electrification and
Telecommunication Loans program account, and the Rural
Housing Insurance Fund program account.
Sec. 706. None of the funds made available to the
Department of Agriculture by this Act may be used to acquire
new information technology systems or significant upgrades,
as determined by the Office of the Chief Information Officer,
without the approval of the Chief Information Officer and the
concurrence of the Executive Information Technology
Investment Review Board: Provided, That notwithstanding any
other provision of law, none of the funds appropriated or
otherwise made available by this Act may be transferred to
the Office of the Chief Information Officer without written
notification to and the prior approval of the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress: Provided further,
That notwithstanding section 11319 of title 40, United States
Code, none of the funds available to the Department of
Agriculture for information technology shall be obligated for
projects, contracts, or other agreements over $25,000 prior
to receipt of written approval by the Chief Information
Officer: Provided further, That the Chief Information
Officer may authorize an agency to obligate funds without
written approval from the Chief Information Officer for
projects, contracts, or other agreements up to $250,000 based
upon the performance of an agency measured against the
performance plan requirements described in the explanatory
statement accompanying Public Law 113-235.
Sec. 707. Funds made available under section 524(b) of the
Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1524(b)) in the current
fiscal year shall remain available until expended to disburse
obligations made in the current fiscal year.
Sec. 708. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any
former Rural Utilities Service borrower that has repaid or
prepaid an insured, direct or guaranteed loan under the Rural
Electrification Act of 1936, or any not-for-profit utility
that is eligible to receive an insured or direct loan under
such Act, shall be eligible for assistance under section
313B(a) of such Act in the same manner as a borrower under
such Act.

[[Page H4623]]

Sec. 709. Except as otherwise specifically provided by
law, not more than $20,000,000 in unobligated balances from
appropriations made available for salaries and expenses in
this Act for the Farm Service Agency shall remain available
through September 30, 2027, for information technology
expenses.
Sec. 710. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made
available by this Act may be used for first-class travel by
the employees of agencies funded by this Act in contravention
of sections 301-10.122 through 301-10.124 of title 41, Code
of Federal Regulations.
Sec. 711. In the case of each program established or
amended by the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-79)
or by a successor to that Act, other than by title I or
subtitle A of title III of such Act, or programs for which
indefinite amounts were provided in that Act, that is
authorized or required to be carried out using funds of the
Commodity Credit Corporation--
(1) such funds shall be available for salaries and related
administrative expenses, including technical assistance,
associated with the implementation of the program, without
regard to the limitation on the total amount of allotments
and fund transfers contained in section 11 of the Commodity
Credit Corporation Charter Act (15 U.S.C. 714i); and
(2) the use of such funds for such purpose shall not be
considered to be a fund transfer or allotment for purposes of
applying the limitation on the total amount of allotments and
fund transfers contained in such section.
Sec. 712. Of the funds made available by this Act, not
more than $2,900,000 shall be used to cover necessary
expenses of activities related to all advisory committees,
panels, commissions, and task forces of the Department of
Agriculture, except for panels used to comply with negotiated
rule makings and panels used to evaluate competitively
awarded grants.
Sec. 713. (a) None of the funds made available in this Act
may be used to maintain or establish a computer network
unless such network blocks the viewing, downloading, and
exchanging of pornography.
(b) Nothing in subsection (a) shall limit the use of funds
necessary for any Federal, State, tribal, or local law
enforcement agency or any other entity carrying out criminal
investigations, prosecution, or adjudication activities.
Sec. 714. Notwithstanding subsection (b) of section 14222
of Public Law 110-246 (7 U.S.C. 612c-6; in this section
referred to as ``section 14222''), none of the funds
appropriated or otherwise made available by this or any other
Act shall be used to pay the salaries and expenses of
personnel to carry out a program under section 32 of the Act
of August 24, 1935 (7 U.S.C. 612c; in this section referred
to as ``section 32'') in excess of $1,716,293,000 (exclusive
of carryover appropriations from prior fiscal years), as
follows: Child Nutrition Programs Entitlement Commodities--
$485,000,000; State Option Contracts--$5,000,000; Removal of
Defective Commodities--$2,500,000; Administration of section
32 Commodity Purchases--$40,971,000: Provided, That, of the
total funds made available in the matter preceding this
proviso that remain unobligated on October 1, 2026, such
unobligated balances shall carryover into fiscal year 2027
and shall remain available until expended for any of the
purposes of section 32, except that any such carryover funds
used in accordance with clause (3) of section 32 may not
exceed $350,000,000 and may not be obligated until the
Secretary of Agriculture provides written notification of the
expenditures to the Committees on Appropriations of both
Houses of Congress at least two weeks in advance: Provided
further, That, with the exception of any available carryover
funds authorized in any prior appropriations Act to be used
for the purposes of clause (3) of section 32, none of the
funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this or any
other Act shall be used to pay the salaries or expenses of
any employee of the Department of Agriculture to carry out
clause (3) of section 32.
Sec. 715. None of the funds appropriated by this or any
other Act shall be used to pay the salaries and expenses of
personnel who prepare or submit appropriations language as
part of the President's budget submission to the Congress for
programs under the jurisdiction of the Appropriations
Subcommittees on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and
Drug Administration, and Related Agencies that assumes
revenues or reflects a reduction from the previous year due
to user fees proposals that have not been enacted into law
prior to the submission of the budget unless such budget
submission identifies which additional spending reductions
should occur in the event the user fees proposals are not
enacted prior to the date of the convening of a committee of
conference for the fiscal year 2026 appropriations Act.
Sec. 716. (a) None of the funds provided by this Act, or
provided by previous appropriations Acts to the agencies
funded by this Act that remain available for obligation or
expenditure in the current fiscal year, or provided from any
accounts in the Treasury derived by the collection of fees
available to the agencies funded by this Act, shall be
available for obligation or expenditure through a
reprogramming, transfer of funds, or reimbursements as
authorized by the Economy Act, or in the case of the
Department of Agriculture, through use of the authority
provided by section 702(b) of the Department of Agriculture
Organic Act of 1944 (7 U.S.C. 2257) or section 8 of Public
Law 89-106 (7 U.S.C. 2263), that--
(1) creates new programs;
(2) eliminates a program, project, or activity;
(3) increases funds or personnel by any means for any
project or activity for which funds have been denied or
restricted;
(4) relocates an office or employees;
(5) reorganizes offices, programs, or activities; or
(6) contracts out or privatizes any functions or activities
presently performed by Federal employees;
unless the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of
Health and Human Services (as the case may be) notifies in
writing and receives approval from the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress at least 30 days in
advance of the reprogramming of such funds or the use of such
authority.
(b) None of the funds provided by this Act, or provided by
previous Appropriations Acts to the agencies funded by this
Act that remain available for obligation or expenditure in
the current fiscal year, or provided from any accounts in the
Treasury derived by the collection of fees available to the
agencies funded by this Act, shall be available for
obligation or expenditure for activities, programs, or
projects through a reprogramming or use of the authorities
referred to in subsection (a) involving funds in excess of
$500,000 or 10 percent, whichever is less, that--
(1) augments existing programs, projects, or activities;
(2) reduces by 10 percent funding for any existing program,
project, or activity, or numbers of personnel by 10 percent
as approved by Congress; or
(3) results from any general savings from a reduction in
personnel which would result in a change in existing
programs, activities, or projects as approved by Congress;
unless the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of
Health and Human Services (as the case may be) notifies in
writing and receives approval from the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress at least 30 days in
advance of the reprogramming or transfer of such funds or the
use of such authority.
(c) The Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of Health
and Human Services shall notify in writing and receive
approval from the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses
of Congress before implementing any program or activity not
carried out during the previous fiscal year unless the
program or activity is funded by this Act or specifically
funded by any other Act.
(d) None of the funds provided by this Act, or provided by
previous Appropriations Acts to the agencies funded by this
Act that remain available for obligation or expenditure in
the current fiscal year, or provided from any accounts in the
Treasury derived by the collection of fees available to the
agencies funded by this Act, shall be available for--
(1) modifying major capital investments funding levels,
including information technology systems, that involves
increasing or decreasing funds in the current fiscal year for
the individual investment in excess of $500,000 or 10 percent
of the total cost, whichever is less;
(2) realigning or reorganizing new, current, or vacant
positions or agency activities or functions to establish a
center, office, branch, or similar entity with five or more
personnel; or
(3) carrying out activities or functions that were not
described in the budget request;
unless the agencies funded by this Act notify, in writing,
the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress
at least 30 days in advance of using the funds for these
purposes.
(e) As described in this section, no funds may be used for
any activities unless the Secretary of Agriculture or the
Secretary of Health and Human Services receives from the
Committee on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress
written or electronic mail confirmation of receipt of the
notification as required in this section.
Sec. 717. Notwithstanding section 310B(g)(5) of the
Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C.
1932(g)(5)), the Secretary may assess a one-time fee for any
guaranteed business and industry loan in an amount that does
not exceed 3 percent of the guaranteed principal portion of
the loan.
Sec. 718. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made
available to the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug
Administration, or the Farm Credit Administration shall be
used to transmit or otherwise make available reports,
questions, or responses to questions that are a result of
information requested for the appropriations hearing process
to any non-Department of Agriculture, non-Department of
Health and Human Services, or non-Farm Credit Administration
employee.
Sec. 719. Unless otherwise authorized by existing law,
none of the funds provided in this Act, may be used by an
executive branch agency to produce any prepackaged news story
intended for broadcast or distribution in the United States
unless the story includes a clear notification within the
text or audio of the prepackaged news story that the
prepackaged news story was prepared or funded by that
executive branch agency.
Sec. 720. No employee of the Department of Agriculture may
be detailed or assigned from an agency or office funded by
this Act or any other Act to any other agency or office of
the Department for more than 60 days in a fiscal year unless
the individual's employing agency or office is fully
reimbursed by the receiving agency or office for the salary
and expenses of the employee for the period of assignment.
Sec. 721. Not later than 30 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture, the
Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, and the
Chairman of the Farm Credit Administration shall submit to
the Committees on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives and the Senate a detailed obligation plan
delineated by program, project, and activity, as defined in
the report accompanying this Act, for all amounts made
available by this Act and prior appropriations Acts that
remain available for obligation, including appropriated user
fees and loan authorizations: Provided, That such obligation
plan shall include breakdowns of estimated obligations for
each such program, project, or activity by fiscal quarter,
source appropriation, and the number of full-time equivalent
positions supported: Provided further, That

[[Page H4624]]

such obligation plan shall serve as the baseline for
reprogramming notifications for the purposes of section 716
of this Act.
Sec. 722. None of the funds made available by this Act may
be used to propose, promulgate, or implement any rule, or
take any other action with respect to, allowing or requiring
information intended for a prescribing health care
professional, in the case of a drug or biological product
subject to section 503(b)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 353(b)(1)), to be distributed to such
professional electronically (in lieu of in paper form) unless
and until a Federal law is enacted to allow or require such
distribution.
Sec. 723. For the purposes of determining eligibility or
level of program assistance for Rural Housing Service
programs the Secretary shall not include incarcerated prison
populations.
Sec. 724. For loans and loan guarantees that do not
require budget authority and for which the program level has
been established in this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture
may increase the program level for such loans and loan
guarantees by not more than 25 percent: Provided, That prior
to the Secretary implementing such an increase, the Secretary
notifies, in writing, the Committees on Appropriations of
both Houses of Congress at least 15 days in advance.
Sec. 725. None of the credit card refunds or rebates
transferred to the Working Capital Fund pursuant to section
729 of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug
Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2002
(7 U.S.C. 2235a; Public Law 107-76) shall be available for
obligation without written notification to, and the prior
approval of, the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses
of Congress: Provided, That the refunds or rebates so
transferred shall be available for obligation only for the
acquisition of property, plant and equipment, including
equipment for the improvement, delivery, and implementation
of Departmental financial management, information technology,
and other support systems necessary for the delivery of
financial, administrative, and information technology
services, including cloud adoption and migration, of primary
benefit to the agencies of the Department of Agriculture.
Sec. 726. None of the funds made available by this Act may
be used to implement, administer, or enforce the ``variety''
requirements of the final rule entitled ``Enhancing Retailer
Standards in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP)'' published by the Department of Agriculture in the
Federal Register on December 15, 2016 (81 Fed. Reg. 90675)
until the Secretary of Agriculture amends the definition of
the term ``variety'' as defined in section 278.1(b)(1)(ii)(C)
of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations, and ``variety'' as
applied in the definition of the term ``staple food'' as
defined in section 271.2 of title 7, Code of Federal
Regulations, to increase the number of items that qualify as
acceptable varieties in each staple food category so that the
total number of such items in each staple food category
exceeds the number of such items in each staple food category
included in the final rule as published on December 15, 2016:
Provided, That until the Secretary promulgates such
regulatory amendments, the Secretary shall apply the
requirements regarding acceptable varieties and breadth of
stock to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program retailers
that were in effect on the day before the date of the
enactment of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-
79).
Sec. 727. In carrying out subsection (h) of section 502 of
the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1472), the Secretary of
Agriculture shall have the same authority with respect to
loans guaranteed under such section and eligible lenders for
such loans as the Secretary has under subsections (h) and (j)
of section 538 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1490p-2) with respect
to loans guaranteed under such section 538 and eligible
lenders for such loans.
Sec. 728. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made
available by this Act shall be available for the United
States Department of Agriculture to propose, finalize or
implement any regulation that would promulgate new user fees
pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 9701 after the date of the enactment of
this Act.
Sec. 729. Notwithstanding any provision of law that
regulates the calculation and payment of overtime and holiday
pay for FSIS inspectors, the Secretary may charge
establishments subject to the inspection requirements of the
Poultry Products Inspection Act, 21 U.S.C. 451 et seq., the
Federal Meat Inspection Act, 21 U.S.C. 601 et seq., and the
Egg Products Inspection Act, 21 U.S.C. 1031 et seq., for the
cost of inspection services provided outside of an
establishment's approved inspection shifts, and for
inspection services provided on Federal holidays: Provided,
That any sums charged pursuant to this paragraph shall be
deemed as overtime pay or holiday pay under section 1001(d)
of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2,
135 Stat. 242): Provided further, That sums received by the
Secretary under this paragraph shall, in addition to other
available funds, remain available until expended to the
Secretary without further appropriation for the purpose of
funding all costs associated with FSIS inspections.
Sec. 730. (a) The Secretary of Agriculture shall--
(1) conduct audits in a manner that evaluates the following
factors in the country or region being audited, as
applicable--
(A) veterinary control and oversight;
(B) disease history and vaccination practices;
(C) livestock demographics and traceability;
(D) epidemiological separation from potential sources of
infection;
(E) surveillance practices;
(F) diagnostic laboratory capabilities; and
(G) emergency preparedness and response; and
(2) promptly make publicly available the final reports of
any audits or reviews conducted pursuant to paragraph (1).
(b) This section shall be applied in a manner consistent
with United States obligations under its international trade
agreements.
Sec. 731. (a)(1) No Federal funds made available for this
fiscal year for the rural water, waste water, waste disposal,
and solid waste management programs authorized by sections
306, 306A, 306C, 306D, 306E, and 310B of the Consolidated
Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926 et seq.) shall
be used for a project for the construction, alteration,
maintenance, or repair of a public water or wastewater system
unless all of the iron and steel products used in the project
are produced in the United States.
(2) In this section, the term ``iron and steel products''
means the following products made primarily of iron or steel:
lined or unlined pipes and fittings, manhole covers and other
municipal castings, hydrants, tanks, flanges, pipe clamps and
restraints, valves, structural steel, reinforced precast
concrete, and construction materials.
(b) Subsection (a) shall not apply in any case or category
of cases in which the Secretary of Agriculture (in this
section referred to as the ``Secretary'') or the designee of
the Secretary finds that--
(1) applying subsection (a) would be inconsistent with the
public interest;
(2) iron and steel products are not produced in the United
States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities or
of a satisfactory quality; or
(3) inclusion of iron and steel products produced in the
United States will increase the cost of the overall project
by more than 25 percent.
(c) If the Secretary or the designee receives a request for
a waiver under this section, the Secretary or the designee
shall make available to the public on an informal basis a
copy of the request and information available to the
Secretary or the designee concerning the request, and shall
allow for informal public input on the request for at least
15 days prior to making a finding based on the request. The
Secretary or the designee shall make the request and
accompanying information available by electronic means,
including on the official public Internet Web site of the
Department.
(d) This section shall be applied in a manner consistent
with United States obligations under international
agreements.
(e) The Secretary may retain up to 0.25 percent of the
funds appropriated in this Act for ``Rural Utilities
Service--Rural Water and Waste Disposal Program Account'' for
carrying out the provisions described in subsection (a)(1)
for management and oversight of the requirements of this
section.
(f) Subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to a
project for which the engineering plans and specifications
include use of iron and steel products otherwise prohibited
by such subsection if the plans and specifications have
received required approvals from State agencies prior to the
date of enactment of this Act.
(g) For purposes of this section, the terms ``United
States'' and ``State'' shall include each of the several
States, the District of Columbia, and each Federally
recognized Indian Tribe.
Sec. 732. None of the funds appropriated by this Act may
be used in any way, directly or indirectly, to influence
congressional action on any legislation or appropriation
matters pending before Congress, other than to communicate to
Members of Congress as described in 18 U.S.C. 1913.
Sec. 733. Of the total amounts made available by this Act
for direct loans and grants under the following headings:
``Rural Housing Service--Rural Housing Insurance Fund Program
Account''; ``Rural Housing Service--Mutual and Self-Help
Housing Grants''; ``Rural Housing Service--Rural Housing
Assistance Grants''; ``Rural Housing Service--Rural Community
Facilities Program Account''; ``Rural Business--Cooperative
Service--Rural Business Program Account''; ``Rural Business--
Cooperative Service--Rural Economic Development Loans Program
Account''; ``Rural Business--Cooperative Service--Rural
Cooperative Development Grants''; ``Rural Business--
Cooperative Service--Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance
Program''; ``Rural Utilities Service--Rural Water and Waste
Disposal Program Account''; ``Rural Utilities Service--Rural
Electrification and Telecommunications Loans Program
Account''; and ``Rural Utilities Service--Distance Learning,
Telemedicine, and Broadband Program'', to the maximum extent
feasible, at least 10 percent of the funds shall be allocated
for assistance in persistent poverty counties under this
section, including, notwithstanding any other provision
regarding population limits, any county seat of such a
persistent poverty county that has a population that does not
exceed the authorized population limit by more than 10
percent: Provided, That for purposes of this section, the
term ``persistent poverty counties'' means any county that
has had 20 percent or more of its population living in
poverty over the past 30 years, as measured by the 1990 and
2000 decennial censuses, and 2007-2011 American Community
Survey 5-year average, or any territory or possession of the
United States: Provided further, That with respect to
specific activities for which program levels have been made
available by this Act that are not supported by budget
authority, the requirements of this section shall be applied
to such program level.
Sec. 734. None of the funds made available by this Act may
be used to notify a sponsor or otherwise acknowledge receipt
of a submission for an exemption for investigational use of a
drug or biological product under section 505(i) of the
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 355(i)) or
section 351(a)(3) of the Public

[[Page H4625]]

Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262(a)(3)) in research in which
a human embryo is intentionally created or modified to
include a heritable genetic modification. Any such submission
shall be deemed to have not been received by the Secretary,
and the exemption may not go into effect.
Sec. 735. None of the funds made available by this or any
other Act may be used to enforce the final rule promulgated
by the Food and Drug Administration entitled ``Standards for
the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for
Human Consumption'', and published on November 27, 2015, and
the proposed rule issued by the Food and Drug Administration
pending at the Office of Management and Budget entitled
``Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding
Produce for Human Consumption Related to Agricultural Water''
(86 Fed. Reg. 69120 and 87 Fed. Reg. 42973), with respect to
the regulation of entities that grow, harvest, pack, or hold
wine grapes, hops, pulse crops, or almonds.
Sec. 736. For school years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027, none
of the funds made available by this Act may be used to
restrict or limit the substitution of any vegetable subgroup
for fruits under the school breakfast program established
under section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C.
1773).
Sec. 737. None of the funds made available by this Act or
any other Act may be used--
(1) in contravention of section 7606 of the Agricultural
Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 5940), subtitle G of the Agricultural
Marketing Act of 1946, or section 10114 of the Agriculture
Improvement Act of 2018; or
(2) to prohibit the transportation, processing, sale, or
use of hemp, or seeds of such plant, that is grown or
cultivated in accordance with section 7606 of the
Agricultural Act of 2014 or subtitle G of the Agricultural
Marketing Act of 1946, within or outside the State in which
the hemp is grown or cultivated.
Sec. 738. The Secretary of Agriculture may waive the
matching funds requirement under section 412(g) of the
Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of
1998 (7 U.S.C. 7632(g)).
Sec. 739. The Secretary of Agriculture shall be included
as a member of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the
United States (CFIUS) on a case by case basis pursuant to the
authorities in section 721(k)(2)(J) of the Defense Production
Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4565(k)(2)(J)) with respect to each
covered transaction (as defined in section 721(a)(4) of the
Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4565(a)(4)))
involving agricultural land, agriculture biotechnology, or
the agriculture industry (including agricultural
transportation, agricultural storage, and agricultural
processing), as determined by the CFIUS Chairperson in
coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture. The Secretary
of Agriculture shall, to the maximum extent practicable,
notify CFIUS of any agricultural land transaction that the
Secretary of Agriculture has reason to believe, based on
information from or in cooperation with the Intelligence
Community, is a covered transaction (A) that may pose a risk
to the national security of the United States, with
particular emphasis on covered transactions of an interest in
agricultural land by foreign governments or entities of
concern, as defined in 42 U.S.C. 19221(a), including the
People's Republic of China, the Democratic People's Republic
of Korea, the Russian Federation, and the Islamic Republic of
Iran; and (B) with respect to which a person is required to
submit a report to the Secretary of Agriculture under section
2(a) of the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of
1978 (7 U.S.C. 3501(a)).
Sec. 740. There is hereby appropriated $2,000,000, to
remain available until expended, for a pilot program for the
Secretary to provide grants to qualified non-profit
organizations and public housing authorities to provide
technical assistance, including financial and legal services,
to RHS multi-family housing borrowers to facilitate property
preservation through the acquisition of RHS multi-family
housing properties in areas where the Secretary determines a
risk of loss of affordable housing, by non-profit housing
organizations and public housing authorities as authorized by
law that commit to keep such properties in the RHS multi-
family housing program for a period of time as determined by
the Secretary: Provided, That such funds may also be used
for technical assistance for non-profit organizations, public
housing authorities, and private owners for the decoupling of
rental assistance.
Sec. 741. Funds made available under title II of the Food
for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1721 et seq.) may only be used to
provide assistance to recipient nations if adequate
monitoring and controls, as determined by the Administrator,
are in place to ensure that emergency food aid is received by
the intended beneficiaries in areas affected by food
shortages and not diverted for unauthorized or inappropriate
purposes.
Sec. 742. None of the funds made available by this Act may
be used to procure raw or processed poultry products or
seafood imported into the United States from the People's
Republic of China for use in the school lunch program under
the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C.
1751 et seq.), the Child and Adult Care Food Program under
section 17 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1766), the Summer Food
Service Program for Children under section 13 of such Act (42
U.S.C. 1761), or the school breakfast program under the Child
Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.).
Sec. 743. For school year 2026-2027, only a school food
authority that had a negative balance in the nonprofit school
food service account as of June 30, 2025, shall be required
to establish a price for paid lunches in accordance with
section 12(p) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch
Act (42 U.S.C. 1760(p)).
Sec. 744. Any funds made available by this or any other
Act that the Secretary withholds pursuant to section
1668(g)(2) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade
Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5921(g)(2)), as amended, shall be
available for grants for biotechnology risk assessment
research: Provided, That the Secretary may transfer such
funds among appropriations of the Department of Agriculture
for purposes of making such grants.
Sec. 745. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no
funds available to the Department of Agriculture may be used
to move any staff office or any agency from the mission area
in which it was located on August 1, 2018, to any other
mission area or office within the Department in the absence
of the enactment of specific legislation affirming such move.
Sec. 746. The Secretary, acting through the Chief of the
Natural Resources Conservation Service, may use funds
appropriated under this Act or any other Act for the
Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations Program and the
Watershed Rehabilitation Program carried out pursuant to the
Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (16 U.S.C. 1001
et seq.), and for the Emergency Watershed Protection Program
carried out pursuant to section 403 of the Agricultural
Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2203) to provide technical
services for such programs pursuant to section 1252(a)(1) of
the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3851(a)(1)),
notwithstanding subsection (c) of such section.
Sec. 747. In administering the pilot program established
by section 779 of division A of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public Law 115-141), the Secretary
of Agriculture may, for purposes of determining entities
eligible to receive assistance, consider those communities
which are ``Areas Rural in Character'': Provided, That not
more than 10 percent of the funds made available under the
heading ``Distance Learning, Telemedicine, and Broadband
Program'' for the purposes of the pilot program established
by section 779 of Public Law 115-141 may be used for this
purpose.
Sec. 748. In addition to amounts otherwise made available
by this Act and notwithstanding the last sentence of 16
U.S.C. 1310, there is appropriated $2,000,000, to remain
available until expended, to implement non-renewable
agreements on eligible lands, including flooded agricultural
lands, as determined by the Secretary, under the Water Bank
Act (16 U.S.C. 1301-1311).
Sec. 749. A bank referenced in 12 U.S.C. 2128 may make and
participate in loans and commitments and provide technical
and other financial assistance to cooperatives and any other
public or private entity (except for the Federal Government)
for the purpose of installing, maintaining, expanding,
improving, or operating facilities in a rural area as defined
in 12 U.S.C. 2128(f) for the processing or disposal of waste
from any source, provision of telecommunication services, and
producing electricity from any source for use or sale by the
borrower.
Sec. 750. The Secretary shall set aside for Rural Economic
Area Partnership (REAP) Zones, until August 15, 2026, an
amount of funds made available in title III under the
headings of Rural Housing Insurance Fund Program Account,
Mutual and Self-Help Housing Grants, Rural Housing Assistance
Grants, Rural Community Facilities Program Account, Rural
Business Program Account, Rural Development Loan Fund Program
Account, and Rural Water and Waste Disposal Program Account,
equal to the amount obligated in REAP Zones with respect to
funds provided under such headings in the most recent fiscal
year any such funds were obligated under such headings for
REAP Zones, excluding the funding provided through any
Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending.
Sec. 751. There is hereby appropriated $2,000,000, to
remain available until expended, to carry out section 758 of
division B of Public Law 118-42, in addition to amounts
otherwise available for such purpose.
Sec. 752. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made
available by this Act may be used by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) to issue or promote any new guidelines
or regulations applicable to food manufacturers of low risk
ready-to-eat (RTE) foods for Listeria monocytogenes (Lm)
until the FDA considers the available new science in
developing the Compliance Policy Guide (CPG), Guidance for
FDA Staff, section 555.320 Listeria monocytogenes regarding
Lm in low-risk foods, meaning foods that do not support the
growth of Lm.
Sec. 753. For necessary expenses associated with cotton
classing activities pursuant to 7 U.S.C. 55, to include
equipment and facility upgrades, and in addition to any other
funds made available for this purpose, there is appropriated,
$4,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2027:
Provided, That amounts made available in this section shall
be treated as funds collected by fees authorized under March
4, 1923, ch. 288, section 5, 42 Stat. 1518, as amended (7
U.S.C. 55).
Sec. 754. For an additional amount for the Office of the
Secretary, $700,000, for the Office of Tribal Relations to
cover costs incurred for the slaughtering, processing, and
voluntary meat inspection fees, notwithstanding the
Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1622 et seq.)
and 9 CFR part 352, for bison owned by Tribal governments (as
defined by the List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131)), Tribal
entities (including Tribal organizations and corporations),
and Tribal members that slaughter and process bison at
establishments that receive USDA voluntary inspection or
state inspection.
Sec. 755. If services performed by APHIS employees are
determined by the Administrator of the Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service to be in response to an animal
disease or plant health emergency outbreak, any premium pay
that is funded, either directly or through reimbursement,
shall be exempted from the aggregate

[[Page H4626]]

of basic pay and premium pay calculated under section
5547(b)(1) and (2) of title 5, United States Code, and any
other provision of law limiting the aggregate amount of
premium pay payable on a biweekly or calendar year basis.
Sec. 756. None of the funds made available by this Act may
be used to pay the salaries or expenses of personnel--
(1) to inspect horses under section 3 of the Federal Meat
Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 603);
(2) to inspect horses under section 903 of the Federal
Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 1901
note; Public Law 104-127); or
(3) to implement or enforce section 352.19 of title 9, Code
of Federal Regulations (or a successor regulation).
Sec. 757. There is hereby appropriated $2,000,000, to
remain available until expended, to carry out section 2103 of
Public Law 115-334: Provided, That the Secretary shall
prioritize the wetland compliance needs of areas with
significant numbers of individual wetlands, wetland acres,
and conservation compliance requests.
Sec. 758. There is appropriated $3,000,000 for the
emergency and transitional pet shelter and housing assistance
grant program established under section 12502(b) of the
Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (34 U.S.C. 20127).
Sec. 759. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering
and Medicine (NASEM) were tasked with providing findings and
recommendations on alcohol consumption for the purposes of
inclusion in the 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans as
required by section 772 of division A of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328): Provided,
That the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the
Secretary of Agriculture shall only consider the findings and
recommendations of the NASEM report in the development of the
2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and further, both
Secretaries shall ensure that the alcohol consumption
recommendations in the 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
shall be based on the preponderance of scientific and medical
knowledge consistent with section 5341 of title 7 of United
States Code.
Sec. 760. (a) Section 313B(a) of the Rural Electrification
Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 940c-2(a)), shall be applied for fiscal
year 2026 and each fiscal year thereafter until the specified
funding has been expended as if the following were inserted
after the final period: ``In addition, the Secretary shall
use $9,465,000 of the funds available to carry out this
section in fiscal year 2024 for an additional amount for the
same purpose and under the same terms and conditions as the
Rural Business Development Grants authorized by section 310B
of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C.
1932(c)) and shall use $9,953,000 of the funds available to
carry out this section in fiscal year 2026 for an additional
amount for the same purpose and under the same terms and
conditions as the Rural Business Development Grants
authorized by section 310B of the Consolidated Farm and Rural
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(c)).''.
(b) Section 780 of division B of Public Law 118-42 and such
section as continued in effect as an authority and condition
under section 1101(a)(1) of Public Law 119-4 shall no longer
apply.
Sec. 761. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the
acceptable market name of any engineered animal approved
prior to the effective date of the National Bioengineered
Food Disclosure Standard (February 19, 2019) shall include
the words ``genetically engineered'' prior to the existing
acceptable market name.
Sec. 762. For an additional amount for the Office of the
Secretary, $5,250,000, to remain available until expended, to
continue the Institute for Rural Partnerships as established
in section 778 of Public Law 117-103: Provided, That the
Institute for Rural Partnerships shall continue to dedicate
resources to researching the causes and conditions of
challenges facing rural areas, and develop community
partnerships to address such challenges: Provided further,
That administrative or other fees shall not exceed one
percent: Provided further, That such partnership shall
coordinate and publish an annual report.
Sec. 763. There is hereby appropriated $500,000 to carry
out the duties of the working group established under section
770 of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug
Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019
(Public Law 116-6; 133 Stat. 89).
Sec. 764. The agencies and offices of the Department of
Agriculture may reimburse the Office of the General Counsel
(OGC), out of the funds provided in this Act, for costs
incurred by OGC in providing services to such agencies or
offices under time-limited agreements entered into with such
agencies and offices: Provided, That such transfer authority
is in addition to any other transfer authority provided by
law.
Sec. 765. Section 363 of the Multifamily Mortgage
Foreclosure Act of 1981 (12 U.S.C. 3702) is amended at
paragraph (2)--
(1) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``and'';
(2) in subparagraph (E), by striking the period at the end
and inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (E) the following:
``(F) section 514 or 515 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42
U.S.C. 1484, 1485).''.
Sec. 766. The last proviso in the second paragraph under
the heading ``Rural Community Facilities Program Account'' in
division B of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024
(Public Law 118-42) shall be amended to read as follows:
``Provided further, That in addition to any other available
funds, the Secretary may expend not more than $1,000,000
total, from the program funds made available under this
heading, for administrative expenses for activities funded
under this heading and in section 778(1).''.
Sec. 767. Of the unobligated balances from prior year
appropriations made available for conservation activities
under the heading ``Natural Resources Conservation Service--
Conservation Operations'', $30,000,000 are hereby rescinded:
Provided, That no amounts may be rescinded from amounts that
were designated by the Congress as an emergency requirement
pursuant to a concurrent resolution on the budget or the
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
Sec. 768. Of the unobligated balances from prior year
appropriations made available for the ``National Institute of
Food and Agriculture--Research and Education Activities'',
$22,000,000 are hereby rescinded: Provided, That no amounts
may be rescinded from amounts that were designated by the
Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to a concurrent
resolution on the budget or the Balanced Budget and Emergency
Deficit Control Act of 1985.
Sec. 769. Of the unobligated balances from prior year
appropriations made available under the heading ``Distance
Learning, Telemedicine, and Broadband Program'' for the cost
to continue a broadband loan and grant pilot program
established by section 779 of division A of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public Law 115-141) under the Rural
Electrification Act of 1936, as amended (7 U.S.C. 901 et
seq.), $20,000,000 are hereby rescinded: Provided, That no
amounts may be rescinded from amounts that were designated by
the Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to a
concurrent resolution on the budget or the Balanced Budget
and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
Sec. 770. Of the unobligated balances from prior year
appropriations made available in the ``Working Capital
Fund'', $78,000,000 are hereby permanently rescinded:
Provided, That no amounts may be rescinded from amounts that
were designated by the Congress as an emergency requirement
pursuant to a concurrent resolution on the budget or the
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
Sec. 771. None of the funds made available to the
Department of Agriculture in this or any other Act may be
used to close or consolidate the resources or locations of
any existing Agricultural Research Service laboratories and
facilities without prior notification and approval of the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress.
Sec. 772. (a) Of the amounts made available in this Act
under the heading ``Department of Health and Human Services--
Food and Drug Administration--Salaries and Expenses'' that
are derived from tobacco product user fees authorized by 21
U.S.C. 387s, not less than $200,000,000 shall be used by the
Commissioner of Food and Drugs for enforcement activities
related to e-cigarettes, vapes, and other electronic nicotine
delivery systems (in this section referred to as ``ENDS''),
including activities under section 801(a) of the Federal
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 381(a)): Provided,
That not less than $2,000,000 of such amount shall be used to
continue the activities of the Federal multi-agency task
force led by the Department of Justice, Department of
Homeland Security, and the FDA to further work to bring all
available criminal and civil tools to bear against the
illegal manufacture, importation, distribution, and sale of
e-cigarettes, vapes, and other ENDS products from the
Republic of China and other foreign countries.
(b) Not later than 365 days after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Commissioner of Food and Drugs shall update the
FDA document titled ``Enforcement Priorities for Electronic
Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) and Other Deemed Products on
the Market Without Premarket Authorization'', published in
January 2020 and updated in April 2020, to expand FDA's
prioritized enforcement to flavored disposable ENDS products
in addition to cartridge-based products and to define the
term ``disposable ENDS product.''
(c) The Commissioner of Food and Drugs shall submit a semi-
annual written report to the Committees on Appropriations of
both Houses of Congress on the progress that the Center for
Tobacco Products is making in removing all illegal ENDS
products from the market: Provided, That the initial report
shall be submitted not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act.
(d) Section 801(a) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic
Act (21 U.S.C. 381(a)) is amended by striking ``drug or
device'' each place it appears in the seventh, eighth, ninth,
and tenth sentences and inserting ``drug, device, or tobacco
product''.
(e) Within 180 days the FDA shall submit a report to the
Committee of Appropriations of both Houses of Congress
detailing the Agency's activities to educate retailers in
determining which products are legal for sale.
Sec. 773. (a) Fees derived from amounts assessed and
collected for fiscal year 2026, credited under the heading
``Department of Health and Human Services--Food and Drug
Administration--Salaries and Expenses'', and made available
for expenditure under such heading must comply with each
provision contained in current user fee authorizations,
appropriations Acts, and commitment letters, as transmitted
from the Secretary of Health and Human Services to the chair
and ranking member of the Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the chair and ranking
member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House
of Representatives regarding reauthorization of such current
user fee authorizations: Provided, That the term current
user fee authorizations means those user fees authorized at
21 U.S.C. 379h, 21 U.S.C. 379j, 21 U.S.C. 379j-42, 21 U.S.C.
379j-52, 21 U.S.C. 379j-12, 21 U.S.C. 379j-21, 21 U.S.C.
387s, 42 U.S.C. 263b, 21 U.S.C. 381, 21 U.S.C. 360n and
360ff, 21 U.S.C. 379-j31, 21 U.S.C. 379j-62 , 21 U.S.C.
353(e)(3), 21 U.S.C. 360eee-3(c)(1), 21 U.S.C. 384d(c)(8), 21
U.S.C. 360bbb-4a, and 21 U.S.C. 379j-72.

[[Page H4627]]

(b)(1) Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Food and Drug Administration shall submit to
the Committees on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives and the Senate a report that includes
obligation and outlay estimates and full-time equivalent
(FTE) personnel staffing estimates for fiscal year 2026 for
each Food and Drug Administration program that uses both
general fund appropriations and funds derived from user fees:
Provided, That such report shall include a table with
separate columns for general fund appropriations and funds
derived from user fees for such obligations, outlays and FTE
personnel staffing: Provided further, That such report shall
be certified by the Ombudsman of the Food and Drug
Administration.
(2) The report in paragraph (1) shall be updated, certified
by the Ombudsman of the Food and Drug Administration, and
submitted to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives and the Senate not later than 45 days after
each fiscal quarter until all such funds are expended:
Provided, That a plan for such ongoing quarterly reporting
shall be submitted with the report required by subsection
(b)(1).
Sec. 774. (a) Section 260 of the Agricultural Marketing Act
of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1636i) is amended by striking ``2025'' and
inserting ``2026''.
(b) Section 942 of the Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of
1999 (7 U.S.C. 1635 note; Public Law 106-78) is amended by
striking ``2025'' and inserting ``2026''.
Sec. 775. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made
available by this Act may be used by the Food and Drug
Administration to develop, issue, promote, or advance any
final guidelines or new regulations applicable to food
manufacturers for long-term population-wide sodium reduction
actions until an assessment is completed on the impact of the
short-term sodium reduction targets.
Sec. 776. There is hereby appropriated $3,000,000, to
remain available until expended, for the Secretary of
Agriculture to conduct a new pilot program to support on-the-
ground local Energy Circuit Riders who provide professional
support to rural communities for the purpose of undertaking
projects that save energy and reduce emissions: Provided,
That for the purpose of the new pilot program, the Secretary,
acting through the Under Secretary for Rural Development,
shall have the authority to provide amounts, including in the
form of grants, cooperative agreements, and other financial
assistance, to States, Indian Tribes, cooperative extension
services, institutions of higher education, cooperatives and
cooperative organizations, regional planning commissions or
other public entities serving two or more rural areas:
Provided further, That the period of performance under this
pilot program shall be more than 3 but not more than 6 years:
Provided further, That the Federal share shall not be more
than 75 percent: Provided further, That an eligible entity
using funds provided under the pilot program shall offer
assistance with energy planning, energy audits, applicable
Federal funding opportunities, tax incentives, project
financing, grant writing, community-based capacity building,
or applicable State, local, and utility-based incentives,
including, as appropriate, coordinating with relevant State
energy offices.
Sec. 777. For purposes of applying the Federal Food Drug,
and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 301 et seq.), within 30 days of
enactment of this Act, the Food and Drug Administration is
directed to engage with industry stakeholders to update the
acceptable market name for the following fishes: Sebastes
alutus, Sebastes borealisn, Sebastes ciliatus, Sebastes
crameri, Sebastes entomelas, Sebastes flavidus, Sebastes
goodei, Sebastes levis, Sebastes melanops, Sebastes miniatus,
Sebastes ovalis, Sebastes paucispinis, Sebastes pinniger,
Sebastes proriger, Sebastes reedi, Sebastes ruberrimus,
Sebastes rufus, and Sebastes serranoides: Provided, That
within 180 days of enactment of this Act, the Food and Drug
Administration is directed to provide industry stakeholders
with new marketing name proposals and is directed to update
its Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance
and any other relevant guidance to reflect the new market
name once a new marketing name is agreed to expeditiously.
Sec. 778. For purposes of applying the Federal Food Drug,
and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 301 et seq.), Hawaii grown or
produced coffee shall contain at least 51 percent of coffee
grown in Kona, Kau, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, or other areas of the
State of Hawaii: Provided, That based on the region it is
produced or grown, the common or usual names shall be Kona
Coffee, Kau Coffee, Maui Coffee, Oahu Coffee, Kauai Coffee,
or Hawaii Coffee.
Sec. 779. None of the funds made available for any
department or agency in this or any other appropriations
Acts, including prior year Acts, shall be used to close
Natural Resources Conservation Service or Rural Development
mission area field offices or to permanently relocate any
field-based employees of those agencies that would result in
an office with two or fewer employees without prior
notification and approval of the Committees on Appropriations
of both Houses of Congress.
Sec. 780. No funds appropriated by this Act may be used to
administer or enforce the ``Requirements for Additional
Traceability Records for Certain Foods'', published on
November 21, 2022 (87 Fed. Reg. 70910), or any other rule
promulgated in accordance with section 204 of the FDA Food
Safety Modernization Act (21 U.S.C. 2223), prior to July 20,
2028. Further, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration shall:
(1) Engage quarterly with the regulated entities, including
farms, restaurants, retail food establishments, and
warehouses distributing to retail food establishments and
restaurants, to identify and implement, as appropriate,
additional flexibilities for satisfying the rule's lot-level
tracking requirement, as appropriate, such that regulated
entities can comply with the November 21, 2022, rule
consistent with section 204(d)(1)(L)(iii), which prohibits
the agency from requiring product tracking to the case level.
(2) Within 180 days of enactment of this Act, the Food and
Drug Administration is directed to provide industry
stakeholders with recommendations for these additional
flexibilities satisfying the rule's lot-level tracking
requirement, as appropriate.
(3) The FDA shall provide assistance to industry regarding
how to handle food waste recovery, reclamation, intra-company
transfers, customer returns under the rule and initiate a
series of hypothetical data intake exercises to test the
capabilities of the FDA's Product Tracing System and, upon
request and as resources allow, the covered entity systems
and identify any technical difficulties prior to full
implementation.
Sec. 781. Effective 365 days after the enactment of this
Act, Section 297A of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946
(7 U.S.C. 1639o) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (6) as
paragraphs (4) through (8), respectively; and
(2) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
``(1) Hemp.--
``(A) In general.--The term `hemp' means the plant Cannabis
sativa L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds
thereof and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers,
acids, salts, and salts of isomers, whether growing or not,
with a total tetrahydrocannabinols concentration (including
tetrahydrocannabinolic acid) of not more than 0.3 percent on
a dry weight basis.
``(B) Inclusion.--Such term includes industrial hemp.
``(C) Exclusions.--Such term does not include--
``(i) any viable seeds from a Cannabis sativa L. plant that
exceeds a total tetrahydrocannabinols concentration
(including tetrahydrocannabinolic acid) of 0.3 percent in the
plant on a dry weight basis; or
``(ii) any intermediate hemp-derived cannabinoid products
containing--

``(I) cannabinoids that are not capable of being naturally
produced by a Cannabis sativa L. plant;
``(II) cannabinoids that--

``(aa) are capable of being naturally produced by a
Cannabis sativa L. plant; and
``(bb) were synthesized or manufactured outside the plant;
or

``(III) more than 0.3 percent combined total of--

``(I) cannabinoids that are not capable of being naturally
produced by a Cannabis sativa L. plant;
``(II) cannabinoids that--

``(aa) are capable of being naturally produced by a
Cannabis sativa L. plant; and
``(bb) were synthesized or manufactured outside the plant;
or

``(III) greater than 0.4 milligrams combined total per
container of--

``(aa) total tetrahydrocannabinols (including
tetrahydrocannabinolic acid); and
``(bb) any other cannabinoids that have similar effects (or
are marketed to have similar effects) on humans or animals as
a tetrahydrocannabinol (as determined by the Secretary of
Health and Human Services).
``(2) Industrial hemp.--The term `industrial hemp' means
hemp--
``(A) grown for the use of the stalk of the plant, fiber
produced from such a stalk, or any other non-cannabinoid
derivative, mixture, preparation, or manufacture of such a
stalk;
``(B) grown for the use of the whole grain, oil, cake, nut,
hull, or any other non-cannabinoid compound, derivative,
mixture, preparation, or manufacture of the seeds of such
plant;
``(C) grown for purposes of producing microgreens or other
edible hemp leaf products intended for human consumption that
are derived from an immature hemp plant that is grown from
seeds that do not exceed the threshold for total
tetrahydrocannabinols concentration specified in paragraph
(1)(C)(i);
``(D) that is a plant that does not enter the stream of
commerce and is intended to support hemp research at an
institution of higher education (as defined in section 101 of
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)) or an
independent research institute; or
``(E) grown for the use of a viable seed of the plant
produced solely for the production or manufacture of any
material described in subparagraphs (A) through (D).
``(3) Hemp-derived cannabinoid product.--
``(A) In general.--The term `hemp-derived cannabinoid
product' means any intermediate or final product derived from
hemp (other than industrial hemp), that--
``(i) contains cannabinoids in any form; and
``(ii) is intended for human or animal use through any
means of application or administration, such as inhalation,
ingestion, or topical application.
``(B) The term `intermediate hemp-derived cannabinoid
product' means a hemp-derived cannabinoid product which--
``(i) is not yet in the final form or preparation marketed
or intended to be used or consumed by a human or animal; or

[[Page H4628]]

``(ii) is a powder, liquid, tablet, oil, or other product
form which is intended or marketed to be mixed, dissolved,
formulated, or otherwise added to or prepared with or into
any other substance prior to administration or consumption.
``(C) The term `container' means the innermost wrapping,
packaging, or vessel in direct contact with a final hemp-
derived cannabinoid product in which the final hemp-derived
cannabinoid product is enclosed for retail sale to consumers,
such as a jar, bottle, bag, box, packet, can, carton, or
cartridge.
``(D) The term container excludes bulk shipping containers
or outer wrappings that are not essential for the final
retail delivery or sale to an end consumer for personal or
household use.
``(E) Exclusion.--Such term does not include a drug that is
the subject of an application approved under subsection (c)
or (j) of section 505 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic
Act (21 U.S.C. 355).''.
(3) Within 90 days of the enactment of this act, the Food
and Drug Administration, in consultation with other relevant
Federal agencies, shall publish--
(A) a list of all cannabinoids known to FDA to be capable
of being naturally produced by a Cannabis sativa L. plant, as
reflected in peer reviewed literature;
(B) a list of all tetrahydrocannabinol class cannabinoids
known to the agency to be naturally occurring in the plant;
(C) a list of all other know cannabinoids with similar
effects to, or marketed to have similar effects to,
tetrahyrocannabinol class cannabinoids; and
(D) additional information and specificity about the term
``container'', as defined in paragraph (3)(C).
Sec. 782. In addition to amounts otherwise made available,
there is hereby appropriated $2,000,000, to remain available
until expended, for the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion
Program established pursuant to section 1001(b)(4) of the
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2) to award
grants to processors of invasive, wild-caught catfish.
Sec. 783. (a) During the period beginning on the effective
date of the final rule entitled ``Food Labeling: Nutrient
Content Claims; Definition of Term `Healthy' '' published in
the Federal Register by the Food and Drug Administration on
December 27, 2024 (89 Fed. Reg. 106064 et seq.) and ending on
the compliance date specified in such final rule (referred to
in this section as the ``compliance period''), a manufacturer
may also continue to comply with the requirements in effect
on the day before such effective date relating to an implied
nutrient content claim of ``healthy'' made with respect to a
food.
(b) In the case of a food that bears labeling making an
implied nutrition content claim that the food is ``healthy''
during the compliance period, the manufacturer of the food
shall not be directly or indirectly subject to any State law
requirement relating to labeling making an implied nutrient
content claim that a food is ``healthy'' during such period
that is not identical to either--
(1) the Federal requirements for labeling to make an
implied nutrition content claim that a food is ``healthy''
that were in effect on the day before the effective date of
such final rule; or
(2) the updated Federal requirements specified in the final
rule for such a claim.
Sec. 784. Of the unobligated balances available in the
Department of the Treasury, Treasury Forfeiture Fund,
established by section 9703 of title 31, United States Code,
$350,000,000 shall be permanently rescinded not later than
September 30, 2026.
Sec. 785. The Commissioner of the Food and Drug
Administration shall develop a report to determine the cost
and any implications associated with efforts to issue a
proposed rule and implement FDA guidance and enforcement for
setting standards for pet and animal food labeling and
ingredient regulation: Provided, That the report shall--
(1) cover intent for harmonization across state and Federal
regulatory bodies for pet and animal food labeling and
ingredients;
(2) include timelines for developing guidelines, proposed
regulations, resource and personnel needs to implement such
standards, and where FDA would need additional authority to
implement any proposed changes; and
be submitted to the House and Senate Committees on
Appropriations within 120 days of enactment of this Act.
Sec. 786. Any remaining unobligated balances from amounts
made available by section 743 of division A of the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (Public Law 115-31) may
be used, in addition to any funds otherwise made available
for such purposes, for plans, construction, repair,
preventive maintenance, environmental support, improvement,
extension, alteration, and purchase of fixed equipment or
facilities, as authorized by 7 U.S.C. 2250, and acquisition
of land as authorized by 7 U.S.C. 2268a.
Sec. 787. For fiscal year 2026, the maximum monthly
allowances of fluid milk for the following food packages
described in section 246.10(e) of title 7, Code of Federal
Regulations, are:
(1) For Food Package IV, 16 quarts.
(2) For Food Package V, 22 quarts.
(3) For Food Package VI, 16 quarts.
(4) For Food Package VII, 24 quarts.
(5) For Food Package III, the maximum monthly allowances of
fluid milk should conform to the changes made to food
packages IV, V, VI, and VII in this section.
Sec. 788. The Secretary of Agriculture shall--
(1) conduct a study to determine the feasibility of
applying the Buy American requirement (as described in
section 201.21(d) of title 7 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (2022)) to the supplemental nutrition assistance
program under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, and the
special supplemental nutrition program as authorized by
section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C.
1786), including the impact applying such requirement would
have on the agricultural economy of the United States; and
(2) not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Secretary shall submit the results of such
study to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations,
the House Agriculture Committee, and the Senate Agriculture,
Nutrition, and Forestry Committee.
Sec. 789. (a) The Secretary shall prepare a report by
account that details the status of all projects specified in
the table titled ``Community Project Funding/Congressionally
Directed Spending'' in the explanatory statements
accompanying prior year Agriculture, Rural Development, Food
and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations
Acts, as described in section 4 in the matter preceding
division A of such Acts: Provided, That such report shall
include a breakout showing the subset of projects for which
funds have not yet been obligated, or for which funds have
been deobligated, an explanation for each such project's
obligation status, the fiscal year in which funds were
originally made available for such project, and the period of
availability of such funds.
(b) The Secretary shall submit the report described in
subsection (a) to the Committees on Appropriations of the
House of Representatives and the Senate on whichever of the
following first occurs--
(1) concurrent with the department's budget request for
fiscal year 2027.
(2) February 15, 2026.
Sec. 790. The Secretary of Agriculture shall provide
written notification to the House and Senate Committees on
Appropriations no fewer than 3 business days in advance of
termination of any grant, cooperative agreement, or contract
award totaling $1,000,000 or more issued from funds made
available in this Act or any previous Act: Provided, That
such notification shall include the recipient of the award,
the amount of the award, the fiscal year for which the funds
for the award were appropriated, the account and program,
project, or activity from which the funds are being drawn,
the title of the award, and a detailed justification for the
termination.
This division may be cited as the ``Agriculture, Rural
Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agency
Appropriations Act, 2026''.

DIVISION C--LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026

TITLE I

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

SENATE

Expense Allowances

For expense allowances of the Vice President, $20,000; the
President Pro Tempore of the Senate, $40,000; Majority Leader
of the Senate, $40,000; Minority Leader of the Senate,
$40,000; Majority Whip of the Senate, $10,000; Minority Whip
of the Senate, $10,000; President Pro Tempore Emeritus,
$15,000; Chairmen of the Majority and Minority Conference
Committees, $5,000 for each Chairman; and Chairmen of the
Majority and Minority Policy Committees, $5,000 for each
Chairman; in all, $195,000.
For representation allowances of the Majority and Minority
Leaders of the Senate, $15,000 for each such Leader; in all,
$30,000.

Salaries, Officers and Employees

For compensation of officers, employees, and others as
authorized by law, including agency contributions,
$311,543,000, which shall be paid from this appropriation as
follows:

office of the vice president

For the Office of the Vice President, $3,210,000.

office of the president pro tempore

For the Office of the President Pro Tempore, $904,000.

office of the president pro tempore emeritus

For the Office of the President Pro Tempore Emeritus,
$392,000.

offices of the majority and minority leaders

For Offices of the Majority and Minority Leaders,
$6,710,000.

offices of the majority and minority whips

For Offices of the Majority and Minority Whips, $4,212,000.

committee on appropriations

For salaries of the Committee on Appropriations,
$22,710,000.

conference committees

For the Conference of the Majority and the Conference of
the Minority, at rates of compensation to be fixed by the
Chairman of each such committee, $2,049,000 for each such
committee; in all, $4,098,000.

offices of the secretaries of the conference of the majority and the
conference of the minority

For Offices of the Secretaries of the Conference of the
Majority and the Conference of the Minority, $1,022,000.

policy committees

For salaries of the Majority Policy Committee and the
Minority Policy Committee, $2,093,000 for each such
committee; in all, $4,186,000.

office of the chaplain

For Office of the Chaplain, $699,000.

office of the secretary

For Office of the Secretary, $35,695,000.

office of the sergeant at arms and doorkeeper

For Office of the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper,
$130,353,000.

[[Page H4629]]

offices of the secretaries for the majority and minority

For Offices of the Secretary for the Majority and the
Secretary for the Minority, $2,785,000.

agency contributions and related expenses

For agency contributions for employee benefits, as
authorized by law, and related expenses, $94,567,000.

Office of the Legislative Counsel of the Senate

For salaries and expenses of the Office of the Legislative
Counsel of the Senate, $9,401,000.

Office of Senate Legal Counsel

For salaries and expenses of the Office of Senate Legal
Counsel, $1,431,000.

Expense Allowances of the Secretary of the Senate, Sergeant at Arms and
Doorkeeper of the Senate, and Secretaries for the Majority and Minority
of the Senate

For expense allowances of the Secretary of the Senate,
$7,500; Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate,
$7,500; Secretary for the Majority of the Senate, $7,500;
Secretary for the Minority of the Senate, $7,500; in all,
$30,000.

Contingent Expenses of the Senate

inquiries and investigations

For expenses of inquiries and investigations ordered by the
Senate, or conducted under paragraph 1 of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, section 112 of the Supplemental
Appropriations and Rescission Act, 1980 (Public Law 96-304),
and Senate Resolution 281, 96th Congress, agreed to March 11,
1980, $222,416,000, of which $22,242,000 shall remain
available until September 30, 2028.

u.s. senate caucus on international narcotics control

For expenses of the United States Senate Caucus on
International Narcotics Control, $613,000.

secretary of the senate

For expenses of the Office of the Secretary of the Senate,
$17,852,000, of which $13,274,000 shall remain available
until September 30, 2030, and of which $4,578,000 shall
remain available until expended.

sergeant at arms and doorkeeper of the senate

For expenses of the Office of the Sergeant at Arms and
Doorkeeper of the Senate, $229,845,000, of which $219,345,000
shall remain available until September 30, 2030, and of which
$10,500,000 shall remain available until expended.

miscellaneous items

For miscellaneous items, $28,052,000 which shall remain
available until September 30, 2028.

senators' official personnel and office expense account

For Senators' Official Personnel and Office Expense
Account, $645,431,000, of which $32,272,000 shall remain
available until September 30, 2028, and of which $7,000,000
shall be allocated solely for the purpose of providing
financial compensation to Senate interns.

official mail costs

For expenses necessary for official mail costs of the
Senate, $300,000.

Administrative Provisions

requiring amounts remaining in senators' official personnel and office
expense account to be used for deficit reduction or to reduce the
federal debt

Sec. 101. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any
amounts appropriated under this Act under the heading
``SENATE--Contingent Expenses of the Senate--senators'
official personnel and office expense account'' shall be
available for obligation only during the fiscal year or
fiscal years for which such amounts are made available. Any
unexpended balances under such allowances remaining after the
end of the period of availability shall be returned to the
Treasury in accordance with the undesignated paragraph under
the center heading ``GENERAL PROVISION'' under chapter XI of
the Third Supplemental Appropriation Act, 1957 (2 U.S.C.
4107) and used for deficit reduction (or, if there is no
Federal budget deficit after all such payments have been
made, for reducing the Federal debt, in such manner as the
Secretary of the Treasury considers appropriate).

delegation authority

Sec. 102. Section 104 of division I of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2021 (2 U.S.C. 6154 note) shall be
amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(2), by adding the following after
``118th'' and before ``Congress'': ``and any subsequent'';
(2) in subsection (a)(3), by striking ``and ending on
January 7, 2025''; and
(3) in subsection (b), by striking ``on or after January 3,
2023''.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Salaries and Expenses

For salaries and expenses of the House of Representatives,
$2,083,055,000, as follows:

House Leadership Offices

For salaries and expenses, as authorized by law,
$36,560,000, including: Office of the Speaker, $10,499,000,
including $35,000 for official expenses of the Speaker;
Office of the Majority Floor Leader, $3,730,000, including
$15,000 for official expenses of the Majority Leader; Office
of the Minority Floor Leader, $10,499,000, including $17,500
for official expenses of the Minority Leader; Office of the
Majority Whip, including the Chief Deputy Majority Whip,
$3,099,000, including $5,000 for official expenses of the
Majority Whip; Office of the Minority Whip, including the
Chief Deputy Minority Whip, $2,809,000, including $5,000 for
official expenses of the Minority Whip; Republican
Conference, $2,962,000; Democratic Caucus, $2,962,000:
Provided, That such amount for salaries and expenses shall
remain available from January 3, 2026 until January 2, 2027.

Members' Representational Allowances

including members' clerk hire, official expenses of members, and
official mail

For Members' representational allowances, including
Members' clerk hire, official expenses, and official mail,
$850,000,000.

Allowance for Compensation of Interns in Member Offices

For the allowance established under section 120 of the
Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2019 (2 U.S.C. 5322a)
for the compensation of interns who serve in the offices of
Members of the House of Representatives, $20,638,800, to
remain available from January 3, 2026 until January 2, 2027:
Provided, That notwithstanding section 120(b) of such Act, an
office of a Member of the House of Representatives may use
not more than $46,800 of the allowance available under this
heading during legislative year 2026.

Allowance for Compensation of Interns in House Leadership Offices

For the allowance established under section 113 of the
Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2020 (2 U.S.C. 5106)
for the compensation of interns who serve in House leadership
offices, $586,000, to remain available from January 3, 2026
until January 2, 2027: Provided, That of the amount provided
under this heading, $322,300 shall be available for the
compensation of interns who serve in House leadership offices
of the majority, to be allocated among such offices by the
Speaker of the House of Representatives, and $263,700 shall
be available for the compensation of interns who serve in
House leadership offices of the minority, to be allocated
among such offices by the Minority Floor Leader.

Allowance for Compensation of Interns in House Standing, Special and
Select Committee Offices

For the allowance established under section 113(a)(1) of
the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2022 (Public Law
117-103) for the compensation of interns who serve in offices
of standing, special, and select committees (other than the
Committee on Appropriations), $2,600,000, to remain available
from January 3, 2026 until January 2, 2027: Provided, That
of the amount provided under this heading, $1,300,000 shall
be available for the compensation of interns who serve in
offices of the majority, and $1,300,000 shall be available
for the compensation of interns who serve in offices of the
minority, to be allocated among such offices by the Chair, in
consultation with the ranking minority member, of the
Committee on House Administration.

Allowance for Compensation of Interns in House Appropriations Committee
Offices

For the allowance established under section 113(a)(2) of
the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2022 (Public Law
117-103) for the compensation of interns who serve in offices
of the Committee on Appropriations, $463,000: Provided, That
of the amount provided under this heading, $231,500 shall be
available for the compensation of interns who serve in
offices of the majority, and $231,500 shall be available for
the compensation of interns who serve in offices of the
minority, to be allocated among such offices by the Chair, in
consultation with the ranking minority member, of the
Committee on Appropriations.

Committee Employees

Standing Committees, Special and Select

For salaries and expenses of standing committees, special
and select, authorized by House resolutions, $184,787,000:
Provided, That such amount shall remain available for such
salaries and expenses until December 31, 2026, except that
$10,000,000 of such amount shall remain available until
expended for committee room upgrading.

Committee on Appropriations

For salaries and expenses of the Committee on
Appropriations, $31,294,000, including studies and
examinations of executive agencies and temporary personal
services for such committee, to be expended in accordance
with section 202(b) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of
1946 and to be available for reimbursement to agencies for
services performed: Provided, That such amount shall remain
available for such salaries and expenses until December 31,
2026.

Salaries, Officers and Employees

For compensation and expenses of officers and employees, as
authorized by law, $460,603,000, including: for salaries and
expenses of the Office of the Clerk, including the positions
of the Chaplain and the Historian, and including not more
than $25,000 for official representation and reception
expenses, of which not more than $20,000 is for the Family
Room and not more than $2,000 is for the Office of the
Chaplain, $48,992,000, of which $10,791,000 shall remain
available until expended; for salaries and expenses of the
Office of the Sergeant at Arms, including the position of
Superintendent of Garages and the Office of Emergency
Management, and including not more than $3,000 for official
representation and reception expenses, $140,606,000, of which
$118,013,000 shall remain available until expended; for
salaries and expenses of the Office of the Chief
Administrative Officer including not more than $3,000 for
official representation and reception expenses, $233,248,000,
of which $39,772,000 shall remain available until expended;
for salaries and expenses of the Office of the Whistleblower
Ombuds, $1,250,000; for salaries and expenses of the Office
of the Inspector General, $6,227,000;

[[Page H4630]]

for salaries and expenses of the Office of General Counsel,
$2,079,000; for salaries and expenses of the Office of the
Parliamentarian, including the Parliamentarian, $2,000 for
preparing the Digest of Rules, and not more than $1,000 for
official representation and reception expenses, $2,404,000;
for salaries and expenses of the Office of the Law Revision
Counsel of the House, $4,998,000, of which $1,000,000 shall
remain available until expended; for salaries and expenses of
the Office of the Legislative Counsel of the House,
$18,740,000; for salaries and expenses of the Office of
Interparliamentary Affairs, $994,000; for other authorized
employees, $1,065,000: Provided, That of the amount made
available until expended to the Office of the Sergeant at
Arms under this heading, $100,000,000 shall be for activities
associated with providing security for Members of the House
of Representatives, including Delegates and the Resident
Commissioner to the Congress, their immediate families, and
other security purposes.

Allowances and Expenses

For allowances and expenses as authorized by House
resolution or law, $491,523,200, including: supplies,
materials, administrative costs and Federal tort claims,
$1,555,000; official mail for committees, leadership offices,
and administrative offices of the House, $190,000; Government
contributions for health, retirement, Social Security,
contractor support for actuarial projections, and other
applicable employee benefits, $444,155,200, to remain
available until March 31, 2027, except that $37,000,000 of
such amount shall remain available until expended; salaries
and expenses for Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery,
$28,951,000, of which $6,000,000 shall remain available until
expended; transition activities for new members and staff,
$9,740,000, to remain available until expended; Green and
Gold Congressional Aide Program, $4,122,000, to remain
available until expended; Office of Congressional Conduct,
$1,810,000; and miscellaneous items including purchase,
exchange, maintenance, repair and operation of House motor
vehicles, interparliamentary receptions, and gratuities to
heirs of deceased employees of the House, $1,000,000.

House of Representatives Modernization Initiatives Account

For the House of Representatives Modernization Initiatives
Account established under section 115 of the Legislative
Branch Appropriations Act, 2021 (2 U.S.C. 5513), $4,000,000,
to remain available until expended: Provided, That
disbursement from this account is subject to approval of the
Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives:
Provided further, That funds provided in this account shall
only be used for initiatives approved by the Committee on
House Administration.

Administrative Provisions

requiring amounts remaining in members' representational allowances to
be used for deficit reduction or to reduce the federal debt

Sec. 110. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
any amounts appropriated under this Act for ``HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES--Salaries and Expenses--members'
representational allowances'' shall be available only for
fiscal year 2026. Any amount remaining after all payments are
made under such allowances for fiscal year 2026 shall be
deposited in the Treasury and used for deficit reduction (or,
if there is no Federal budget deficit after all such payments
have been made, for reducing the Federal debt, in such manner
as the Secretary of the Treasury considers appropriate).
(b) The Committee on House Administration of the House of
Representatives shall have authority to prescribe regulations
to carry out this section.
(c) As used in this section, the term ``Member of the House
of Representatives'' means a Representative in, or a Delegate
or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress.

limitation on amount available to lease vehicles

Sec. 111. None of the funds made available in this Act may
be used by the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of
Representatives to make any payments from any Members'
Representational Allowance for the leasing of a vehicle,
excluding mobile district offices, in an aggregate amount
that exceeds $1,000 for the vehicle in any month.

cybersecurity assistance for house of representatives

Sec. 112. The head of any Federal entity that provides
assistance to the House of Representatives in the House's
efforts to deter, prevent, mitigate, or remediate
cybersecurity risks to, and incidents involving, the
information systems of the House shall take all necessary
steps to ensure the constitutional integrity of the separate
branches of the government at all stages of providing the
assistance, including applying minimization procedures to
limit the spread or sharing of privileged House and Member
information.

long term lease requirements

Sec. 113. (a) Section 303(f) of the Energy Policy Act of
1992 (42 U.S.C. 13212(f)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2), by striking subparagraph (C);
(2) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ``branch, except that
it does include the House of Representatives with respect to
an acquisition described in paragraph (2)(C).'' and inserting
``branch.''; and
(3) in paragraph (1), by striking subparagraph (C).
(b) The amendments made by this section apply to fiscal
year 2026 and each succeeding fiscal year.

use of child care center revolving fund

Sec. 114. (a) Section 312(d)(3) of the Legislative Branch
Appropriations Act, 1992 (2 U.S.C. 2062(d)(3)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (D);
and
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following new
subparagraph:
``(C) The payment of telecommunications expenses for the
Center, to include voicemail boxes, land lines, and cell
phones for Center employees, in connection with the provision
of child care services and as needed for critical and
emergent communications.''.
(b) Section 312(d)(3)(A) of such Act (2 U.S.C.
2062(d)(3)(A)) is amended by inserting ``and assistant
directors'' after ``director''.
(c) The amendments made by this section shall apply with
respect to fiscal year 2026 and each succeeding fiscal year.

prohibition on certain technology

Sec. 115. (a) None of the funds appropriated by this Act or
otherwise made available for fiscal year 2026 for a Member,
committee, officer, or employee of the House of
Representatives may be obligated, awarded, or expended to
procure or purchase covered information technology equipment
in cases where the manufacturer, bidder, or offeror, or any
subsidiary or parent entity of the manufacturer, bidder, or
offeror, of the equipment is an entity or parent company of
an entity listed on any of the following:
(1) The Chinese Military Company List of the Department of
Defense.
(2) The Non-SDN Chinese Military Industrial Complex
Companies List of the Department of the Treasury.
(3) The Denied Persons List, Entity List, or Military End
User List of the Department of Commerce, if the entity is--
(A) an agency or instrumentality of the People's Republic
of China;
(B) an entity headquartered in the People's Republic of
China; or
(C) directly or indirectly owned or controlled by an
agency, instrumentality, or entity described in subparagraph
(A) or (B).
(4) The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List of
the Department of Homeland Security.
(b) The prohibition under subsection (a) shall apply to a
case in which a Member, committee, officer, or employee of
the House of Representatives has entered into a contract with
another entity for the procurement or purchase of, or the
expenditure of funds on, covered information technology
equipment.
(c) In this section, the term ``covered information
technology equipment''--
(1) means a computer, printer, or interoperable
videoconferencing equipment for direct use by a Member,
committee, officer, or employee of the House of
Representatives in an office environment; and
(2) does not include services that use such equipment,
including cloud services.

limitation on treatment as fiduciary relationship

Sec. 116. (a) Section 13144 of title 5, United States Code,
is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(c) Limitation on Treatment as Fiduciary Relationship.--
For purposes of this section, the relationship between a
Member who is a Representative in, or Delegate or Resident
Commissioner to, the Congress and who is providing care
directly to a patient in the form of medical services or
dental services and the patient to whom such care is provided
shall not be considered a fiduciary relationship.''.
(b) The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply with
respect to compensation received in fiscal year 2026 or any
succeeding fiscal year.

member security

Sec. 117. (a) The Sergeant at Arms of the House of
Representatives may use funds made available for providing
security for the residences of Members of the House to make
essential security improvements if the improvements are
included in a category established and updated as necessary
by the Sergeant at Arms and approved and regulated by the
Committee on House Administration.
(b) This section shall apply with respect to funds made
available for fiscal year 2026 and each succeeding fiscal
year.

JOINT ITEMS

For Joint Committees, as follows:

Joint Economic Committee

For salaries and expenses of the Joint Economic Committee,
$4,283,000, to be disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate.

Joint Committee on Taxation

For salaries and expenses of the Joint Committee on
Taxation, $14,000,000, to be disbursed by the Chief
Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives.
For other joint items, as follows:

Office of the Attending Physician

For medical supplies, equipment, and contingent expenses of
the emergency rooms, and for the Attending Physician and
their assistants, including:
(1) an allowance of $3,500 per month to the Attending
Physician;
(2) an allowance of $2,500 per month to the Senior Medical
Officer;
(3) an allowance of $900 per month each to three medical
officers while on duty in the Office of the Attending
Physician;
(4) an allowance of $900 per month to 2 assistants and $900
per month each not to exceed 11 assistants on the basis
heretofore provided for such assistants; and
(5) $3,388,000 for reimbursement to the Department of the
Navy for expenses incurred for staff and equipment assigned
to the Office of the Attending Physician, which shall be
advanced and

[[Page H4631]]

credited to the applicable appropriation or appropriations
from which such salaries, allowances, and other expenses are
payable and shall be available for all the purposes thereof,
$4,856,000, to be disbursed by the Chief Administrative
Officer of the House of Representatives.

Office of Congressional Accessibility Services

Salaries and Expenses

For salaries and expenses of the Office of Congressional
Accessibility Services, $1,819,000, to be disbursed by the
Secretary of the Senate.

CAPITOL POLICE

Salaries

For salaries of employees of the Capitol Police, including
overtime, hazardous duty pay, and Government contributions
for health, retirement, social security, professional
liability insurance, tuition reimbursement, recruitment and
retention bonuses, and other applicable employee benefits,
$653,422,000, of which overtime shall not exceed $80,067,000
unless the Committees on Appropriations of the House and
Senate are notified, to be disbursed by the Chief of the
Capitol Police or a duly authorized designee.

General Expenses

For necessary expenses of the Capitol Police, including
motor vehicles, communications and other equipment, security
equipment and installation, uniforms, weapons, supplies,
materials, training, medical services, forensic services,
Member protection-related activities and equipment,
stenographic services, personal and professional services,
the employee assistance program, the awards program, postage,
communication services, travel advances, relocation of
instructor and liaison personnel for the Federal Law
Enforcement Training Centers, and not more than $7,500 to be
expended on the certification of the Chief of the Capitol
Police in connection with official representation and
reception expenses, $198,928,000, to be disbursed by the
Chief of the Capitol Police or a duly authorized designee:
Provided, That, notwithstanding any other provision of law,
the cost of basic training for the Capitol Police at the
Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers for fiscal year 2026
shall be paid by the Secretary of Homeland Security from
funds available to the Department of Homeland Security:
Provided further, That none of the amounts made available
under this heading may be used to purchase a drone
manufactured in the People's Republic of China or by a
business affiliated with the People's Republic of China
except for national security purposes.

Administrative Provisions

authorizations regarding international training

Sec. 118. (a) Section 4120 of title 5, United States Code,
is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(c) An employee of the Capitol Police may receive
training under this section outside of the United States only
with the prior approval of the Capitol Police Board. In this
subsection, the term `United States' means each of the
several States of the United States, the District of
Columbia, and the territories and possessions of the United
States.''.
(b) The amendment made by subsection (a) shall apply with
respect to fiscal year 2026 and each succeeding fiscal year.

mutual aid transfer authority

(including transfer of funds)

Sec. 119. Of the amounts made available under the heading
``Capitol Police'' in this Act, up to $10,000,000 may be
transferred to ``Capitol Police--United States Capitol Police
Mutual Aid Reimbursements'' on September 30, 2026, and, once
transferred, shall remain available until September 30, 2030,
to be used for reimbursements for mutual aid and related
training, including mutual aid and training provided under
the agreements described in section 7302 of Public Law 108-
458: Provided, That obligation of the funds transferred
pursuant to this section shall be subject to notification to
the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress, the Senate
Committee on Rules and Administration and the Committee on
House Administration of the amount and purpose of the expense
within 15 days of obligation.

OFFICE OF CONGRESSIONAL WORKPLACE RIGHTS

Salaries and Expenses

For salaries and expenses necessary for the operation of
the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, $8,350,000, of
which not more than $1,000 may be expended on the
certification of the Executive Director in connection with
official representation and reception expenses.

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE

Salaries and Expenses

For salaries and expenses necessary for operation of the
Congressional Budget Office, including not more than $6,000
to be expended on the certification of the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office in connection with official
representation and reception expenses, $74,750,000, of which
not less than $7,100,000 shall be for cyber-security related
expenses: Provided, That the Director shall use not less
than $500,000 of the amount made available under this heading
for (1) improving technical systems, processes, and models
for the purpose of improving the transparency of estimates of
budgetary effects to Members of Congress, employees of
Members of Congress, and the public, and (2) to increase the
availability of models, economic assumptions, and data for
Members of Congress, employees of Members of Congress, and
the public: Provided further, That of the amounts made
available under this heading for cyber-security related
expenses, $2,750,000 shall remain available until September
30, 2027.

ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL

Capital Construction and Operations

For salaries for the Architect of the Capitol, and other
personal services, at rates of pay provided by law; for all
necessary expenses for surveys and studies, construction,
operation, and general and administrative support in
connection with facilities and activities under the care of
the Architect of the Capitol, including the Botanic Garden,
Senate and House office buildings, and other facilities under
the jurisdiction of the Architect of the Capitol; for
furnishings and office equipment; for official reception and
representation expenses of not more than $5,000, to be
expended as the Architect of the Capitol may approve; for
purchase or exchange, maintenance, and operation of a
passenger motor vehicle, $159,450,000.

Capitol Building

For all necessary expenses for the maintenance, care and
operation of the Capitol, $74,460,000, of which $40,099,000
shall remain available until September 30, 2030.

Capitol Grounds

For all necessary expenses for care and improvement of
grounds surrounding the Capitol, the Senate and House office
buildings, and the Capitol Power Plant, $19,385,000, of which
$3,000,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2030.

Senate Office Buildings

For all necessary expenses for the maintenance, care and
operation of Senate office buildings; and furniture and
furnishings to be expended under the control and supervision
of the Architect of the Capitol, $122,635,000, of which
$16,900,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2030,
and of which $20,000,000 shall remain available until
expended.

House Office Buildings

For all necessary expenses for the maintenance, care, and
operation of the House office buildings, $111,887,000, of
which $24,390,000 shall remain available until September 30,
2030, and of which $10,000,000 shall remain available until
expended for a payment to the House Historic Buildings
Revitalization Fund.

Capitol Power Plant

For all necessary expenses for the maintenance, care and
operation of the Capitol Power Plant; and all electrical
substations of the Capitol; lighting, heating, power
(including the purchase of electrical energy) and water and
sewer services for the Capitol, Senate and House office
buildings, Library of Congress buildings, and the grounds
about the same, Botanic Garden, Senate garage, and air
conditioning refrigeration not supplied from plants in any of
such buildings; heating the Government Publishing Office and
Washington City Post Office, and heating and chilled water
for air conditioning for the Supreme Court Building, the
Union Station complex, the Thurgood Marshall Federal
Judiciary Building and the Folger Shakespeare Library,
expenses for which shall be advanced or reimbursed upon
request of the Architect of the Capitol and amounts so
received shall be deposited into the Treasury to the credit
of this appropriation, $141,007,000, of which $22,600,000
shall remain available until September 30, 2030: Provided,
That not more than $10,000,000 of the funds credited or to be
reimbursed to this appropriation as herein provided shall be
available for obligation during fiscal year 2026.

Library Buildings and Grounds

For all necessary expenses for the mechanical and
structural maintenance, care and operation of the Library
buildings and grounds, $56,563,000, of which $18,000,000
shall remain available until September 30, 2030.

Capitol Police Buildings, Grounds and Security

For all necessary expenses for the maintenance, care and
operation of buildings, grounds and security enhancements of
the United States Capitol Police, wherever located, the
Alternate Computing Facility, and Architect of the Capitol
security operations, $75,069,000, of which $12,000,000 shall
remain available until September 30, 2030: Provided, That
none of the amounts made available under this heading may be
used to purchase a drone manufactured in the People's
Republic of China or by a business affiliated with the
People's Republic of China except for national security
purposes.

Botanic Garden

For all necessary expenses for the maintenance, care and
operation of the Botanic Garden and the nurseries, buildings,
grounds, and collections; and purchase and exchange,
maintenance, repair, and operation of a passenger motor
vehicle; all under the direction of the Joint Committee on
the Library, $21,559,000, of which $5,000,000 shall remain
available until September 30, 2030: Provided, That, of the
amount made available under this heading, the Architect of
the Capitol may obligate and expend such sums as may be
necessary for the maintenance, care and operation of the
National Garden established under section 307E of the
Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1989 (2 U.S.C. 2146),
upon vouchers approved by the Architect of the Capitol or a
duly authorized designee.

Capitol Visitor Center

For all necessary expenses for the operation of the Capitol
Visitor Center, $29,901,000.

Administrative Provisions

no bonuses for contractors behind schedule or over budget

Sec. 120. None of the funds made available in this Act for
the Architect of the Capitol may be used to make incentive or
award payments to contractors for work on contracts or
programs for which the contractor is behind schedule or over
budget, unless the Architect of the Capitol,

[[Page H4632]]

or agency-employed designee, determines that any such
deviations are due to unforeseeable events, government-driven
scope changes, or are not significant within the overall
scope of the project and/or program.

administration of public outreach and services for capitol grounds and
arboretum

Sec. 121. For this fiscal year and each fiscal year
thereafter, the Architect of the Capitol, subject to the
approval of the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate
and House of Representatives, may enter into cooperative
agreements with entities under such terms as the Architect
determines advisable, in order to support the Capitol Grounds
and Arboretum in carrying out its duties, authorities and
mission, and may engage in plant material exchanges between
the Capitol Grounds and Arboretum and other entities
including Federal, State, or local government agencies,
botanic gardens, arboretums, educational institutions, non-
profit organizations, municipal parks, and gardens.

extension of availability for liquidation of valid obligations

Sec. 122. Funds previously made available in title III of
the Emergency Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021
(Public Law 117-31) under the heading ``Legislative Branch--
Architect of the Capitol--Capitol Police Buildings, Grounds
and Security'' that were available for obligation through
fiscal year 2023 for the purposes and in the amounts
specified in the first proviso under such heading are to
remain available through fiscal year 2032 for the liquidation
of valid obligations incurred in fiscal years 2021, 2022, and
2023: Provided, That amounts repurposed pursuant to this
section that were previously designated by the Congress as an
emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of
the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985
are designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to
section 4001(a)(1) of S. Con. Res. 14 (117th Congress), the
concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2022, and
to legislation establishing fiscal year 2026 budget
enforcement in the House of Representatives.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Salaries and Expenses

For all necessary expenses of the Library of Congress not
otherwise provided for, including development and maintenance
of the Library's catalogs; custody and custodial care of the
Library buildings; information technology services provided
centrally; special clothing; cleaning, laundering and repair
of uniforms; preservation of motion pictures in the custody
of the Library; operation and maintenance of the American
Folklife Center in the Library; preparation and distribution
of catalog records and other publications of the Library;
hire or purchase of one passenger motor vehicle; and expenses
of the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board not properly
chargeable to the income of any trust fund held by the Board,
$592,411,000, and, in addition, amounts credited to this
appropriation during fiscal year 2026 under the Act of June
28, 1902 (chapter 1301; 32 Stat. 480; 2 U.S.C. 150), shall
remain available until expended: Provided, That the Library
of Congress may not obligate or expend any funds derived from
collections under the Act of June 28, 1902, in excess of the
amount authorized for obligation or expenditure in
appropriations Acts: Provided further, That of the total
amount appropriated, not more than $18,000 may be expended,
on the certification of the Librarian of Congress, in
connection with official representation and reception
expenses, including for the Overseas Field Offices: Provided
further, That of the total amount appropriated, no less than
$17,500,000 shall remain available until expended for the
Teaching with Primary Sources program, the Lewis-Houghton
Civics and Democracy Initiative, the Veterans History
Project, the Surplus Books Program, upgrades of the
Legislative Branch Financial Management System, and data
storage and migration efforts.

salaries and expenses

For all necessary expenses of the Copyright Office,
$102,386,000, of which not more than $37,025,000, to remain
available until expended, shall be derived from collections
credited to this appropriation during fiscal year 2026 under
sections 708(d) and 1316 of title 17, United States Code:
Provided, That the Copyright Office may not obligate or
expend any funds derived from collections under such section
in excess of the amount authorized for obligation or
expenditure in appropriations Acts: Provided further, That
not more than $7,824,000 shall be derived from collections
during fiscal year 2026 under sections 111(d)(2), 119(b)(3),
803(e), and 1005 of such title: Provided further, That the
total amount available for obligation shall be reduced by the
amount by which collections are less than $44,849,000:
Provided further, That of the funds provided under this
heading, not less than $10,300,000 is for modernization
initiatives, of which $9,300,000 shall remain available until
September 30, 2027: Provided further, That not more than
$100,000 of the amount appropriated is available for the
maintenance of an ``International Copyright Institute'' in
the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress for the
purpose of training nationals of developing countries in
intellectual property laws and policies: Provided further,
That not more than $6,500 may be expended, on the
certification of the Librarian of Congress, in connection
with official representation and reception expenses for
activities of the International Copyright Institute and for
copyright delegations, visitors, and seminars: Provided
further, That, notwithstanding any provision of chapter 8 of
title 17, United States Code, any amounts made available
under this heading which are attributable to royalty fees and
payments received by the Copyright Office pursuant to
sections 111, 119, and chapter 10 of such title may be used
for the costs incurred in the administration of the Copyright
Royalty Judges program, with the exception of the costs of
salaries and benefits for the Copyright Royalty Judges and
staff under section 802(e).

Congressional Research Service

salaries and expenses

For all necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of
section 203 of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2
U.S.C. 166) and to revise and extend the Annotated
Constitution of the United States of America, $136,080,000:
Provided, That no part of such amount may be used to pay any
salary or expense in connection with any publication, or
preparation of material therefor (except the Digest of Public
General Bills), to be issued by the Library of Congress
unless such publication has obtained prior approval of either
the Committee on House Administration of the House of
Representatives or the Committee on Rules and Administration
of the Senate: Provided further, That this prohibition does
not apply to publication of non-confidential Congressional
Research Service (CRS) products: Provided further, That a
non-confidential CRS product includes any written product
containing research or analysis that is currently available
for general congressional access on the CRS Congressional
Intranet, or that would be made available on the CRS
Congressional Intranet in the normal course of business and
does not include material prepared in response to
Congressional requests for confidential analysis or research.

National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled

salaries and expenses

For all necessary expenses to carry out the Act of March 3,
1931 (chapter 400; 46 Stat. 1487; 2 U.S.C. 135a),
$66,130,000: Provided, That of the total amount
appropriated, $650,000 shall be available to contract to
provide newspapers to blind and print disabled residents at
no cost to the individual.

Administrative Provision

reimbursable and revolving fund activities

Sec. 123. (a) In General.--For fiscal year 2026, the
obligational authority of the Library of Congress for the
activities described in subsection (b) may not exceed
$342,285,000.
(b) Activities.--The activities referred to in subsection
(a) are reimbursable and revolving fund activities that are
funded from sources other than appropriations to the Library
in appropriations Acts for the legislative branch.

GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

Congressional Publishing

(including transfer of funds)

For authorized publishing of congressional information and
the distribution of congressional information in any format;
publishing of Government publications authorized by law to be
distributed to Members of Congress; and publishing, and
distribution of Government publications authorized by law to
be distributed without charge to the recipient, $80,000,000:
Provided, That this appropriation shall not be available for
paper copies of the permanent edition of the Congressional
Record for individual Representatives, Resident Commissioners
or Delegates authorized under section 906 of title 44, United
States Code: Provided further, That this appropriation shall
be available for the payment of obligations incurred under
the appropriations for similar purposes for preceding fiscal
years: Provided further, That notwithstanding the 2-year
limitation under section 718 of title 44, United States Code,
none of the funds appropriated or made available under this
Act or any other Act for printing and binding and related
services provided to Congress under chapter 7 of title 44,
United States Code, may be expended to print a document,
report, or publication after the 27-month period beginning on
the date that such document, report, or publication is
authorized by Congress to be printed, unless Congress
reauthorizes such printing in accordance with section 718 of
title 44, United States Code: Provided further, That
unobligated or unexpended balances of expired discretionary
funds made available under this heading in this Act for this
fiscal year may be transferred to, and merged with, funds
under the heading ``Government Publishing Office Business
Operations Revolving Fund'' no later than the end of the
fifth fiscal year after the last fiscal year for which such
funds are available for the purposes for which appropriated,
to be available for carrying out the purposes of this
heading, subject to the approval of the Committees on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the
Senate: Provided further, That this appropriation shall be
available for publishing congressionally mandated reports
under the Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act
(subtitle D of title LXXII of division G of Public Law 117-
263): Provided further, That notwithstanding sections 901,
902, and 906 of title 44, United States Code, this
appropriation may be used to prepare indexes to the
Congressional Record on only a monthly and session basis.

Public Information Programs of the Superintendent of Documents

salaries and expenses

(including transfer of funds)

For expenses of the public information programs of the
Office of Superintendent of Documents necessary to provide
for the cataloging and indexing of Government publications in
any format, and their distribution to the public, Members of
Congress, other Government agencies, and designated
depository and international exchange libraries as authorized
by law, $42,852,000: Provided, That amounts of not more than
$2,000,000 from current year appropriations are authorized
for producing and disseminating Congressional serial sets and
other

[[Page H4633]]

related publications for the preceding two fiscal years to
depository and other designated libraries: Provided further,
That unobligated or unexpended balances of expired
discretionary funds made available under this heading in this
Act for this fiscal year may be transferred to, and merged
with, funds under the heading ``Government Publishing Office
Business Operations Revolving Fund'' no later than the end of
the fifth fiscal year after the last fiscal year for which
such funds are available for the purposes for which
appropriated, to be available for carrying out the purposes
of this heading, subject to the approval of the Committees on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the
Senate.

Government Publishing Office Business Operations Revolving Fund

For payment to the Government Publishing Office Business
Operations Revolving Fund, $9,148,000, to remain available
until expended, for information technology development and
facilities repair: Provided, That the Government Publishing
Office is hereby authorized to make such expenditures, within
the limits of funds available and in accordance with law, and
to make such contracts and commitments without regard to
fiscal year limitations as provided by section 9104 of title
31, United States Code, as may be necessary in carrying out
the programs and purposes set forth in the budget for the
current fiscal year for the Government Publishing Office
Business Operations Revolving Fund: Provided further, That
not more than $7,500 may be expended on the certification of
the Director of the Government Publishing Office in
connection with official representation and reception
expenses: Provided further, That the Business Operations
Revolving Fund shall be available for the hire or purchase of
not more than 12 passenger motor vehicles: Provided further,
That expenditures in connection with travel expenses of the
advisory councils to the Director of the Government
Publishing Office shall be deemed necessary to carry out the
provisions of title 44, United States Code: Provided
further, That the Business Operations Revolving Fund shall be
available for temporary or intermittent services under
section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, but at rates
for individuals not more than the daily equivalent of the
annual rate of basic pay for level V of the Executive
Schedule under section 5316 of such title: Provided further,
That activities financed through the Business Operations
Revolving Fund may provide information in any format:
Provided further, That the Business Operations Revolving Fund
and the funds provided under the heading ``Public Information
Programs of the Superintendent of Documents'' may not be used
for contracted security services at Government Publishing
Office's passport facility in the District of Columbia.

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE

Salaries and Expenses

For necessary expenses of the Government Accountability
Office, including not more than $12,500 to be expended on the
certification of the Comptroller General of the United States
in connection with official representation and reception
expenses; temporary or intermittent services under section
3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, but at rates for
individuals not more than the daily equivalent of the annual
rate of basic pay for level IV of the Executive Schedule
under section 5315 of such title; hire of one passenger motor
vehicle; advance payments in foreign countries in accordance
with section 3324 of title 31, United States Code; benefits
comparable to those payable under sections 901(5), (6), and
(8) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4081(5),
(6), and (8)); and under regulations prescribed by the
Comptroller General of the United States, rental of living
quarters in foreign countries, $811,894,000, of which
$5,000,000 shall remain available until expended: Provided,
That, in addition, $35,424,000 of payments received under
sections 782, 791, 3521, and 9105 of title 31, United States
Code, shall be available without fiscal year limitation:
Provided further, That this appropriation and appropriations
for administrative expenses of any other department or agency
which is a member of the National Intergovernmental Audit
Forum or a Regional Intergovernmental Audit Forum shall be
available to finance an appropriate share of either Forum's
costs as determined by the respective Forum, including
necessary travel expenses of non-Federal participants:
Provided further, That payments hereunder to the Forum may be
credited as reimbursements to any appropriation from which
costs involved are initially financed: Provided further,
That amounts made available under this heading shall be
available to cover costs incurred by the Tiny Findings Child
Development Center, in such amount and for such purposes as
determined by the Comptroller General, subject to prior
notification provided to the Committees on Appropriations of
the House of Representatives and the Senate.

CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE FOR INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP FUND

For a payment to the Congressional Office for International
Leadership Fund for financing activities of the Congressional
Office for International Leadership under section 313 of the
Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2001 (2 U.S.C. 1151),
$6,000,000: Provided, That funds made available to support
Russian participants shall only be used for those engaging in
free market development, humanitarian activities, and civic
engagement, and shall not be used for officials of the
central government of Russia.

JOHN C. STENNIS CENTER FOR PUBLIC SERVICE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

For payment to the John C. Stennis Center for Public
Service Development Trust Fund established under section 116
of the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Training and
Development Act (2 U.S.C. 1105), $430,000.

TITLE II

GENERAL PROVISIONS

maintenance and care of private vehicles

Sec. 201. No part of the funds appropriated in this Act
shall be used for the maintenance or care of private
vehicles, except for emergency assistance and cleaning as may
be provided under regulations relating to parking facilities
for the House of Representatives issued by the Committee on
House Administration and for the Senate issued by the
Committee on Rules and Administration.

fiscal year limitation

Sec. 202. No part of the funds appropriated in this Act
shall remain available for obligation beyond fiscal year 2026
unless expressly so provided in this Act.

rates of compensation and designation

Sec. 203. Whenever in this Act any office or position not
specifically established by the Legislative Pay Act of 1929
(46 Stat. 32 et seq.) is appropriated for or the rate of
compensation or designation of any office or position
appropriated for is different from that specifically
established by such Act, the rate of compensation and the
designation in this Act shall be the permanent law with
respect thereto: Provided, That the provisions in this Act
for the various items of official expenses of Members,
officers, and committees of the Senate and House of
Representatives, and clerk hire for Senators and Members of
the House of Representatives shall be the permanent law with
respect thereto.

consulting services

Sec. 204. The expenditure of any appropriation under this
Act for any consulting service through procurement contract,
under section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, shall be
limited to those contracts where such expenditures are a
matter of public record and available for public inspection,
except where otherwise provided under existing law, or under
existing Executive order issued under existing law.

costs of legislative branch financial managers council

Sec. 205. Amounts available for administrative expenses of
any legislative branch entity which participates in the
Legislative Branch Financial Managers Council (LBFMC)
established by charter on March 26, 1996, shall be available
to finance an appropriate share of LBFMC costs as determined
by the LBFMC, except that the total LBFMC costs to be shared
among all participating legislative branch entities (in such
allocations among the entities as the entities may determine)
may not exceed $2,000.

limitation on transfers

Sec. 206. None of the funds made available in this Act may
be transferred to any department, agency, or instrumentality
of the United States Government, except pursuant to a
transfer made by, or transfer authority provided in, this Act
or any other appropriation Act.

guided tours of the capitol

Sec. 207. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), none of
the funds made available to the Architect of the Capitol in
this Act may be used to eliminate or restrict guided tours of
the United States Capitol which are led by employees and
interns of offices of Members of Congress and other offices
of the House of Representatives and Senate, unless through
regulations as authorized by section 402(b)(8) of the Capitol
Visitor Center Act of 2008 (2 U.S.C. 2242(b)(8)).
(b) At the direction of the Capitol Police Board, or at the
direction of the Architect of the Capitol with the approval
of the Capitol Police Board, guided tours of the United
States Capitol which are led by employees and interns
described in subsection (a) may be suspended temporarily or
otherwise subject to restriction for security or related
reasons to the same extent as guided tours of the United
States Capitol which are led by the Architect of the Capitol.

limitation on telecommunications or video surveillance equipment
procurement

Sec. 208. (a) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise
made available under this Act may be used to acquire
telecommunications or video surveillance equipment produced
by--
(1) Huawei Technologies Company, ZTE Corporation, Hytera
Communications Corporation, Hangzhou Hikvision Digital
Technology Company, or Dahua Technology Company (or any
subsidiary or affiliate of such entities); or
(2) any entity that the Secretary of Defense, in
consultation with the Director of the National Intelligence
or the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,
reasonably believes to be an entity owned or controlled by,
or otherwise connected to, the government of a foreign
adversary.
(b) The term ``foreign adversary'' has the meaning given
the term ``covered nation'' in section 4872(f) of title 10,
United States Code.

prohibition on certain operational expenses

Sec. 209. (a) None of the funds made available in this Act
may be used to maintain or establish a computer network
unless such network blocks the viewing, downloading, and
exchanging of pornography.
(b) Nothing in subsection (a) shall limit the use of funds
necessary for any Federal, State, tribal, or local law
enforcement agency or any other entity carrying out criminal
investigations, prosecution, or adjudication activities or
other official government activities.

limitation on cost of living adjustments for members

Sec. 210. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no
adjustment shall be made under section 601(a) of the
Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4501)
(relating to cost of living adjustments for Members of
Congress) during fiscal year 2026.

[[Page H4634]]

extension of pump act protections to congressional staff

Sec. 211. Section 203(a)(1) of the Congressional
Accountability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1313(a)(1)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``and section 12(c)'' and inserting
``section 12(c), and section 18D''; and
(2) by inserting ``, 218d'' after ``212(c)''.

member protection

(including transfer of funds)

Sec. 212. (a) For an additional amount for ``SENATE--
Contingent Expenses of the Senate--senators' official
personnel and office expense account'', $75,000,000, which
shall be allocated to each personal office in an equal
amount, for payments for security enhancements and services
under section 4 of Senate Resolution 294 (96th Congress),
agreed to April 29, 1980, as amended by S. Res. 413 (119th
Congress), agreed to September 18, 2025: Provided, That
unobligated balances of funds appropriated pursuant to this
subsection at the end of fiscal year 2026 not needed for
fiscal year 2026 shall be transferred to ``SENATE--Contingent
Expenses of the Senate--miscellaneous items'', and shall
remain available until expended, for the purposes of such
account, in addition to amounts otherwise available for such
purposes: Provided further, That such transfer authority is
in addition to any other transfer authority provided by law:
Provided further, That amounts transferred pursuant to this
subsection may not be obligated without the prior approval of
the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
(b) For an additional amount for ``SENATE--Contingent
Expenses of the Senate--sergeant at arms and doorkeeper of
the senate'', $18,500,000, to remain available until
expended, of which $5,000,000 shall be for coordination and
support of Member security programs, $10,000,000 shall be for
security-related activities for State offices, and $3,500,000
shall be for the residential security system program:
Provided, That amounts made available pursuant to this
subsection may be transferred to ``SENATE--Salaries, Officers
and Employees--office of the sergeant at arms and
doorkeeper'' and ``SENATE--Contingent Expenses of the
Senate--sergeant at arms business continuity and disaster
recovery fund'': Provided further, That the transfer
authority provided pursuant to the preceding proviso is in
addition to any other transfer authority provided by law:
Provided further, That of the amounts made available pursuant
to this subsection, such sums as necessary may be used to
restore amounts, either directly, through reimbursement, or
through the transfer authority in the first proviso, for
obligations incurred for the same purposes by the Sergeant at
Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate prior to the date of
enactment of this Act: Provided further, That amounts made
available pursuant to this subsection shall be allocated in
accordance with a spending plan submitted to the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate.
(c) For an additional amount for ``SENATE--Contingent
Expenses of the Senate--miscellaneous items'', $10,000,000,
to remain available until expended, which shall be for
security, continuity and other purposes: Provided, That
amounts made available pursuant to this subsection may not be
obligated without the prior approval of the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate.
(d) None of the funds provided under the heading ``SENATE''
in this or any prior Act that are used to provide personal
protective services to a Senator shall result in the
designation or deputization of individuals as agents of the
Federal government.

requiring senate notification for disclosure of senate data

Sec. 213. (a) In General.--Section 10 of the Legislative
Branch Appropriations Act, 2005 (2 U.S.C. 6628) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (7) as
paragraphs (5) through (9), respectively;
(B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (3);
(C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
``(2) the term `covered data' means any electronic mail or
other electronic or data communication, other data (including
metadata), or other information;'';
(D) by inserting after paragraph (3), as so redesignated,
the following:
``(4) the term `legal process' does not include a subpoena
issued in accordance with the Rules of Procedure of the
Select Committee on Ethics of the Senate;'';
(E) by striking paragraph (8), as so redesignated, and
inserting the following:
``(8) the term `Senate data', with respect to a Senate
office--
``(A) means covered data of the Senate office; and
``(B) with respect to an individual described in paragraph
(9) acting in a personal capacity, only means covered data
that is transmitted, processed, or stored through the use of
an electronic system established, maintained, or operated, or
the use of electronic services provided, by--
``(i) a provider for the Senate office, if the Senate
office or the Office of the SAA has notified the provider for
a Senate office that the applicable device or account is a
device or account of the Senate office; or
``(ii) the Office of the SAA or an officer, employee, or
agent of the Office of the SAA, if the Senate office has
notified the Office of the SAA that the applicable device or
account is a device or account of the Senate office;'';
(F) in paragraph (9), as so redesignated--
(i) by inserting ``(without regard to whether the Senator
is acting in his or her official capacity, including acting
in a personal capacity and acting through his or her campaign
for elected office)'' after ``a Senator'';
(ii) by inserting ``(whether acting in his or her personal
or official capacity)'' after ``an officer of the Senate'';
and
(iii) by striking the period at the end and inserting
``(whether acting in his or her personal or official
capacity); and''; and
(G) by adding at the end the following:
``(10) the term `target of a criminal investigation' means
a person--
``(A) as to whom the prosecutor or the grand jury has
substantial evidence linking that person to the commission of
a crime;
``(B) who, in the judgment of the prosecutor, is a putative
defendant; and
``(C) whom the prosecutor, before the date of the
acquisition, subpoena, search, accessing, or disclosure of
the Senate data at issue, has formally designated as a target
in official records, which shall not include any such
designation that was made after such date that purports to be
retroactive.'';
(2) by redesignating subsections (d) through (h) as
subsections (e) through (i), respectively; and
(3) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following:
``(c) Notification.--
``(1) By providers.--
``(A) In general.--If any provider for a Senate office
receives any legal process seeking disclosure of Senate data
of the Senate office that is transmitted, processed, or
stored (whether temporarily or otherwise) through the use of
an electronic system established, maintained, or operated, or
the use of electronic services provided, in whole or in part,
by the provider for a Senate office, the provider for a
Senate office shall notify the Senate office and, unless
specified otherwise by the Senate office, the Office of the
SAA in writing.
``(B) No limitations on notice.--A provider for a Senate
office shall not be barred from providing notice to a Senate
office and the Office of the SAA under subparagraph (A) by
operation of any court order, any statutory provision, any
other provision of law, any rule of civil or criminal
procedure, or any other rule, regulation, or policy.
``(C) Limitation on liability.--A provider for a Senate
office shall not be liable under any criminal or civil law
for providing notice to a Senate office or the Office of the
SAA under this paragraph.
``(2) By saa.--
``(A) In general.--If the Office of the SAA or any officer,
employee, or agent of the Office of the SAA receives any
legal process seeking disclosure of Senate data of a Senate
office that is transmitted, processed, or stored (whether
temporarily or otherwise) through the use of an electronic
system established, maintained, or operated, or the use of
electronic services provided, in whole or in part, by the
Office of the SAA or the officer, employee, or agent of the
Office of the SAA, the Office of the SAA or the officer,
employee, or agent of the Office of the SAA shall notify a
Senate office in writing.
``(B) No limitations on notice.--The Office of the SAA and
any officer, employee, or agent of the Office of the SAA
shall not be barred from providing notice to a Senate office
under subparagraph (A) by operation of any court order, any
statutory provision, any other provision of law, any rule of
civil or criminal procedure, or any other rule, regulation,
or policy.
``(C) Limitation on liability.--The Office of the SAA and
any officer, employee, or agent of the Office of the SAA
shall not be liable under any criminal or civil law for
providing notice to a Senate office under this paragraph.
``(3) Special rule for target and non-target
investigations.--
``(A) Target investigations.--
``(i) In general.--If a Senator is a target of a criminal
investigation, a court may, upon application by the United
States, issue an order delaying the notice required under
this subsection with respect to an acquisition, subpoena,
search, accessing, or disclosure of Senate data in connection
with such investigation for a period of not more than 60 days
if the court determines that there is reason to believe that
providing notice would--

``(I) endanger the life or physical safety of any person;
``(II) result in flight from prosecution;
``(III) result in destruction of or tampering with
evidence;
``(IV) result in intimidation of potential witnesses; or
``(V) otherwise seriously jeopardize an investigation or
unduly delay a trial.

``(ii) Renewal.--The court may renew such an order for
additional periods of not more than 60 days each, if the
court makes a renewed determination under clause (i).
``(B) All other investigations.--For any investigation in
which a Senator is not a target of a criminal investigation,
the notice requirements under this subsection shall apply
without delay.
``(d) Private Cause of Action.--
``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Instance.--The term `instance', with respect to a
violation of this section, means each discrete act
constituting a violation of this section, including each
individual--
``(i) device, account, record, or communication channel
subject to collection in a manner in violation of this
section;
``(ii) nondisclosure order or judicial sealing order
sought, maintained, or obtained; or
``(iii) search conducted.
``(B) Violation of this section.--The term `violation of
this section' means--
``(i) the seeking, maintaining, or obtaining of a
nondisclosure order or judicial sealing order to prevent
notification of a Senator, a Senate office, or the Office of
the SAA as required under subsection (c); or
``(ii) Senate data was acquired, subpoenaed, searched,
accessed, or disclosed pursuant to a

[[Page H4635]]

search, seizure, or demand for information without notice
being provided as required under subsection (c).
``(2) Cause of action.--Any Senator whose Senate data, or
the Senate data of whose Senate office, has been acquired,
subpoenaed, searched, accessed, or disclosed in violation of
this section may bring a civil action against the United
States if the violation was committed by an officer,
employee, or agent of the United States or of any Federal
department or agency.
``(3) Relief.--
``(A) In general.--If a Senator prevails on a claim under
this subsection, the court shall award--
``(i) for each instance of a violation of this section, the
greater of statutory damages of $500,000 or the amount of
actual damages;
``(ii) reasonable attorney's fees and costs of litigation;
and
``(iii) such injunctive or declaratory relief as may be
appropriate.
``(B) Preliminary relief.--Upon motion by a Senator, a
court may award such preliminary injunctive relief as the
court determines appropriate with respect to a claim under
this subsection.
``(4) Limitations and immunity.--
``(A) Period of limitations.--A civil action under this
subsection may not be commenced later than 5 years after the
applicable Senator first obtains actual notice of the
violation of this section.
``(B) No immunity defense.--No officer, employee, or agent
of the United States or of any Federal department or agency
shall be entitled to assert any form of absolute or qualified
immunity as a defense to liability under this subsection.
``(5) Waiver of sovereign immunity.--The United States
expressly waives sovereign immunity with respect to actions
brought under this subsection.
``(6) Affirmative defense for target investigations.--It
shall be an affirmative defense to an action under this
subsection if the United States establishes that each of the
following requirements are met:
``(A) At the time the Senate data was acquired, subpoenaed,
searched, accessed, or disclosed, the Senator bringing the
action was a target of a criminal investigation.
``(B) A Federal judge issued an order authorizing a delay
of notice to the Senator under subsection (c)(3)(A), based on
written findings meeting the requirements of such subsection.
``(C) The United States complied with the order described
in subparagraph (B), including that the delay of notice did
not exceed the period authorized by the court.
``(D) Any related subpoena of, warrant relating to, or
access to Senate data was carried out strictly within the
temporal and subject-matter scope authorized by the order, if
any, authorizing the subpoena, warrant, or access.
``(7) Construction.--Nothing in this subsection shall be
construed to--
``(A) limit or impair the constitutional protections
afforded to Members of Congress, including to protections
under article I, section 6, clause 1 of the Constitution of
the United States (commonly known as the `Speech or Debate
Clause'); or
``(B) restrict the authority of the Senate or any Senate
office to intervene in or defend against any legal process
seeking disclosure of Senate data.''.
(b) Limited Retroactive Applicability.--
(1) In general.--The amendments made by this section shall
apply to any acquisition, subpoena, search, accessing, or
disclosure of Senate data (as defined in section 10(a) of the
Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2005 (2 U.S.C.
6628(a)), as amended by this section), and to any failure to
disclose such an acquisition, subpoena, search, accessing, or
disclosure, occurring on or after January 1, 2022.
(2) Period of limitations.--
(A) Definition.--In this paragraph, the term ``violation of
section 10'' has the meaning given the term ``violation of
this section'' in subsection (d) of section 10 of the
Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2005 (2 U.S.C. 6628),
as added by this section.
(B) Period.--With respect to any violation of section 10
with respect to which the applicable Senator first obtained
actual notice of the violation of section 10 before the date
of enactment of this Act, a civil action under subsection (d)
of section 10 of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act,
2005 (2 U.S.C. 6628), as added by this section, may not be
commenced later than 5 years after the date of enactment of
this Act.
This division may be cited as the ``Legislative Branch
Appropriations Act, 2026''.

DIVISION D--MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND RELATED
AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026

TITLE I

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Military Construction, Army

For acquisition, construction, installation, and equipment
of temporary or permanent public works, military
installations, facilities, and real property for the Army as
currently authorized by law, including personnel in the Army
Corps of Engineers and other personal services necessary for
the purposes of this appropriation, and for construction and
operation of facilities in support of the functions of the
Commander in Chief, $2,381,909,000, to remain available until
September 30, 2030: Provided, That, of this amount, not to
exceed $415,688,000 shall be available for study, planning,
design, architect and engineer services, and host nation
support, as authorized by law, unless the Secretary of the
Army determines that additional obligations are necessary for
such purposes and notifies the Committees on Appropriations
of both Houses of Congress of the determination and the
reasons therefor: Provided further, That of the amount made
available under this heading, $377,950,000 shall be for the
projects and activities, and in the amounts, specified in the
table under the heading ``Military Construction, Army'' in
the explanatory statement described in section 4 (in the
matter preceding division A of this consolidated Act), in
addition to amounts otherwise available for such purposes.

Military Construction, Navy and Marine Corps

For acquisition, construction, installation, and equipment
of temporary or permanent public works, naval installations,
facilities, and real property for the Navy and Marine Corps
as currently authorized by law, including personnel in the
Naval Facilities Engineering Command and other personal
services necessary for the purposes of this appropriation,
$5,725,724,000, to remain available until September 30, 2030:
Provided, That, of this amount, not to exceed $629,088,000
shall be available for study, planning, design, and architect
and engineer services, as authorized by law, unless the
Secretary of the Navy determines that additional obligations
are necessary for such purposes and notifies the Committees
on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of the
determination and the reasons therefor: Provided further,
That of the amount made available under this heading,
$290,690,000 shall be for the projects and activities, and in
the amounts, specified in the table under the heading
``Military Construction, Navy and Marine Corps'' in the
explanatory statement described in section 4 (in the matter
preceding division A of this consolidated Act), in addition
to amounts otherwise available for such purposes.

Military Construction, Air Force

For acquisition, construction, installation, and equipment
of temporary or permanent public works, military
installations, facilities, and real property for the Air
Force as currently authorized by law, including personnel in
the Department of the Air Force when designated by the
Secretary of Defense to direct and supervise Military
Construction projects in accordance with section 2851 of
title 10, United States Code, and other personal services
necessary for the purposes of this appropriation,
$3,926,273,000, to remain available until September 30, 2030:
Provided, That, of this amount, not to exceed $646,573,000
shall be available for study, planning, design, and architect
and engineer services, as authorized by law, unless the
Secretary of the Air Force determines that additional
obligations are necessary for such purposes and notifies the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of
the determination and the reasons therefor: Provided
further, That of the amount made available under this
heading, $361,800,000 shall be for the projects and
activities, and in the amounts, specified in the table under
the heading ``Military Construction, Air Force'' in the
explanatory statement described in section 4 (in the matter
preceding division A of this consolidated Act), in addition
to amounts otherwise available for such purposes.

Military Construction, Defense-Wide

(including transfer of funds)

For acquisition, construction, installation, and equipment
of temporary or permanent public works, installations,
facilities, and real property for activities and agencies of
the Department of Defense (other than the military
departments), as currently authorized by law, $3,784,301,000,
to remain available until September 30, 2030: Provided, That
such amounts of this appropriation as may be determined by
the Secretary of Defense may be transferred to such
appropriations of the Department of Defense available for
military construction or family housing as the Secretary may
designate, to be merged with and to be available for the same
purposes, and for the same time period, as the appropriation
or fund to which transferred: Provided further, That, of the
amount, not to exceed $226,301,000 shall be available for
study, planning, design, and architect and engineer services,
as authorized by law, unless the Secretary of Defense
determines that additional obligations are necessary for such
purposes and notifies the Committees on Appropriations of
both Houses of Congress of the determination and the reasons
therefor: Provided further, That of the amount made
available under this heading, $82,000,000 shall be for the
projects and activities, and in the amounts, specified in the
table under the heading ``Military Construction, Defense-
Wide'' in the explanatory statement described in section 4
(in the matter preceding division A of this consolidated
Act), in addition to amounts otherwise available for such
purposes.

Military Construction, Army National Guard

For construction, acquisition, expansion, rehabilitation,
and conversion of facilities for the training and
administration of the Army National Guard, and contributions
therefor, as authorized by chapter 1803 of title 10, United
States Code, and Military Construction Authorization Acts,
$272,930,000, to remain available until September 30, 2030:
Provided, That, of the amount, not to exceed $80,080,000
shall be available for study, planning, design, and architect
and engineer services, as authorized by law, unless the
Director of the Army National Guard determines that
additional obligations are necessary for such purposes and
notifies the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of
Congress of the determination and the reasons therefor:
Provided further, That of the amount made available under
this heading, $112,050,000 shall be for the projects and
activities, and in the amounts, specified in the table under
the heading ``Military Construction, Army National Guard'' in
the explanatory statement described in section 4 (in the
matter preceding division A of this consolidated Act), in
addition to amounts otherwise available for such purposes.

[[Page H4636]]

Military Construction, Air National Guard

For construction, acquisition, expansion, rehabilitation,
and conversion of facilities for the training and
administration of the Air National Guard, and contributions
therefor, as authorized by chapter 1803 of title 10, United
States Code, and Military Construction Authorization Acts,
$292,546,000, to remain available until September 30, 2030:
Provided, That, of the amount, not to exceed $73,646,000
shall be available for study, planning, design, and architect
and engineer services, as authorized by law, unless the
Director of the Air National Guard determines that additional
obligations are necessary for such purposes and notifies the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of
the determination and the reasons therefor: Provided
further, That of the amount made available under this
heading, $95,900,000 shall be for the projects and
activities, and in the amounts, specified in the table under
the heading ``Military Construction, Air National Guard'' in
the explanatory statement described in section 4 (in the
matter preceding division A of this consolidated Act), in
addition to amounts otherwise available for such purposes.

Military Construction, Army Reserve

For construction, acquisition, expansion, rehabilitation,
and conversion of facilities for the training and
administration of the Army Reserve as authorized by chapter
1803 of title 10, United States Code, and Military
Construction Authorization Acts, $92,239,000, to remain
available until September 30, 2030: Provided, That, of the
amount, not to exceed $6,013,000 shall be available for
study, planning, design, and architect and engineer services,
as authorized by law, unless the Chief of the Army Reserve
determines that additional obligations are necessary for such
purposes and notifies the Committees on Appropriations of
both Houses of Congress of the determination and the reasons
therefor: Provided further, That of the amount made
available under this heading, $50,000,000 shall be for the
projects and activities, and in the amounts, specified in the
table under the heading ``Military Construction, Army
Reserve'' in the explanatory statement described in section 4
(in the matter preceding division A of this consolidated
Act), in addition to amounts otherwise available for such
purposes.

Military Construction, Navy Reserve

For construction, acquisition, expansion, rehabilitation,
and conversion of facilities for the training and
administration of the reserve components of the Navy and
Marine Corps as authorized by chapter 1803 of title 10,
United States Code, and Military Construction Authorization
Acts, $52,255,000, to remain available until September 30,
2030: Provided, That, of the amount, not to exceed
$2,255,000 shall be available for study, planning, design,
and architect and engineer services, as authorized by law,
unless the Secretary of the Navy determines that additional
obligations are necessary for such purposes and notifies the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of
the determination and the reasons therefor: Provided
further, That of the amount made available under this
heading, $50,000,000 shall be for the projects and
activities, and in the amounts, specified in the table under
the heading ``Military Construction, Navy Reserve'' in the
explanatory statement described in section 4 (in the matter
preceding division A of this consolidated Act), in addition
to amounts otherwise available for such purposes.

Military Construction, Air Force Reserve

For construction, acquisition, expansion, rehabilitation,
and conversion of facilities for the training and
administration of the Air Force Reserve as authorized by
chapter 1803 of title 10, United States Code, and Military
Construction Authorization Acts, $116,468,000, to remain
available until September 30, 2030: Provided, That, of the
amount, not to exceed $7,170,000 shall be available for
study, planning, design, and architect and engineer services,
as authorized by law, unless the Chief of the Air Force
Reserve determines that additional obligations are necessary
for such purposes and notifies the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of the
determination and the reasons therefor: Provided further,
That of the amount made available under this heading,
$56,010,000 shall be for the projects and activities, and in
the amounts, specified in the table under the heading
``Military Construction, Air Force Reserve'' in the
explanatory statement described in section 4 (in the matter
preceding division A of this consolidated Act), in addition
to amounts otherwise available for such purposes.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Security Investment Program

For the United States share of the cost of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization Security Investment Program for
the acquisition and construction of military facilities and
installations (including international military headquarters)
and for related expenses for the collective defense of the
North Atlantic Treaty Area as authorized by section 2806 of
title 10, United States Code, and Military Construction
Authorization Acts, $481,832,000, to remain available until
expended.

Department of Defense Base Closure Account

For deposit into the Department of Defense Base Closure
Account, established by section 2906(a) of the Defense Base
Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (10 U.S.C. 2687 note),
$465,161,000, to remain available until expended.

Family Housing Construction, Army

For expenses of family housing for the Army for
construction, including acquisition, replacement, addition,
expansion, extension, and alteration, as authorized by law,
$228,558,000, to remain available until September 30, 2030.

Family Housing Operation and Maintenance, Army

For expenses of family housing for the Army for operation
and maintenance, including debt payment, leasing, minor
construction, principal and interest charges, and insurance
premiums, as authorized by law, $388,418,000.

Family Housing Construction, Navy and Marine Corps

For expenses of family housing for the Navy and Marine
Corps for construction, including acquisition, replacement,
addition, expansion, extension, and alteration, as authorized
by law, $177,597,000, to remain available until September 30,
2030.

Family Housing Operation and Maintenance, Navy and Marine Corps

For expenses of family housing for the Navy and Marine
Corps for operation and maintenance, including debt payment,
leasing, minor construction, principal and interest charges,
and insurance premiums, as authorized by law, $384,108,000.

Family Housing Construction, Air Force

For expenses of family housing for the Air Force for
construction, including acquisition, replacement, addition,
expansion, extension, and alteration, as authorized by law,
$274,230,000, to remain available until September 30, 2030.

Family Housing Operation and Maintenance, Air Force

For expenses of family housing for the Air Force for
operation and maintenance, including debt payment, leasing,
minor construction, principal and interest charges, and
insurance premiums, as authorized by law, $369,765,000.

Family Housing Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide

For expenses of family housing for the activities and
agencies of the Department of Defense (other than the
military departments) for operation and maintenance, leasing,
and minor construction, as authorized by law, $53,374,000.

Department of Defense

Family Housing Improvement Fund

For the Department of Defense Family Housing Improvement
Fund, $8,315,000, to remain available until expended, for
family housing initiatives undertaken pursuant to section
2883 of title 10, United States Code, providing alternative
means of acquiring and improving military family housing and
supporting facilities.

Department of Defense

Military Unaccompanied Housing Improvement Fund

For the Department of Defense Military Unaccompanied
Housing Improvement Fund, $497,000, to remain available until
expended, for unaccompanied housing initiatives undertaken
pursuant to section 2883 of title 10, United States Code,
providing alternative means of acquiring and improving
military unaccompanied housing and supporting facilities.

Administrative Provisions

Sec. 101. None of the funds made available in this title
shall be expended for payments under a cost-plus-a-fixed-fee
contract for construction, where cost estimates exceed
$25,000, to be performed within the United States, except
Alaska, without the specific approval in writing of the
Secretary of Defense setting forth the reasons therefor.
Sec. 102. Funds made available in this title for
construction shall be available for hire of passenger motor
vehicles.
Sec. 103. Funds made available in this title for
construction may be used for advances to the Federal Highway
Administration, Department of Transportation, for the
construction of access roads as authorized by section 210 of
title 23, United States Code, when projects authorized
therein are certified as important to the national defense by
the Secretary of Defense.
Sec. 104. None of the funds made available in this title
may be used to begin construction of new bases in the United
States for which specific appropriations have not been made.
Sec. 105. None of the funds made available in this title
shall be used for purchase of land or land easements in
excess of 100 percent of the value as determined by the Army
Corps of Engineers or the Naval Facilities Engineering
Command, except: (1) where there is a determination of value
by a Federal court; (2) purchases negotiated by the Attorney
General or the designee of the Attorney General; (3) where
the estimated value is less than $25,000; or (4) as otherwise
determined by the Secretary of Defense to be in the public
interest.
Sec. 106. None of the funds made available in this title
shall be used to: (1) acquire land; (2) provide for site
preparation; or (3) install utilities for any family housing,
except housing for which funds have been made available in
annual Acts making appropriations for military construction.
Sec. 107. None of the funds made available in this title
for minor construction may be used to transfer or relocate
any activity from one base or installation to another,
without prior notification to the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress.
Sec. 108. None of the funds made available in this title
may be used for the procurement of steel for any construction
project or activity for which American steel producers,
fabricators, and manufacturers have been denied the
opportunity to compete for such steel procurement.
Sec. 109. None of the funds available to the Department of
Defense for military construction or family housing during
the current fiscal year may be used to pay real property
taxes in any foreign nation.
Sec. 110. None of the funds made available in this title
may be used to initiate a new installation overseas without
prior notification to the

[[Page H4637]]

Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress.
Sec. 111. None of the funds made available in this title
may be obligated for architect and engineer contracts
estimated by the Government to exceed $500,000 for projects
to be accomplished in Japan, in any North Atlantic Treaty
Organization member country, or in countries bordering the
Arabian Gulf, unless such contracts are awarded to United
States firms or United States firms in joint venture with
host nation firms.
Sec. 112. None of the funds made available in this title
for military construction in the United States territories
and possessions in the Pacific and on Kwajalein Atoll, or in
countries bordering the Arabian Gulf, may be used to award
any contract estimated by the Government to exceed $1,000,000
to a foreign contractor: Provided, That this section shall
not be applicable to contract awards for which the lowest
responsive and responsible bid of a United States contractor
exceeds the lowest responsive and responsible bid of a
foreign contractor by greater than 20 percent: Provided
further, That this section shall not apply to contract awards
for military construction on Kwajalein Atoll for which the
lowest responsive and responsible bid is submitted by a
Marshallese contractor.
Sec. 113. The Secretary of Defense shall inform the
appropriate committees of both Houses of Congress, including
the Committees on Appropriations, of plans and scope of any
proposed military exercise involving United States personnel
30 days prior to its occurring, if amounts expended for
construction, either temporary or permanent, are anticipated
to exceed $100,000.
Sec. 114. Funds appropriated to the Department of Defense
for construction in prior years shall be available for
construction authorized for each such military department by
the authorizations enacted into law during the current
session of Congress.
Sec. 115. For military construction or family housing
projects that are being completed with funds otherwise
expired or lapsed for obligation, expired or lapsed funds may
be used to pay the cost of associated supervision,
inspection, overhead, engineering and design on those
projects and on subsequent claims, if any.
Sec. 116. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any
funds made available to a military department or defense
agency for the construction of military projects may be
obligated for a military construction project or contract, or
for any portion of such a project or contract, at any time
before the end of the fourth fiscal year after the fiscal
year for which funds for such project were made available, if
the funds obligated for such project: (1) are obligated from
funds available for military construction projects; and (2)
do not exceed the amount appropriated for such project, plus
any amount by which the cost of such project is increased
pursuant to law.

(including transfer of funds)

Sec. 117. Subject to 30 days prior notification, or 14
days for a notification provided in an electronic medium
pursuant to sections 480 and 2883 of title 10, United States
Code, to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of
Congress, such additional amounts as may be determined by the
Secretary of Defense may be transferred to: (1) the
Department of Defense Family Housing Improvement Fund from
amounts appropriated for construction in ``Family Housing''
accounts, to be merged with and to be available for the same
purposes and for the same period of time as amounts
appropriated directly to the Fund; or (2) the Department of
Defense Military Unaccompanied Housing Improvement Fund from
amounts appropriated for construction of military
unaccompanied housing in ``Military Construction'' accounts,
to be merged with and to be available for the same purposes
and for the same period of time as amounts appropriated
directly to the Fund: Provided, That appropriations made
available to the Funds shall be available to cover the costs,
as defined in section 502(5) of the Congressional Budget Act
of 1974, of direct loans or loan guarantees issued by the
Department of Defense pursuant to the provisions of
subchapter IV of chapter 169 of title 10, United States Code,
pertaining to alternative means of acquiring and improving
military family housing, military unaccompanied housing, and
supporting facilities.

(including transfer of funds)

Sec. 118. In addition to any other transfer authority
available to the Department of Defense, amounts may be
transferred from the Department of Defense Base Closure
Account to the fund established by section 1013(d) of the
Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of 1966
(42 U.S.C. 3374) to pay for expenses associated with the
Homeowners Assistance Program incurred under 42 U.S.C.
3374(a)(1)(A). Any amounts transferred shall be merged with
and be available for the same purposes and for the same time
period as the fund to which transferred.
Sec. 119. Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
funds made available in this title for operation and
maintenance of family housing shall be the exclusive source
of funds for repair and maintenance of all family housing
units, including general or flag officer quarters: Provided,
That not more than $35,000 per unit may be spent annually for
the maintenance and repair of any general or flag officer
quarters without 30 days prior notification, or 14 days for a
notification provided in an electronic medium pursuant to
sections 480 and 2883 of title 10, United States Code, to the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress,
except that an after-the-fact notification shall be submitted
if the limitation is exceeded solely due to costs associated
with environmental remediation that could not be reasonably
anticipated at the time of the budget submission: Provided
further, That the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) is
to report annually to the Committees on Appropriations of
both Houses of Congress all operation and maintenance
expenditures for each individual general or flag officer
quarters for the prior fiscal year.
Sec. 120. Amounts contained in the Ford Island Improvement
Account established by subsection (h) of section 2814 of
title 10, United States Code, are appropriated and shall be
available until expended for the purposes specified in
subsection (i)(1) of such section or until transferred
pursuant to subsection (i)(3) of such section.

(including transfer of funds)

Sec. 121. During the 5-year period after appropriations
available in this Act to the Department of Defense for
military construction and family housing operation and
maintenance and construction have expired for obligation,
upon a determination that such appropriations will not be
necessary for the liquidation of obligations or for making
authorized adjustments to such appropriations for obligations
incurred during the period of availability of such
appropriations, unobligated balances of such appropriations
may be transferred into the appropriation ``Foreign Currency
Fluctuations, Construction, Defense'', to be merged with and
to be available for the same time period and for the same
purposes as the appropriation to which transferred.

(including transfer of funds)

Sec. 122. Amounts appropriated or otherwise made available
in an account funded under the headings in this title may be
transferred among projects and activities within the account
in accordance with the reprogramming guidelines for military
construction and family housing construction contained in
Department of Defense Financial Management Regulation
7000.14-R, Volume 3, Chapter 7, of April 2021, as in effect
on the date of enactment of this Act.
Sec. 123. None of the funds made available in this title
may be obligated or expended for planning and design and
construction of projects at Arlington National Cemetery.
Sec. 124. For an additional amount for the accounts and in
the amounts specified, to remain available until September
30, 2030:
``Military Construction, Army'', $144,000,000;
``Military Construction, Army National Guard'',
$15,500,000;
``Military Construction, Air National Guard'', $11,000,000;
and
``Military Construction, Army Reserve'', $15,000,000:
Provided, That such funds may only be obligated to carry
out construction and cost to complete projects identified in
the respective military department's unfunded priority list
for fiscal year 2025 or 2026 submitted to Congress: Provided
further, That such projects are subject to authorization
prior to obligation and expenditure of funds to carry out
construction: Provided further, That not later than 60 days
after enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the military
department concerned, or their designee, shall submit to the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress an
expenditure plan for funds provided under this section.
Sec. 125. All amounts appropriated to the ``Department of
Defense--Military Construction, Army'', ``Department of
Defense--Military Construction, Navy and Marine Corps'',
``Department of Defense--Military Construction, Air Force'',
and ``Department of Defense--Military Construction, Defense-
Wide'' accounts pursuant to the authorization of
appropriations in a National Defense Authorization Act
specified for fiscal year 2026 in the funding table in
section 4601 of that Act shall be immediately available and
allotted to contract for the full scope of authorized
projects.
Sec. 126. Notwithstanding section 116 of this Act, funds
made available in this Act or any available unobligated
balances from prior appropriations Acts may be obligated
before October 1, 2027 for fiscal year 2017, 2018, 2019, and
2020 military construction projects for which project
authorization has not lapsed or for which authorization is
extended for fiscal year 2026 by a National Defense
Authorization Act: Provided, That no amounts may be
obligated pursuant to this section from amounts that were
designated by the Congress as an emergency requirement
pursuant to a concurrent resolution on the budget or the
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
Sec. 127. For the purposes of this Act, the term
``congressional defense committees'' means the Committees on
Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the
Senate, the Subcommittee on Military Construction and
Veterans Affairs of the Committee on Appropriations of the
Senate, and the Subcommittee on Military Construction and
Veterans Affairs of the Committee on Appropriations of the
House of Representatives.
Sec. 128. For an additional amount for the accounts and in
the amounts specified for design for child development
centers, to remain available until September 30, 2030:
``Military Construction, Army'', $5,000,000;
``Military Construction, Navy and Marine Corps'',
$5,000,000; and
``Military Construction, Air Force'', $5,000,000:
Provided, That not later than 60 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the military
department concerned, or their designee, shall submit to the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress an
expenditure plan for funds provided under this section.
Sec. 129. For an additional amount for the accounts and in
the amounts specified for design for barracks, to remain
available until September 30, 2030:
``Military Construction, Army'', $5,000,000;
``Military Construction, Navy and Marine Corps'',
$5,000,000; and

[[Page H4638]]

``Military Construction, Air Force'', $5,000,000:
Provided, That not later than 60 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the military
department concerned, or their designee, shall submit to the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress an
expenditure plan for funds provided under this section.
Sec. 130. For an additional amount for the accounts and in
the amounts specified for unspecified minor construction for
demolition, to remain available until September 30, 2030:
``Military Construction, Army'', $10,000,000;
``Military Construction, Navy and Marine Corps'',
$25,000,000; and
``Military Construction, Air Force'', $10,000,000:
Provided, That not later than 60 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the military
department concerned, or their designee, shall submit to the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress an
expenditure plan for funds provided under this section.
Sec. 131. None of the funds made available by this Act may
be used to carry out the closure or realignment of the United
States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Sec. 132. Notwithstanding limitations in this and prior
Acts on the obligation or expenditure of military
construction appropriations for planning and design and
construction of projects at Arlington National Cemetery,
unobligated funds available to the Department of the Army for
military construction projects may be obligated for access
road projects at Arlington National Cemetery that have been
authorized in accordance with section 210 of title 23, United
State Code.

TITLE II

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Veterans Benefits Administration

compensation and pensions

(including transfer of funds)

For the payment of compensation benefits to or on behalf of
veterans and a pilot program for disability examinations as
authorized by section 107 and chapters 11, 13, 18, 51, 53,
55, and 61 of title 38, United States Code; pension benefits
to or on behalf of veterans as authorized by chapters 15, 51,
53, 55, and 61 of title 38, United States Code; and burial
benefits, the Reinstated Entitlement Program for Survivors,
emergency and other officers' retirement pay, adjusted-
service credits and certificates, payment of premiums due on
commercial life insurance policies guaranteed under the
provisions of title IV of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act
(50 U.S.C. App. 541 et seq.) and for other benefits as
authorized by sections 107, 1312, 1977, and 2106, and
chapters 23, 51, 53, 55, and 61 of title 38, United States
Code, $5,850,000,000, which shall be in addition to funds
previously appropriated under this heading that became
available on October 1, 2025, to remain available until
expended; and, in addition, $246,630,525,000, which shall
become available on October 1, 2026, to remain available
until expended: Provided, That not to exceed $29,454,647 of
the amount made available for fiscal year 2027 under this
heading shall be reimbursed to ``General Operating Expenses,
Veterans Benefits Administration'', and ``Information
Technology Systems'' for necessary expenses in implementing
the provisions of chapters 51, 53, and 55 of title 38, United
States Code, the funding source for which is specifically
provided as the ``Compensation and Pensions'' appropriation:
Provided further, That such sums as may be earned on an
actual qualifying patient basis, shall be reimbursed to
``Medical Care Collections Fund'' to augment the funding of
individual medical facilities for nursing home care provided
to pensioners as authorized.

readjustment benefits

For the payment of readjustment and rehabilitation benefits
to or on behalf of veterans as authorized by chapters 21, 30,
31, 33, 34, 35, 36, 39, 41, 51, 53, 55, and 61 of title 38,
United States Code, $4,877,886,000, which shall be in
addition to funds previously appropriated under this heading
that became available on October 1, 2025, to remain available
until expended; and, in addition, $24,703,528,000, which
shall become available on October 1, 2026, to remain
available until expended: Provided, That expenses for
rehabilitation program services and assistance which the
Secretary is authorized to provide under subsection (a) of
section 3104 of title 38, United States Code, other than
under paragraphs (1), (2), (5), and (11) of that subsection,
shall be charged to this account.

veterans insurance and indemnities

For military and naval insurance, national service life
insurance, servicemen's indemnities, service-disabled
veterans insurance, and veterans mortgage life insurance as
authorized by chapters 19 and 21 of title 38, United States
Code, $97,893,000, which shall become available on October 1,
2026, to remain available until expended.

veterans housing benefit program fund

For the cost of direct and guaranteed loans, such sums as
may be necessary to carry out the program, as authorized by
subchapters I through III of chapter 37 of title 38, United
States Code: Provided, That such costs, including the cost
of modifying such loans, shall be as defined in section 502
of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974: Provided further,
That, during fiscal year 2026, within the resources
available, not to exceed $500,000 in gross obligations for
direct loans are authorized for specially adapted housing
loans.
In addition, for administrative expenses to carry out the
direct and guaranteed loan programs, $266,736,842.

vocational rehabilitation loans program account

For the cost of direct loans, $45,428, as authorized by
chapter 31 of title 38, United States Code: Provided, That
such costs, including the cost of modifying such loans, shall
be as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act
of 1974: Provided further, That funds made available under
this heading are available to subsidize gross obligations for
the principal amount of direct loans not to exceed
$1,394,442.
In addition, for administrative expenses necessary to carry
out the direct loan program, $507,254, which may be paid to
the appropriation for ``General Operating Expenses, Veterans
Benefits Administration''.

native american veteran housing loan program account

For the cost of direct loans, $6,865,235, as authorized by
subchapter V of chapter 37 of title 38, United States Code:
Provided, That such costs, including the cost of modifying
such loans, shall be as defined in section 502 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974: Provided further, That
funds made available under this heading are available to
subsidize gross obligations for the principal amount of
direct loans not to exceed $75,000,000.
In addition, for administrative expenses to carry out the
direct loan program authorized by subchapter V of chapter 37
of title 38, United States Code, $5,845,241.

general operating expenses, veterans benefits administration

For necessary operating expenses of the Veterans Benefits
Administration, not otherwise provided for, including hire of
passenger motor vehicles, reimbursement of the General
Services Administration for security guard services, and
reimbursement of the Department of Defense for the cost of
overseas employee mail, $3,881,000,000: Provided, That
expenses for services and assistance authorized under
paragraphs (1), (2), (5), and (11) of section 3104(a) of
title 38, United States Code, that the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs determines are necessary to enable entitled veterans:
(1) to the maximum extent feasible, to become employable and
to obtain and maintain suitable employment; or (2) to achieve
maximum independence in daily living, shall be charged to
this account: Provided further, That, of the funds made
available under this heading, not to exceed 10 percent shall
remain available until September 30, 2027.

Veterans Health Administration

medical services

For necessary expenses for furnishing, as authorized by
law, inpatient and outpatient care and treatment to
beneficiaries of the Department of Veterans Affairs and
veterans described in section 1705(a) of title 38, United
States Code, including care and treatment in facilities not
under the jurisdiction of the Department, and including
medical supplies and equipment, bioengineering services, food
services, and salaries and expenses of healthcare employees
hired under title 38, United States Code, assistance and
support services for caregivers as authorized by section
1720G of title 38, United States Code, loan repayments
authorized by section 604 of the Caregivers and Veterans
Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-163; 124
Stat. 1174; 38 U.S.C. 7681 note), monthly assistance
allowances authorized by section 322(d) of title 38, United
States Code, grants authorized by section 521A of title 38,
United States Code, and administrative expenses necessary to
carry out sections 322(d) and 521A of title 38, United States
Code, and hospital care and medical services authorized by
section 1787 of title 38, United States Code;
$59,858,000,000, plus reimbursements, which shall become
available on October 1, 2026, and shall remain available
until September 30, 2027: Provided, That, of the amount made
available on October 1, 2026, under this heading,
$2,000,000,000 shall remain available until September 30,
2028: Provided further, That of the $75,039,000,000 that
became available on October 1, 2025, previously appropriated
under this heading in the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations
Act, 2025 (division A of Public Law 119-4), $15,889,000,000
is hereby rescinded: Provided further, That, notwithstanding
any other provision of law, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall establish a priority for the provision of medical
treatment for veterans who have service-connected
disabilities, lower income, or have special needs: Provided
further, That, notwithstanding any other provision of law,
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall give priority funding
for the provision of basic medical benefits to veterans in
enrollment priority groups 1 through 6: Provided further,
That, notwithstanding any other provision of law, the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs may authorize the dispensing of
prescription drugs from Veterans Health Administration
facilities to enrolled veterans with privately written
prescriptions based on requirements established by the
Secretary: Provided further, That the implementation of the
program described in the previous proviso shall incur no
additional cost to the Department of Veterans Affairs:
Provided further, That the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall ensure that sufficient amounts appropriated under this
heading for medical supplies and equipment are available for
the acquisition of prosthetics designed specifically for
female veterans: Provided further, That nothing in section
2044(e) of title 38, United States Code, may be construed as
limiting amounts that may be made available under this
heading for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 in this or prior Acts.

medical community care

For necessary expenses for furnishing health care to
individuals pursuant to chapter 17 of title 38, United States
Code, at non-Department facilities, $38,700,000,000, plus
reimbursements, which shall become available on October 1,
2026, and shall remain available until September 30, 2027:
Provided, That, of the amount made available on October 1,
2026, under this heading,

[[Page H4639]]

$2,000,000,000 shall remain available until September 30,
2028.

medical support and compliance

For necessary expenses in the administration of the
medical, hospital, nursing home, domiciliary, construction,
supply, and research activities, as authorized by law;
administrative expenses in support of capital policy
activities; and administrative and legal expenses of the
Department for collecting and recovering amounts owed the
Department as authorized under chapter 17 of title 38, United
States Code, and the Federal Medical Care Recovery Act (42
U.S.C. 2651 et seq.), $12,000,000,000, plus reimbursements,
which shall become available on October 1, 2026, and shall
remain available until September 30, 2027: Provided, That,
of the amount made available on October 1, 2026, under this
heading, $350,000,000 shall remain available until September
30, 2028: Provided further, That, of the $12,700,000,000
that became available on October 1, 2025, previously
appropriated under this heading in the Full-Year Continuing
Appropriations Act, 2025 (division A of Public Law 119-4),
$610,000,000 is hereby rescinded.

medical facilities

For necessary expenses for the maintenance and operation of
hospitals, nursing homes, domiciliary facilities, and other
necessary facilities of the Veterans Health Administration;
for administrative expenses in support of planning, design,
project management, real property acquisition and
disposition, construction, and renovation of any facility
under the jurisdiction or for the use of the Department; for
oversight, engineering, and architectural activities not
charged to project costs; for repairing, altering, improving,
or providing facilities in the several hospitals and homes
under the jurisdiction of the Department, not otherwise
provided for, either by contract or by the hire of temporary
employees and purchase of materials; for leases of
facilities; and for laundry services; $145,917,000, which
shall be in addition to funds previously appropriated under
this heading that became available on October 1, 2025; and,
in addition, $11,700,000,000, plus reimbursements, which
shall become available on October 1, 2026, and shall remain
available until September 30, 2027: Provided, That, of the
amount made available on October 1, 2026, under this heading,
$500,000,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2028.

medical and prosthetic research

For necessary expenses in carrying out programs of medical
and prosthetic research and development as authorized by
chapter 73 of title 38, United States Code, $945,000,000,
plus reimbursements, shall remain available until September
30, 2027: Provided, That the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall ensure that sufficient amounts appropriated under this
heading are available for prosthetic research specifically
for female veterans, and for toxic exposure research.

National Cemetery Administration

For necessary expenses of the National Cemetery
Administration for operations and maintenance, not otherwise
provided for, including uniforms or allowances therefor;
cemeterial expenses as authorized by law; purchase of one
passenger motor vehicle for use in cemeterial operations;
hire of passenger motor vehicles; and repair, alteration or
improvement of facilities under the jurisdiction of the
National Cemetery Administration, $498,500,000, of which not
to exceed 10 percent shall remain available until September
30, 2027.

Departmental Administration

general administration

(including transfer of funds)

For necessary operating expenses of the Department of
Veterans Affairs, not otherwise provided for, including
administrative expenses in support of Department-wide capital
planning, management and policy activities, uniforms, or
allowances therefor; not to exceed $25,000 for official
reception and representation expenses; hire of passenger
motor vehicles; and reimbursement of the General Services
Administration for security guard services, $429,000,000,
which shall be for the offices and in the amounts specified
under this heading in the explanatory statement described in
section 4 (in the matter preceding division A of this
consolidated Act), of which not to exceed 10 percent for each
such office shall remain available until September 30, 2027:
Provided, That funds provided under this heading may be
transferred to ``General Operating Expenses, Veterans
Benefits Administration''.

board of veterans appeals

For necessary operating expenses of the Board of Veterans
Appeals, $280,000,000, of which not to exceed 10 percent
shall remain available until September 30, 2027.

information technology systems

(including transfer of funds)

For necessary expenses for information technology systems
and telecommunications support, including developmental
information systems and operational information systems; for
pay and associated costs; and for the capital asset
acquisition of information technology systems, including
management and related contractual costs of said
acquisitions, including contractual costs associated with
operations authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United
States Code, $5,919,000,000, plus reimbursements: Provided,
That $1,422,916,000 shall be for pay and associated costs, of
which not to exceed 3 percent shall remain available until
September 30, 2027: Provided further, That $3,917,921,000
shall be for operations and maintenance, of which not to
exceed 5 percent shall remain available until September 30,
2027, and of which $118,900,000 shall remain available until
September 30, 2030, for the purpose of facility activations
related to projects funded by the ``Construction, Major
Projects'', ``Construction, Minor Projects'', ``Medical
Facilities'', ``National Cemetery Administration'', ``General
Operating Expenses, Veterans Benefits Administration'', and
``General Administration'' accounts: Provided further, That
$578,163,000 shall be for information technology systems
development, and shall remain available until September 30,
2027: Provided further, That amounts made available for
salaries and expenses, operations and maintenance, and
information technology systems development may be transferred
among the three subaccounts after the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs requests from the Committees on Appropriations of
both Houses of Congress the authority to make the transfer
and an approval is issued: Provided further, That amounts
made available for the ``Information Technology Systems''
account for development may be transferred among projects or
to newly defined projects: Provided further, That no project
may be increased or decreased by more than $3,000,000 of cost
prior to submitting a request to the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress to make the
transfer and an approval is issued, or absent a response, a
period of 30 days has elapsed.

veterans electronic health record

For activities related to implementation, preparation,
development, interface, management, rollout, and maintenance
of a Veterans Electronic Health Record system, including
contractual costs associated with operations authorized by
section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, and salaries and
expenses of employees hired under titles 5 and 38, United
States Code, $3,400,000,000, to remain available until
September 30, 2028: Provided, That the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations of
both Houses of Congress quarterly reports detailing
obligations, expenditures, and deployment implementation by
facility, including any changes from the deployment plan or
schedule: Provided further, That the funds provided in this
account shall only be available to the Office of the Deputy
Secretary, to be administered by that Office: Provided
further, That 30 percent of the funds made available under
this heading shall not be available until July 1, 2026, and
are contingent upon the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
providing to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses
of Congress a plan by June 1, 2026, containing the following:
(1) an updated life-cycle cost estimate for the EHRM
program based on the Department's acceleration of deployments
announced in March 2025;
(2) an updated facility-by-facility deployment schedule for
all facilities to receive the EHRM program;
(3) a certification that all VA facilities using the new
EHR on or before April 1, 2024, have exceeded or met certain
health care performance baseline metrics indicating they have
returned to their service delivery levels in place prior to
the deployment of the new EHR;
(4) a description of the projected Federal VA staffing
levels, contract support, and other relevant activities
required, and the resources required to fund those
activities, to meet the deployment goal as outlined in (2),
including target Federal and contracted staffing levels at VA
Central Office and, each local VA medical center with a
slated deployment in 2026 and 2027, as well as contract
support to provide technical and other change management
support to carry out the deployments; and
(5) a certification that the Department has achieved at
least four consecutive successful site deployments without
any incidents of a delay in care or patient harm which must
be disclosed under Veterans Health Administration Directive
1004.08 which are attributable to EHR systems.

office of inspector general

For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General,
to include information technology, in carrying out the
provisions of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. 401
et seq.), $296,000,000, of which not to exceed 10 percent
shall remain available until September 30, 2027.

construction, major projects

For constructing, altering, extending, and improving any of
the facilities, including parking projects, under the
jurisdiction or for the use of the Department of Veterans
Affairs, or for any of the purposes set forth in sections
316, 2404, 2406 and chapter 81 of title 38, United States
Code, not otherwise provided for, including planning,
architectural and engineering services, construction
management services, maintenance or guarantee period services
costs associated with equipment guarantees provided under the
project, services of claims analysts, offsite utility and
storm drainage system construction costs, and site
acquisition, where the estimated cost of a project is more
than the amount set forth in section 8104(a)(3)(A) of title
38, United States Code, or where funds for a project were
made available in a previous major project appropriation,
$1,394,000,000, of which $621,615,000 shall remain available
until September 30, 2030, and of which $772,385,000 shall
remain available until expended: Provided, That except for
advance planning activities, including needs assessments
which may or may not lead to capital investments, and other
capital asset management related activities, including
portfolio development and management activities, and
planning, cost estimating, and design for major medical
facility projects and major medical facility leases and
investment strategy studies funded through the advance
planning fund and the planning and design activities funded
through the design fund, staffing expenses, and funds
provided for the purchase, security, and maintenance of land
for the National Cemetery Administration and the Veterans
Health Administration through the land acquisition line item,

[[Page H4640]]

none of the funds made available under this heading shall be
used for any project that has not been notified to Congress
through the budgetary process or that has not been approved
by the Congress through statute, joint resolution, or in the
explanatory statement accompanying such Act and presented to
the President at the time of enrollment: Provided further,
That funds provided for the Veterans Health Administration
through the land acquisition line item shall be only for
projects included on the five year development plan notified
to Congress through the budgetary process: Provided further,
That such sums as may be necessary shall be available to
reimburse the ``General Administration'' account for payment
of salaries and expenses of all Office of Construction and
Facilities Management employees to support the full range of
capital infrastructure services provided, including minor
construction and leasing services: Provided further, That
funds made available under this heading for fiscal year 2026,
for each approved project shall be obligated: (1) by the
awarding of a construction documents contract by September
30, 2026; and (2) by the awarding of a construction contract
by September 30, 2027: Provided further, That the Secretary
of Veterans Affairs shall promptly submit to the Committees
on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress a written report
on any approved major construction project for which
obligations are not incurred within the time limitations
established above: Provided further, That notwithstanding
the requirements of section 8104(a) of title 38, United
States Code, amounts made available under this heading for
seismic program management activities shall be available for
the completion of both new and existing seismic projects of
the Department.

construction, minor projects

For constructing, altering, extending, and improving any of
the facilities, including parking projects, under the
jurisdiction or for the use of the Department of Veterans
Affairs, including planning and assessments of needs which
may lead to capital investments, architectural and
engineering services, maintenance or guarantee period
services costs associated with equipment guarantees provided
under the project, services of claims analysts, offsite
utility and storm drainage system construction costs, and
site acquisition, or for any of the purposes set forth in
sections 316, 2404, 2406 and chapter 81 of title 38, United
States Code, not otherwise provided for, where the estimated
cost of a project is equal to or less than the amount set
forth in section 8104(a)(3)(A) of title 38, United States
Code, $350,000,000, of which $231,000,000 shall remain
available until September 30, 2030, and of which $119,000,000
shall remain available until expended, along with unobligated
balances of previous ``Construction, Minor Projects''
appropriations which are hereby made available for any
project where the estimated cost is equal to or less than the
amount set forth in such section: Provided, That funds made
available under this heading shall be for: (1) repairs to any
of the nonmedical facilities under the jurisdiction or for
the use of the Department which are necessary because of loss
or damage caused by any natural disaster or catastrophe; and
(2) temporary measures necessary to prevent or to minimize
further loss by such causes.

grants for construction of state extended care facilities

For grants to assist States to acquire or construct State
nursing home and domiciliary facilities and to remodel,
modify, or alter existing hospital, nursing home, and
domiciliary facilities in State homes, for furnishing care to
veterans as authorized by sections 8131 through 8137 of title
38, United States Code, $275,000,000, to remain available
until expended.

grants for construction of veterans cemeteries

For grants to assist States and tribal organizations in
establishing, expanding, or improving veterans cemeteries as
authorized by section 2408 of title 38, United States Code,
$150,000,000, to remain available until expended.

Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund

For investment in the delivery of veterans' health care
associated with exposure to environmental hazards, the
expenses incident to the delivery of veterans' health care
and benefits associated with exposure to environmental
hazards, and medical and other research relating to exposure
to environmental hazards, as authorized by section 324 of
title 38, United States Code, and in addition to the amounts
otherwise available for such purposes in the appropriations
provided in this or prior Acts, including the Fiscal
Responsibility Act of 2023 (Public Law 118-5),
$52,676,000,000, to remain available until expended.

Administrative Provisions

(including transfer of funds)

Sec. 201. Any appropriation for fiscal year 2026 for
``Compensation and Pensions'', ``Readjustment Benefits'', and
``Veterans Insurance and Indemnities'' may be transferred as
necessary to any other of the mentioned appropriations:
Provided, That, before a transfer may take place, the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall request from the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress the
authority to make the transfer and such Committees issue an
approval, or absent a response, a period of 30 days has
elapsed.

(including transfer of funds)

Sec. 202. Not to exceed 1 percent of amounts made
available for the Department of Veterans Affairs for fiscal
year 2026, in this or any other Act, including prior Acts,
under the ``Medical Services'', ``Medical Community Care'',
``Medical Support and Compliance'', and ``Medical
Facilities'' accounts may be transferred among the accounts:
Provided, That no such account shall be increased by more
than 1 percent, in this or any other Act, by any such
transfer: Provided further, That amounts may be transferred
pursuant to this section only upon written notification from
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress of the amount and
purpose of the transfer: Provided further, That the transfer
authority provided in this section is in addition to any
other transfer authority provided by law.
Sec. 203. Appropriations available in this title for
salaries and expenses shall be available for services
authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United States Code;
hire of passenger motor vehicles; lease of a facility or land
or both; and uniforms or allowances therefore, as authorized
by sections 5901 through 5902 of title 5, United States Code.
Sec. 204. No appropriations in this title (except the
appropriations for ``Construction, Major Projects'' and
``Construction, Minor Projects'') shall be available for the
purchase of any site for or toward the construction of any
new hospital or home.
Sec. 205. No appropriations in this title shall be
available for hospitalization or examination of any persons
(except beneficiaries entitled to such hospitalization or
examination under the laws providing such benefits to
veterans, and persons receiving such treatment under sections
7901 through 7904 of title 5, United States Code, or the
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance
Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.)), unless reimbursement of the
cost of such hospitalization or examination is made to the
``Medical Services'' account at such rates as may be fixed by
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Sec. 206. Appropriations available in this title for
``Compensation and Pensions'', ``Readjustment Benefits'', and
``Veterans Insurance and Indemnities'' shall be available for
payment of prior year accrued obligations required to be
recorded by law against the corresponding prior year accounts
within the last quarter of fiscal year 2025.
Sec. 207. Appropriations available in this title shall be
available to pay prior year obligations of corresponding
prior year appropriations accounts resulting from sections
3328(a), 3334, and 3712(a) of title 31, United States Code,
except that if such obligations are from trust fund accounts
they shall be payable only from ``Compensation and
Pensions''.

(including transfer of funds)

Sec. 208. Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
during fiscal year 2026, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall, from the National Service Life Insurance Fund under
section 1920 of title 38, United States Code, the Veterans'
Special Life Insurance Fund under section 1923 of title 38,
United States Code, and the United States Government Life
Insurance Fund under section 1955 of title 38, United States
Code, reimburse the ``General Operating Expenses, Veterans
Benefits Administration'' and ``Information Technology
Systems'' accounts for the cost of administration of the
insurance programs financed through those accounts:
Provided, That reimbursement shall be made only from the
surplus earnings accumulated in such an insurance program
during fiscal year 2026 that are available for dividends in
that program after claims have been paid and actuarially
determined reserves have been set aside: Provided further,
That if the cost of administration of such an insurance
program exceeds the amount of surplus earnings accumulated in
that program, reimbursement shall be made only to the extent
of such surplus earnings: Provided further, That the
Secretary shall determine the cost of administration for
fiscal year 2026 which is properly allocable to the provision
of each such insurance program and to the provision of any
total disability income insurance included in that insurance
program.
Sec. 209. Amounts deducted from enhanced-use lease
proceeds to reimburse an account for expenses incurred by
that account during a prior fiscal year for providing
enhanced-use lease services shall be available until
expended.

(including transfer of funds)

Sec. 210. Funds available in this title or funds for
salaries and other administrative expenses shall also be
available to reimburse the Office of Resolution Management,
the Office of Employment Discrimination Complaint
Adjudication, and the Alternative Dispute Resolution function
within the Office of Human Resources and Administration for
all services provided at rates which will recover actual
costs but not to exceed $134,342,000 for the Office of
Resolution Management, $7,607,000 for the Office of
Employment Discrimination Complaint Adjudication, and
$7,586,000 for the Alternative Dispute Resolution function
within the Office of Human Resources and Administration:
Provided, That payments may be made in advance for services
to be furnished based on estimated costs: Provided further,
That amounts received shall be credited to the ``General
Administration'' and ``Information Technology Systems''
accounts for use by the office that provided the service.
Sec. 211. No funds of the Department of Veterans Affairs
shall be available for hospital care, nursing home care, or
medical services provided to any person under chapter 17 of
title 38, United States Code, for a non-service-connected
disability described in section 1729(a)(2) of such title,
unless that person has disclosed to the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs, in such form as the Secretary may require, current,
accurate third-party reimbursement information for purposes
of section 1729 of such title: Provided, That the Secretary
may recover, in the same manner as any other debt due the
United States, the reasonable charges for such care or
services from any person who does not make such disclosure as
required: Provided further, That any amounts so recovered
for care or services provided in a prior fiscal year may be
obligated by

[[Page H4641]]

the Secretary during the fiscal year in which amounts are
received.

(including transfer of funds)

Sec. 212. Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
proceeds or revenues derived from enhanced-use leasing
activities (including disposal) may be deposited into the
``Construction, Major Projects'' and ``Construction, Minor
Projects'' accounts and be used for construction (including
site acquisition and disposition), alterations, and
improvements of any medical facility under the jurisdiction
or for the use of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Such
sums as realized are in addition to the amount provided for
in ``Construction, Major Projects'' and ``Construction, Minor
Projects''.
Sec. 213. Amounts made available under ``Medical
Services'' are available--
(1) for furnishing recreational facilities, supplies, and
equipment; and
(2) for funeral expenses, burial expenses, and other
expenses incidental to funerals and burials for beneficiaries
receiving care in the Department.

(including transfer of funds)

Sec. 214. Such sums as may be deposited into the Medical
Care Collections Fund pursuant to section 1729A of title 38,
United States Code, may be transferred to the ``Medical
Services'' and ``Medical Community Care'' accounts to remain
available until expended for the purposes of these accounts.
Sec. 215. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may enter into
agreements with Federally Qualified Health Centers in the
State of Alaska and Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations
which are party to the Alaska Native Health Compact with the
Indian Health Service, to provide healthcare, including
behavioral health and dental care, to veterans in rural
Alaska. The Secretary shall require participating veterans
and facilities to comply with all appropriate rules and
regulations, as established by the Secretary. The term
``rural Alaska'' shall mean those lands which are not within
the boundaries of the municipality of Anchorage or the
Fairbanks North Star Borough.

(including transfer of funds)

Sec. 216. Such sums as may be deposited into the
Department of Veterans Affairs Capital Asset Fund pursuant to
section 8118 of title 38, United States Code, may be
transferred to the ``Construction, Major Projects'' and
``Construction, Minor Projects'' accounts, to remain
available until expended for the purposes of these accounts.
Sec. 217. Not later than 30 days after the end of each
fiscal quarter, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
submit to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of
Congress a report on the financial status of the Department
of Veterans Affairs for the preceding quarter: Provided,
That, at a minimum, the report shall include the direction
contained in the paragraph entitled ``Quarterly reporting'',
under the heading ``General Administration'' in the joint
explanatory statement accompanying Public Law 114-223.

(including transfer of funds)

Sec. 218. Amounts made available under the ``Medical
Services'', ``Medical Community Care'', ``Medical Support and
Compliance'', ``Medical Facilities'', ``General Operating
Expenses, Veterans Benefits Administration'', ``Board of
Veterans Appeals'', ``General Administration'', and
``National Cemetery Administration'' accounts for fiscal year
2026 may be transferred to or from the ``Information
Technology Systems'' account: Provided, That such transfers
may not result in a more than 10 percent aggregate increase
in the total amount made available by this Act for the
``Information Technology Systems'' account: Provided
further, That, before a transfer may take place, the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall request from the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress the
authority to make the transfer and an approval is issued.

(including transfer of funds)

Sec. 219. Of the amounts appropriated to the Department of
Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2026 for ``Medical
Services'', ``Medical Community Care'', ``Medical Support and
Compliance'', ``Medical Facilities'', ``Construction, Minor
Projects'', and ``Information Technology Systems'', up to
$654,954,000, plus reimbursements, may be transferred to the
Joint Department of Defense--Department of Veterans Affairs
Medical Facility Demonstration Fund, established by section
1704 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2010 (Public Law 111-84; 123 Stat. 2571) and may be used
for operation of the facilities designated as combined
Federal medical facilities as described by section 706 of the
Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417; 122 Stat. 4500): Provided,
That additional funds may be transferred from accounts
designated in this section to the Joint Department of
Defense--Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility
Demonstration Fund upon written notification by the Secretary
of Veterans Affairs to the Committees on Appropriations of
both Houses of Congress: Provided further, That section 220
of title II of division A of Public Law 118-42, as continued
by section 1101(a)(10) of division A of Public Law 119-4, is
repealed.

(including transfer of funds)

Sec. 220. Of the amounts appropriated to the Department of
Veterans Affairs which become available on October 1, 2026,
for ``Medical Services'', ``Medical Community Care'',
``Medical Support and Compliance'', and ``Medical
Facilities'', up to $739,918,000, plus reimbursements, may be
transferred to the Joint Department of Defense--Department of
Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Demonstration Fund,
established by section 1704 of the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 111-84;
123 Stat. 2571) and may be used for operation of the
facilities designated as combined Federal medical facilities
as described by section 706 of the Duncan Hunter National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law
110-417; 122 Stat. 4500): Provided, That additional funds
may be transferred from accounts designated in this section
to the Joint Department of Defense--Department of Veterans
Affairs Medical Facility Demonstration Fund upon written
notification by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress.

(including transfer of funds)

Sec. 221. Such sums as may be deposited into the Medical
Care Collections Fund pursuant to section 1729A of title 38,
United States Code, for healthcare provided at facilities
designated as combined Federal medical facilities as
described by section 706 of the Duncan Hunter National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law
110-417; 122 Stat. 4500) shall also be available: (1) for
transfer to the Joint Department of Defense--Department of
Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Demonstration Fund,
established by section 1704 of the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 111-84;
123 Stat. 2571); and (2) for operations of the facilities
designated as combined Federal medical facilities as
described by section 706 of the Duncan Hunter National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law
110-417; 122 Stat. 4500): Provided, That, notwithstanding
section 1704(b)(3) of the National Defense Authorization Act
for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 111-84; 123 Stat. 2573),
amounts transferred to the Joint Department of Defense--
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Demonstration
Fund shall remain available until expended.

(including transfer of funds)

Sec. 222. Of the amounts available in this title for
``Medical Services'', ``Medical Community Care'', ``Medical
Support and Compliance'', and ``Medical Facilities'', a
minimum of $15,000,000 shall be transferred to the DOD-VA
Health Care Sharing Incentive Fund, as authorized by section
8111(d) of title 38, United States Code, to remain available
until expended, for any purpose authorized by section 8111 of
title 38, United States Code.
Sec. 223. None of the funds available to the Department of
Veterans Affairs, in this or any other Act, may be used to
replace the current system by which the Veterans Integrated
Service Networks select and contract for diabetes monitoring
supplies and equipment.
Sec. 224. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall notify
the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress
of all bid savings in a major construction project that total
at least $5,000,000, or 5 percent of the programmed amount of
the project, whichever is less: Provided, That such
notification shall occur within 14 days of a contract
identifying the programmed amount: Provided further, That
the Secretary shall notify the Committees on Appropriations
of both Houses of Congress 14 days prior to the obligation of
such bid savings and shall describe the anticipated use of
such savings.
Sec. 225. None of the funds made available for
``Construction, Major Projects'' may be used for a project in
excess of the scope specified for that project in the
original justification data provided to the Congress as part
of the request for appropriations unless the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs receives approval from the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress.
Sec. 226. Not later than 30 days after the end of each
fiscal quarter, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
submit to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of
Congress a quarterly report containing performance measures
and data from each Veterans Benefits Administration Regional
Office: Provided, That, at a minimum, the report shall
include the direction contained in the section entitled
``Disability claims backlog'', under the heading ``General
Operating Expenses, Veterans Benefits Administration'' in the
joint explanatory statement accompanying Public Law 114-223:
Provided further, That the report shall also include
information on the number of appeals pending at the Veterans
Benefits Administration as well as the Board of Veterans
Appeals on a quarterly basis.
Sec. 227. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall provide
written notification to the Committees on Appropriations of
both Houses of Congress 15 days prior to organizational
changes which result in the transfer of 25 or more full-time
equivalents from one organizational unit of the Department of
Veterans Affairs to another.
Sec. 228. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall provide
on a quarterly basis to the Committees on Appropriations of
both Houses of Congress notification of any single national
outreach and awareness marketing campaign in which
obligations exceed $1,000,000.

(including transfer of funds)

Sec. 229. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, upon
determination that such action is necessary to address needs
of the Veterans Health Administration, may transfer to the
``Medical Services'' account not to exceed 1 percent of any
discretionary appropriations made available for fiscal year
2026 in this title (except the appropriation made to the
``General Operating Expenses, Veterans Benefits
Administration'' account) or not to exceed 1 percent of any
discretionary unobligated balances within the Department of
Veterans Affairs, including not to exceed 1 percent of those
appropriated for fiscal year 2026, that were provided in
advance by appropriations Acts: Provided, That the transfer
authority provided in this section is in addition to any
other transfer authority provided by law: Provided further,
That no amounts may be transferred from amounts that were
designated by Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant
to a concurrent resolution on the budget

[[Page H4642]]

or the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of
1985: Provided further, That such authority to transfer may
not be used unless for higher priority items, based on
emergent healthcare requirements, than those for which
originally appropriated and in no case where the item for
which funds are requested has been denied by Congress:
Provided further, That, upon determination that all or part
of the funds transferred from an appropriation are not
necessary, such amounts may be transferred back to that
appropriation and shall be available for the same purposes as
originally appropriated: Provided further, That before a
transfer may take place pursuant to this section, the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs must provide written
notification of the amount and purpose of the transfer to the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress.

(including transfer of funds)

Sec. 230. Amounts made available for the Department of
Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2026, under the ``Board of
Veterans Appeals'' and the ``General Operating Expenses,
Veterans Benefits Administration'' accounts may be
transferred between such accounts: Provided, That before a
transfer may take place, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
shall request from the Committees on Appropriations of both
Houses of Congress the authority to make the transfer and
receive approval of that request.
Sec. 231. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may not
reprogram funds among major construction projects or programs
if such instance of reprogramming will exceed a cumulative
$7,000,000, unless such reprogramming is approved by the
Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress.
Sec. 232. (a) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
ensure that the toll-free suicide hotline under section
1720F(h) of title 38, United States Code--
(1) provides to individuals who contact the hotline
immediate assistance from a trained professional; and
(2) adheres to all requirements of the American Association
of Suicidology.
(b)(1) None of the funds made available by this Act may be
used to enforce or otherwise carry out any Executive action
that prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from
appointing an individual to occupy a vacant civil service
position, or establishing a new civil service position, at
the Department of Veterans Affairs with respect to such a
position relating to the hotline specified in subsection (a).
(2) In this subsection--
(A) the term ``civil service'' has the meaning given such
term in section 2101(1) of title 5, United States Code; and
(B) the term ``Executive action'' includes--
(i) any Executive order, Presidential memorandum, or other
action by the President; and
(ii) any agency policy, order, or other directive.
(c)(1) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall conduct a
study on the effectiveness of the hotline specified in
subsection (a) during the 5-year period beginning on January
1, 2016, based on an analysis of national suicide data and
data collected from such hotline.
(2) At a minimum, the study required by paragraph (1)
shall--
(A) determine the number of veterans who contact the
hotline specified in subsection (a) and who receive follow up
services from the hotline or mental health services from the
Department of Veterans Affairs thereafter;
(B) determine the number of veterans who contact the
hotline who are not referred to, or do not continue
receiving, mental health care who commit suicide; and
(C) determine the number of veterans described in
subparagraph (A) who commit or attempt suicide.
Sec. 233. Effective during the period beginning on October
1, 2018, and ending on January 1, 2027, none of the funds
made available to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs by this
or any other Act may be obligated or expended in
contravention of the ``Veterans Health Administration
Clinical Preventive Services Guidance Statement on the
Veterans Health Administration's Screening for Breast Cancer
Guidance'' published on May 10, 2017, as issued by the
Veterans Health Administration National Center for Health
Promotion and Disease Prevention.
Sec. 234. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
the amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to the
Department of Veterans Affairs for the ``Medical Services''
account may be used to provide--
(1) fertility counseling and treatment using assisted
reproductive technology to a covered veteran or the spouse of
a covered veteran; or
(2) adoption reimbursement to a covered veteran.
(b) In this section:
(1) The term ``service-connected'' has the meaning given
such term in section 101 of title 38, United States Code.
(2) The term ``covered veteran'' means a veteran, as such
term is defined in section 101 of title 38, United States
Code, who has a service-connected disability that results in
the inability of the veteran to procreate without the use of
fertility treatment.
(3) The term ``assisted reproductive technology'' means
benefits relating to reproductive assistance provided to a
member of the Armed Forces who incurs a serious injury or
illness on active duty pursuant to section 1074(c)(4)(A) of
title 10, United States Code, as described in the memorandum
on the subject of ``Policy for Assisted Reproductive Services
for the Benefit of Seriously or Severely Ill/Injured
(Category II or III) Active Duty Service Members'' issued by
the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs on
April 3, 2012, and the guidance issued to implement such
policy, including any limitations on the amount of such
benefits available to such a member except that--
(A) the time periods regarding embryo cryopreservation and
storage set forth in part III(G) and in part IV(H) of such
memorandum shall not apply; and
(B) such term includes embryo cryopreservation and storage
without limitation on the duration of such cryopreservation
and storage.
(4) The term ``adoption reimbursement'' means reimbursement
for the adoption-related expenses for an adoption that is
finalized after the date of the enactment of this Act under
the same terms as apply under the adoption reimbursement
program of the Department of Defense, as authorized in
Department of Defense Instruction 1341.09, including the
reimbursement limits and requirements set forth in such
instruction.
(c) Amounts made available for the purposes specified in
subsection (a) of this section are subject to the
requirements for funds contained in section 508 of division H
of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public Law 115-
141).
Sec. 235. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made
available by this Act or any other Act for the Department of
Veterans Affairs may be used in a manner that is inconsistent
with: (1) section 842 of the Transportation, Treasury,
Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, the District of
Columbia, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006
(Public Law 109-115; 119 Stat. 2506); or (2) section
8110(a)(5) of title 38, United States Code.
Sec. 236. Section 842 of Public Law 109-115 shall not
apply to conversion of an activity or function of the
Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Benefits
Administration, or National Cemetery Administration to
contractor performance by a business concern that is at least
51 percent owned by one or more Indian Tribes as defined in
section 5304(e) of title 25, United States Code, or one or
more Native Hawaiian Organizations as defined in section
637(a)(15) of title 15, United States Code.
Sec. 237. (a) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in
consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary
of Labor, shall discontinue collecting and using Social
Security account numbers to authenticate individuals in all
information systems of the Department of Veterans Affairs for
all individuals not later than September 30, 2026.
(b) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may collect and use a
Social Security account number to identify an individual, in
accordance with section 552a of title 5, United States Code,
in an information system of the Department of Veterans
Affairs if and only if the use of such number is necessary
to:
(1) obtain or provide information the Secretary requires
from an information system that is not under the jurisdiction
of the Secretary;
(2) comply with a law, regulation, or court order;
(3) perform anti-fraud activities; or
(4) identify a specific individual where no adequate
substitute is available.
(c) The matter in subsections (a) and (b) shall supersede
section 237 of division A of Public Law 118-42.
Sec. 238. For funds provided to the Department of Veterans
Affairs for each of fiscal year 2026 and 2027 for ``Medical
Services'', section 239 of division A of Public Law 114-223
shall apply.
Sec. 239. None of the funds appropriated in this or prior
appropriations Acts or otherwise made available to the
Department of Veterans Affairs may be used to transfer any
amounts from the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund
to any other account within the Department of Veterans
Affairs.
Sec. 240. Of the funds provided to the Department of
Veterans Affairs for each of fiscal year 2026 and fiscal year
2027 for ``Medical Services'', funds may be used in each year
to carry out and expand the child care program authorized by
section 205 of Public Law 111-163, notwithstanding subsection
(e) of such section.
Sec. 241. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made
available in this title may be used by the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs to enter into an agreement related to
resolving a dispute or claim with an individual that would
restrict in any way the individual from speaking to Members
of Congress or their staff on any topic not otherwise
prohibited from disclosure by Federal law or required by
Executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national
defense or the conduct of foreign affairs.
Sec. 242. For funds provided to the Department of Veterans
Affairs for each of fiscal year 2026 and 2027, section 258 of
division A of Public Law 114-223 shall apply.
Sec. 243. (a) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise
made available by this Act may be used to deny an Inspector
General funded under this Act timely access to any records,
documents, or other materials available to the department or
agency over which that Inspector General has responsibilities
under the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. 401 et
seq.), or to prevent or impede the access of the Inspector
General to such records, documents, or other materials, under
any provision of law, except a provision of law that
expressly refers to such Inspector General and expressly
limits the right of access.
(b) A department or agency covered by this section shall
provide its Inspector General access to all records,
documents, and other materials in a timely manner.
(c) Each Inspector General shall ensure compliance with
statutory limitations on disclosure relevant to the
information provided by the establishment over which that
Inspector General has responsibilities under the Inspector
General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. 401 et seq.).
(d) Each Inspector General covered by this section shall
report to the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and
the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives

[[Page H4643]]

within 5 calendar days of any failure by any department or
agency covered by this section to comply with this
requirement.
Sec. 244. None of the funds made available in this Act may
be used in a manner that would increase wait times for
veterans who seek care at medical facilities of the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sec. 245. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made
available by this Act to the Veterans Health Administration
may be used in fiscal year 2026 to convert any program which
received specific purpose funds in fiscal year 2025 to a
general purpose funded program unless the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs submits written notification of any such
proposal to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses
of Congress at least 30 days prior to any such action and an
approval is issued by the Committees.
Sec. 246. For funds provided to the Department of Veterans
Affairs for each of fiscal year 2026 and 2027, section 248 of
division A of Public Law 114-223 shall apply.
Sec. 247. (a) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise
made available by this Act may be used to conduct research
commencing on or after July 1, 2025, that uses any canine,
feline, or non-human primate unless the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs approves such research specifically and in writing
pursuant to subsection (b).
(b)(1) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may approve the
conduct of research commencing on or after July 1, 2025,
using canines, felines, or non-human primates if the
Secretary certifies that--
(A) the scientific objectives of the research can only be
met by using such canines, felines, or non-human primates and
cannot be met using other animal models, in vitro models,
computational models, human clinical studies, or other
research alternatives;
(B) such scientific objectives are necessary to advance
research benefiting veterans and are directly related to an
illness or injury that is combat-related as defined by 10
U.S.C. 1413(e);
(C) the research is consistent with the revised Department
of Veterans Affairs canine research policy document dated
December 15, 2017, including any subsequent revisions to such
document; and
(D) ethical considerations regarding minimizing the harm
experienced by canines, felines, or non-human primates are
included in evaluating the scientific necessity of the
research.
(2) The Secretary may not delegate the authority under this
subsection.
(c) If the Secretary approves any new research pursuant to
subsection (b), not later than 30 days before the
commencement of such research, the Secretary shall submit to
the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and House of
Representatives a report describing--
(1) the nature of the research to be conducted using
canines, felines, or non-human primates;
(2) the date on which the Secretary approved the research;
(3) the USDA pain category on the approved use;
(4) the justification for the determination of the
Secretary that the scientific objectives of such research
could only be met using canines, felines, or non-human
primates, and methods used to make such determination;
(5) the frequency and duration of such research; and
(6) the protocols in place to ensure the necessity, safety,
and efficacy of the research, and animal welfare.
(d) Not later than December 31, 2025, and biannually
thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to such Committees a
report describing--
(1) any research being conducted by the Department of
Veterans Affairs using canines, felines, or non-human
primates as of the date of the submittal of the report;
(2) the circumstances under which such research was
conducted using canines, felines, or non-human primates;
(3) the justification for using canines, felines, or non-
human primates to conduct such research;
(4) the protocols in place to ensure the necessity, safety,
and efficacy of such research; and
(5) the development and adoption of alternatives to
canines, felines, or non-human primate research.
(e) Not later than December 31, 2025, and annually
thereafter, the Department of Veterans Affairs must submit to
voluntary U.S. Department of Agriculture inspections of
canine, feline, and non-human primate research facilities.
(f) Not later than December 31, 2025, and annually
thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to such Committees a
report describing--
(1) any violations of the Animal Welfare Act, the Public
Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory
Animals, or other Department of Veterans Affairs policies
related to oversight of animal research found during that
quarter in VA research facilities;
(2) immediate corrective actions taken; and
(3) specific actions taken to prevent their recurrence.
(g) The Department shall implement a plan under which the
Secretary will eliminate the research conducted using
canines, felines, or non-human primates by not later than
September 20, 2026.
Sec. 248. (a) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may use
amounts appropriated or otherwise made available in this
title to ensure that the ratio of veterans to full-time
employment equivalents within any program of rehabilitation
conducted under chapter 31 of title 38, United States Code,
does not exceed 125 veterans to one full-time employment
equivalent.
(b) Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report
on the programs of rehabilitation conducted under chapter 31
of title 38, United States Code, including--
(1) an assessment of the veteran-to-staff ratio for each
such program; and
(2) recommendations for such action as the Secretary
considers necessary to reduce the veteran-to-staff ratio for
each such program.
Sec. 249. Amounts made available for the ``Veterans Health
Administration, Medical Community Care'' account in this or
any other Act for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 may be used for
expenses that would otherwise be payable from the Veterans
Choice Fund established by section 802 of the Veterans
Access, Choice, and Accountability Act, as amended (38 U.S.C.
1701 note).
Sec. 250. Obligations and expenditures applicable to the
``Medical Services'' account in fiscal years 2017 through
2019 for aid to state homes (as authorized by section 1741 of
title 38, United States Code) shall remain in the ``Medical
Community Care'' account for such fiscal years.
Sec. 251. Of the amounts made available for the Department
of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2026, in this or any
other Act, under the ``Veterans Health Administration--
Medical Services'', ``Veterans Health Administration--Medical
Community Care'', ``Veterans Health Administration--Medical
Support and Compliance'', ``Veterans Health Administration--
Medical Facilities'', and ``Cost of War Toxic Exposures
Fund'' accounts, $1,429,181,000 shall be made available for
gender-specific care and programmatic efforts to deliver care
for women veterans; $698,000,000 shall be made available for
suicide prevention outreach programs; $3,500,000,000 shall be
made available for the Caregivers program; $42,000,000 shall
be made available for the National Center for Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder; $80,000,000 shall be made available for the
Neurology Centers of Excellence; $342,455,000 shall be made
available for rural health care; $3,459,121,000 shall be made
available for veterans' homelessness programs; $6,356,000,000
shall be made available for telehealth for veterans;
$709,573,000 shall be made available for opioid prevention
and treatment programs; and, $31,997,000 shall be made
available for the Intimate Partner Violence Assistance
Program.
Sec. 252. Of the unobligated balances available in fiscal
year 2026 in the ``Recurring Expenses Transformational Fund''
established in section 243 of division J of Public Law 114-
113, and in addition to any funds otherwise made available
for such purposes in this, prior, or subsequent fiscal years,
$900,000,000 shall be available for constructing, altering,
extending, and improving medical facilities of the Veterans
Health Administration, including all supporting activities
and required contingencies, during the period of availability
of the Fund: Provided, That prior to obligation of any of
the funds provided in this section, the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs must provide a plan for the execution of the funds
appropriated in this section to the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress and such Committees
issue an approval, or absent a response, a period of 30 days
has elapsed.

(including transfer of funds)

Sec. 253. Of the $75,039,000,000 that became available on
October 1, 2025, previously appropriated under the heading
``Veterans Health Administration--Medical Services'' in the
Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2025 (division A of
Public Law 119-4), $2,030,000,000 shall be transferred to
``Veterans Health Administration--Medical Facilities''.
Sec. 254. Not later than 30 days after enactment of this
Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress an expenditure plan
for funds made available in this Act and any available
unobligated balances from prior Acts, including the Fiscal
Responsibility Act of 2023 (Public Law 118-5), for the Cost
of War Toxic Exposures Fund: Provided, That the budget
resource categories supporting the Veterans Health
Administration shall be reported by the subcategories
``Medical Services'', ``Medical Community Care'', ``Medical
Support and Compliance'', and ``Medical and Prosthetic
Research'': Provided further, That not later than 30 days
after the end of each fiscal quarter, the Secretary shall
submit a quarterly report on the status of the funds,
including, at a minimum, an update on obligations by program,
project or activity.
Sec. 255. Any amounts transferred to the Secretary and
administered by a corporation referred to in section 7364(b)
of title 38, United States Code, between October 1, 2017 and
September 30, 2018 for purposes of carrying out an order
placed with the Department of Veterans Affairs pursuant to
section 1535 of title 31, United States Code, that are
available for obligation pursuant to section 7364(b)(1) of
title 38, United States Code, are to remain available for the
liquidation of valid obligations incurred by such corporation
during the period of performance of such order, provided that
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines that such
amounts need to remain available for such liquidation.
Sec. 256. None of the funds in this or any other Act may
be used to close Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals,
domiciliaries, or clinics, conduct an environmental
assessment, or to diminish healthcare services at existing
Veterans Health Administration medical facilities as part of
a planned realignment of services until the Secretary
provides to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses
of Congress a report including an analysis of how any such
planned realignment of services will impact access to care
for veterans living in rural or highly rural areas, including
travel distances and transportation costs to access a
Department medical facility and availability of local
specialty and primary care.
Sec. 257. Unobligated balances available under the
headings ``Construction, Major Projects'' and ``Construction,
Minor Projects''

[[Page H4644]]

may be obligated by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for a
facility pursuant to section 2(e)(1) of the Communities
Helping Invest through Property and Improvements Needed for
Veterans Act of 2016 (Public Law 114-294; 38 U.S.C. 8103
note), as amended, to provide additional funds or to fund an
escalation clause under such section of such Act: Provided,
That before such unobligated balances are obligated pursuant
to this section, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
request from the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses
of Congress the authority to obligate such unobligated
balances and such Committees issue an approval, or absent a
response, a period of 30 days has elapsed: Provided further,
That the request to obligate such unobligated balances must
provide Congress notice that the entity described in section
2(a)(2) of Public Law 114-294, as amended, has exhausted
available cost containment approaches as set forth in the
agreement under section 2(c) of such Public Law.
Sec. 258. (a) None of the funds appropriated by this Act or
otherwise made available for fiscal year 2026 for the
Department of Veterans Affairs may be obligated, awarded, or
expended to procure or purchase covered information
technology equipment in cases where the manufacturer, bidder,
or offeror, or any subsidiary or parent entity of the
manufacturer, bidder, or offeror, of the equipment is an
entity, or parent company of an entity listed on any of the
following:
(1) the Department of Defense's Chinese Military Company
List;
(2) the Department of the Treasury's Non-SDN Chinese
Military Industrial Complex Companies List;
(3) the Department of Commerce's Denied Persons List,
Entity List, or Military End User List, if the entity is--
(A) an agency or instrumentality of the People's Republic
of China;
(B) an entity headquartered in the People's Republic of
China; or
(C) directly or indirectly owned or controlled by an
agency, instrumentality, or entity described in subparagraph
(A) or (B); or
(4) the Department of Homeland Security's Uyghur Forced
Labor Prevention Act Entity List.
(b) Applicability to Third Parties.--The prohibition in
subsection (a) also applies in cases in which the Secretary
has contracted with a third party for the procurement,
purchase, or expenditure of funds on any of the equipment and
software described in such subsection.
(c) Definition.--For purposes of this section, the term
``covered information technology equipment'' shall mean the
following equipment used in an office environment: computers,
printers, or interoperable videoconferencing equipment used
in or by the Department of Veterans Affairs directly.
``Covered information technology equipment'' shall not refer
to services that use such equipment, including cloud
services.
Sec. 259. During the period beginning on October 1, 2025
and ending on September 30, 2026, none of the funds made
available by this Act may be used to administer, implement,
or enforce the final rule issued by the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs relating to ``Change in Rates VA Pays for Special
Modes of Transportation'' (88 Fed. Reg. 10032) and published
on February 16, 2023.
Sec. 260. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made
available by this Act may be used to pay award or incentive
fees for contractors whose performance has been judged to be
below satisfactory, behind schedule, over budget, or has
failed to meet the basic requirements of a contract, unless
the Agency determines that any such deviations are due to
unforeseeable events, government-driven scope changes, or are
not significant within the overall scope of the project and/
or program and unless such awards or incentive fees are
consistent with section 16.401(e)(2) of the Federal
Acquisition Regulation.
Sec. 261. The Department is directed to maintain staffing
levels to facilitate the Department's own goals, including
that benefits claims are adjudicated according to the 125 day
goal, and that healthcare appointments and service are
provided in the timeframes required by statute and
regulation.
Sec. 262. The Department is directed to provide quarterly
briefings to the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses
of Congress on the status of implementation of the provisions
in Public Law 118-42 related to veterans in the Freely
Associated States (FAS) in a way that is consistent with
Congressional intent, including engagement with FAS
governments, a projected timeline for veterans in the FAS to
receive hospital care and medical services, and an estimate
of the cost of implementation.
Sec. 263. None of the amounts appropriated by this title
may be obligated or expended to cancel a contract with a
value that exceeds $10,000,000 until the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs has submitted to the Committees on
Appropriations of both Houses of Congress an advance
notification and written explanation of contingency plans to
replace the relevant service being cancelled, including any
necessary change in the Department's staffing levels.
Sec. 264. None of the funds made available by this Act may
be used to reduce the staffing, hours of operation, or
services of the Veterans Crisis Line or any other suicide
prevention program of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

TITLE III

RELATED AGENCIES

American Battle Monuments Commission

salaries and expenses

For necessary expenses, not otherwise provided for, of the
American Battle Monuments Commission, including the
acquisition of land or interest in land in foreign countries;
purchases and repair of uniforms for caretakers of national
cemeteries and monuments outside of the United States and its
territories and possessions; rent of office and garage space
in foreign countries; purchase (one-for-one replacement basis
only) and hire of passenger motor vehicles; not to exceed
$15,000 for official reception and representation expenses;
and insurance of official motor vehicles in foreign
countries, when required by law of such countries,
$110,000,000, to remain available until expended.

foreign currency fluctuations account

For necessary expenses, not otherwise provided for, of the
American Battle Monuments Commission, such sums as may be
necessary, to remain available until expended, for purposes
authorized by section 2109 of title 36, United States Code.

United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims

salaries and expenses

For necessary expenses for the operation of the United
States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims as authorized by
sections 7251 through 7298 of title 38, United States Code,
$49,000,000, of which $3,000,000 shall be available until
September 30, 2027: Provided, That $4,256,000 shall be
available for the purpose of providing financial assistance
as described and in accordance with the process and reporting
procedures set forth under this heading in Public Law 102-
229.

Department of Defense--Civil

Cemeterial Expenses, Army

salaries and expenses

For necessary expenses for maintenance, operation, and
improvement of Arlington National Cemetery and Soldiers' and
Airmen's Home National Cemetery, including the purchase or
lease of passenger motor vehicles for replacement on a one-
for-one basis only, and not to exceed $2,000 for official
reception and representation expenses, $118,780,450, of which
not to exceed $15,000,000 shall remain available until
September 30, 2028. In addition, such sums as may be
necessary for parking maintenance, repairs and replacement,
to be derived from the ``Lease of Department of Defense Real
Property for Defense Agencies'' account.

Armed Forces Retirement Home

trust fund

For expenses necessary for the Armed Forces Retirement Home
to operate and maintain the Armed Forces Retirement Home--
Washington, District of Columbia, and the Armed Forces
Retirement Home--Gulfport, Mississippi, to be paid from funds
available in the Armed Forces Retirement Home Trust Fund,
$80,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2027, of
which $2,072,000 shall remain available until expended for
construction and renovation of the physical plants at the
Armed Forces Retirement Home--Washington, District of
Columbia, and the Armed Forces Retirement Home--Gulfport,
Mississippi: Provided, That of the amounts made available
under this heading from funds available in the Armed Forces
Retirement Home Trust Fund, $27,000,000 shall be paid from
the general fund of the Treasury to the Trust Fund.

Administrative Provision

Sec. 301. Amounts deposited into the special account
established under 10 U.S.C. 7727 are appropriated and shall
be available until expended to support activities at the Army
National Military Cemeteries.

TITLE IV

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Sec. 401. No part of any appropriation contained in this
Act shall remain available for obligation beyond the current
fiscal year unless expressly so provided herein.
Sec. 402. None of the funds made available in this Act may
be used for any program, project, or activity, when it is
made known to the Federal entity or official to which the
funds are made available that the program, project, or
activity is not in compliance with any Federal law relating
to risk assessment, the protection of private property
rights, or unfunded mandates.
Sec. 403. All departments and agencies funded under this
Act are encouraged, within the limits of the existing
statutory authorities and funding, to expand their use of
``E-Commerce'' technologies and procedures in the conduct of
their business practices and public service activities.
Sec. 404. Unless stated otherwise, all reports and
notifications required by this Act shall be submitted to the
Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs,
and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations of
the House of Representatives and the Subcommittee on Military
Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies of
the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
Sec. 405. None of the funds made available in this Act may
be transferred to any department, agency, or instrumentality
of the United States Government except pursuant to a transfer
made by, or transfer authority provided in, this or any other
appropriations Act.
Sec. 406. None of the funds made available in this Act may
be used for a project or program named for an individual
serving as a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner of
the United States House of Representatives.
Sec. 407. (a) Any agency receiving funds made available in
this Act, shall, subject to subsections (b) and (c), post on
the public Web site of that agency any report required to be
submitted by the Congress in this or any other Act, upon the
determination by the head of the agency that it shall serve
the national interest.
(b) Subsection (a) shall not apply to a report if--
(1) the public posting of the report compromises national
security; or
(2) the report contains confidential or proprietary
information.

[[Page H4645]]

(c) The head of the agency posting such report shall do so
only after such report has been made available to the
requesting Committee or Committees of Congress for no less
than 45 days.
Sec. 408. (a) None of the funds made available in this Act
may be used to maintain or establish a computer network
unless such network blocks the viewing, downloading, and
exchanging of pornography.
(b) Nothing in subsection (a) shall limit the use of funds
necessary for any Federal, State, tribal, or local law
enforcement agency or any other entity carrying out criminal
investigations, prosecution, or adjudication activities.
Sec. 409. None of the funds made available in this Act may
be used by an agency of the executive branch to pay for
first-class travel by an employee of the agency in
contravention of sections 301-10.122 through 301-10.124 of
title 41, Code of Federal Regulations.
Sec. 410. None of the funds made available in this Act may
be used to execute a contract for goods or services,
including construction services, where the contractor has not
complied with Executive Order No. 12989.
Sec. 411. None of the funds made available by this Act may
be used in contravention of section 101(e)(8) of title 10,
United States Code.
Sec. 412. (a) In General.--None of the funds appropriated
or otherwise made available to the Department of Defense in
this Act may be used to construct, renovate, or expand any
facility in the United States, its territories, or
possessions to house any individual detained at United States
Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for the purposes of
detention or imprisonment in the custody or under the control
of the Department of Defense.
(b) The prohibition in subsection (a) shall not apply to
any modification of facilities at United States Naval
Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
(c) An individual described in this subsection is any
individual who, as of June 24, 2009, is located at United
States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and who--
(1) is not a citizen of the United States or a member of
the Armed Forces of the United States; and
(2) is--
(A) in the custody or under the effective control of the
Department of Defense; or
(B) otherwise under detention at United States Naval
Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Sec. 413. None of the funds made available by this Act may
be used by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under section
5502 of title 38, United States Code, in any case arising out
of the administration by the Secretary of laws and benefits
under such title, to report a person who is deemed mentally
incapacitated, mentally incompetent, or to be experiencing an
extended loss of consciousness as a person who has been
adjudicated as a mental defective under subsection (d)(4) or
(g)(4) of section 922 of title 18, United States Code,
without the order or finding of a judge, magistrate, or other
judicial authority of competent jurisdiction that such person
is a danger to himself or herself or others.
Sec. 414. None of the funds appropriated by this Act may
be used in any way, directly or indirectly, to influence
congressional action on any legislation or appropriation
matter pending before Congress, other than to communicate to
Members of Congress as described in 18 U.S.C. 1913.
Sec. 415. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure
that the policies and requirements described in the
transmittal sheet of the Veterans Health Administration
published on August 8, 2019, titled ``Smoke-Free Policy for
Employees at VA Health Care Facilities (VHA Directive
1085.01)'' remain in effect.
Sec. 416. (a) Each department or agency funded in this or
any other appropriations Act for fiscal year 2026 shall, no
later than 60 days after enactment of this Act, report to the
Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives
and the Senate on funds that are allotted and available for
obligation as of the end of the reporting period and on
obligations as of the end of the reporting period: Provided,
That such report shall be delineated by: (1) program,
project, and activity level; (2) public law making such funds
available; and (3) period of availability: Provided further,
That such reports shall be transmitted to the Committees
monthly thereafter, on the fifteenth of each such month,
during the period of availability of the relevant funds.
(b) The term ``reporting period'' as used in this section
means the month that precedes the date on which the
department or agency transmits the report to the Committees.
This division may be cited as the ``Military Construction,
Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act,
2026''.

DIVISION E--EXTENSION OF AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS

SEC. 5001. UNITED STATES GRAIN STANDARDS ACT EXTENSION.

(a) Sections 7(j)(5), 7A(l)(4), and 21(e) of the United
States Grain Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 79(j)(5), 79a(l)(4),
87j(e)) shall be applied by substituting ``January 30, 2026''
for ``September 30, 2025'' each place it appears.
(b) Sections 7D and 19(a) of the United States Grain
Standards Act (7 U.S.C. 79d, 87h(a)) shall be applied by
substituting ``2026'' for ``2025'' each place it appears.

SEC. 5002. EXTENSION OF AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS.

(a) Extension.--
(1) In general.--Except as otherwise provided in this
section and the amendments made by this section,
notwithstanding any other provision of law, the authorities
(including any limitations on such authorities) provided by
each provision of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018
(Public Law 115-334; 132 Stat. 4490) and each provision of
law amended by that Act (and for mandatory programs at such
funding levels) as in effect (including pursuant to section
4101 of division D of the American Relief Act, 2025 (Public
Law 118-158; 138 Stat. 1767)) on September 30, 2025, shall
continue and be carried out until the date specified in
paragraph (2).
(2) Date specified.--With respect to an authority described
in paragraph (1), the date specified in this paragraph is the
later of--
(A) September 30, 2026;
(B) the date specified with respect to such authority in
the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-334;
132 Stat. 4490) or a provision of law amended by that Act
(Public Law 115-334; 132 Stat. 4490), including any
amendments made to such provisions by--
(i) titles I and V of Public Law 119-21 (139 Stat. 80,
137);
(ii) the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation
Experiences Act (Public Law 118-234; 138 Stat. 2836); and
(iii) any other provisions of law enacted after the
Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-334; 132
Stat. 4490); and
(C) the date in effect with respect to such authority
pursuant to section 4101 of division D of the American Relief
Act, 2025 (Public Law 118-158; 138 Stat. 1767)).
(b) Discretionary Programs.--Programs carried out using the
authorities described in subsection (a)(1) that are funded by
discretionary appropriations (as defined in section 250(c) of
the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985
(2 U.S.C. 900(c))) shall be subject to the availability of
appropriations.
(c) Commodity Programs.--
(1) Dairy forward pricing program.--Section 1502(e)(2) of
the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C.
8772(e)(2)) is amended by striking ``2028'' and inserting
``2029''.
(2) Suspension of permanent price support authorities.--The
provisions of law specified in--
(A) subsections (a) and (b) of section 1602 of the
Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9092)--
(i) shall not be applicable to the 2026 crops of covered
commodities (as defined in section 1111 of that Act (7 U.S.C.
9011)), cotton, and sugar; and
(ii) shall not be applicable to milk through December 31,
2026; and
(B) section 1602(c) of that Act (7 U.S.C. 9092(c)) shall
not be applicable to the crops of wheat planted for harvest
in calendar year 2026.
(d) Other Programs.--
(1) Trade.--Section 302(h)(2) of the Bill Emerson
Humanitarian Trust Act (7 U.S.C. 1736f-1(h)(2)) is amended by
striking ``September 30, 2025'' and inserting ``September 30,
2026''.
(2) Grazinglands research laboratory.--Section 7502 of the
Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-
246; 122 Stat. 2019; 132 Stat. 4817; 138 Stat. 1769) is
amended by striking ``2025'' and inserting ``2026''.
(3) Energy.--Section 9010(b) of the Farm Security and Rural
Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8110(b)) is amended in
paragraphs (1)(A) and (2)(A) by striking ``2025'' each place
it appears and inserting ``2026''.
(e) Exceptions.--
(1) Commodities.--Subsection (a) does not apply with
respect to mandatory funding under section 1614(c)(4) of the
Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9097(c)(4)).
(2) Conservation.--
(A) Mandatory funding.--Subsection (a) does not apply with
respect to mandatory funding under the following provisions
of law:
(i) Section 1240O(b)(3) of the Food Security Act of 1985
(16 U.S.C. 3839bb-2(b)(3)).
(ii) Subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 1241(a)(1) of the
Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(a)(1)) for fiscal
years 2025 and 2026.
(B) Limitations.--Subsection (a) does not apply with
respect to limitations under the following provisions of law:
(i) Section 1240G of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16
U.S.C. 3839aa-7).
(ii) Section 1240L(f) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16
U.S.C. 3839aa-24(f)).
(3) Rural development.--Subsection (a) does not apply with
respect to mandatory funding under section 313B(e)(2) of the
Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 940c-2(e)(2)).
(4) Research.--Subsection (a) does not apply with respect
to mandatory funding under the following provisions of law:
(A) Section 1446(b)(1) of the National Agricultural
Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7
U.S.C. 3222a(b)(1)).
(B) Section 7601(g)(1)(A) of the Agricultural Act of 2014
(7 U.S.C. 5939(g)(1)(A)).
(5) Energy.--Subsection (a) does not apply with respect to
mandatory funding under the following provisions of law:
(A) Section 9002(k)(1) of the Farm Security and Rural
Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8102(k)(1)).
(B) Section 9003(g)(1)(A) of the Farm Security and Rural
Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8103(g)(1)(A)).
(6) Horticulture.--Subsection (a) does not apply with
respect to mandatory funding under the following provisions
of law:
(A) Section 2123(c)(4) of the Organic Foods Production Act
of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6522(c)(4)).
(B) Section 10109(c)(1) of the Agriculture Improvement Act
of 2018 (Public Law 115-334).
(7) Miscellaneous.--Subsection (a) does not apply with
respect to mandatory funding under section 209(c) of the
Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1627a(c)).
(f) Reports.--
(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), any requirement
under a provision of law described in paragraph (1) of
subsection (a) to submit a report on a recurring basis, and
the final report under which was required to be submitted
during fiscal year 2025, shall continue, and the requirement
shall be carried out, on the same recurring basis, until the
later of the dates specified in paragraph (2) of that
subsection.

[[Page H4646]]

(2) Appropriations required.--If discretionary
appropriations (as defined in section 250(c) of the Balanced
Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C.
900(c))) are required to carry out a reporting requirement
described in paragraph (1), the application of that paragraph
to that reporting requirement shall be subject to the
availability of appropriations.
(g) Effective Date.--This section and the amendments made
by this section shall be applied and administered as if this
section and those amendments had been enacted on September
30, 2025.

DIVISION F--HEALTH EXTENDERS

TITLE I--PUBLIC HEALTH EXTENDERS

SEC. 6101. EXTENSION FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS, NATIONAL
HEALTH SERVICE CORPS, AND TEACHING HEALTH
CENTERS THAT OPERATE GME PROGRAMS.

(a) Extension for Community Health Centers.--Section
10503(b)(1) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
(42 U.S.C. 254b-2(b)(1)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (I), by striking ``and'' at the end;
and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(K) $1,423,890,411 for the period beginning on October 1,
2025, and ending on January 30, 2026; and''.
(b) Extension for the National Health Service Corps.--
Section 10503(b)(2) of the Patient Protection and Affordable
Care Act (42 U.S.C. 254b-2(b)(2)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (J), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in subparagraph (K), by striking the period at the end
and inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(L) $115,315,068 for the period beginning on October 1,
2025, and ending on January 30, 2026.''.
(c) Teaching Health Centers That Operate Graduate Medical
Education Programs.--Section 340H(g)(1) of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 256h(g)(1)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (E), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in subparagraph (F), by striking the period at the end
and inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(G) $58,493,151 for the period beginning on October 1,
2025, and ending on January 30, 2026.''.
(d) Application of Provisions.--Amounts appropriated
pursuant to the amendments made by this section shall be
subject to the requirements contained in Public Law 117-328
for funds for programs authorized under sections 330 through
340 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b et
seq.).
(e) Conforming Amendment.--Section 3014(h)(4) of title 18,
United States Code, is amended by striking ``and section
2101(d) of division B of the Full-Year Continuing
Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025'' and inserting
``section 2101(d) of division B of the Full-Year Continuing
Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, and section 6101(d)
of the Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative
Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and
Extensions Act, 2026''.

SEC. 6102. EXTENSION OF SPECIAL DIABETES PROGRAMS.

(a) Extension of Special Diabetes Programs for Type I
Diabetes.--Section 330B(b)(2) of the Public Health Service
Act (42 U.S.C. 254c-2(b)(2)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (F), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in subparagraph (G), by striking the period at the end
and inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(H) $53,145,205 for the period beginning on October 1,
2025, and ending on January 30, 2026, to remain available
until expended.''.
(b) Extending Funding for Special Diabetes Programs for
Indians.--Section 330C(c)(2) of the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C. 254c-3(c)(2)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (F), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in subparagraph (G), by striking the period at the end
and inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(H) $53,145,205 for the period beginning on October 1,
2025, and ending on January 30, 2026, to remain available
until expended.''.

SEC. 6103. NATIONAL HEALTH SECURITY EXTENSIONS.

(a) Section 319(e)(8) of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 247d(e)(8)) is amended by striking ``September 30,
2025'' and inserting ``January 30, 2026''.
(b) Section 319L(e)(1)(D) of the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C. 247d-7e(e)(1)(D)) is amended by striking
``September 30, 2025'' and inserting ``January 30, 2026''.
(c) Section 319L-1(b) of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 247d-7f(b)) is amended by striking ``September 30,
2025'' and inserting ``January 30, 2026''.
(d)(1) Section 2811A(g) of the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C. 300hh-10b(g)) is amended by striking ``September
30, 2025'' and inserting ``January 30, 2026''.
(2) Section 2811B(g)(1) of the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C. 300hh-10c(g)(1)) is amended by striking
``September 30, 2025'' and inserting ``January 30, 2026''.
(3) Section 2811C(g)(1) of the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C. 300hh-10d(g)(1)) is amended by striking
``September 30, 2025'' and inserting ``January 30, 2026''.
(e) Section 2812(c)(4)(B) of the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C. 300hh-11(c)(4)(B)) is amended by striking
``September 30, 2025'' and inserting ``January 30, 2026''.

TITLE II--MEDICARE

SEC. 6201. EXTENSION OF INCREASED INPATIENT HOSPITAL PAYMENT
ADJUSTMENT FOR CERTAIN LOW-VOLUME HOSPITALS.

(a) In General.--Section 1886(d)(12) of the Social Security
Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(d)(12)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``in fiscal year
2026'' and inserting ``during the portion of fiscal year 2026
beginning on January 31, 2026, and ending on September 30,
2026, and in fiscal year 2027'';
(2) in subparagraph (C)(i)--
(A) in the matter preceding subclause (I)--
(i) by inserting ``or portion of a fiscal year'' after
``for a fiscal year''; and
(ii) by inserting ``and the portion of fiscal year 2026
beginning on October 1, 2025, and ending on January 30,
2026'' after ``through 2025'';
(B) in subclause (III), by inserting ``and the portion of
fiscal year 2026 beginning on October 1, 2025, and ending on
January 30, 2026'' after ``through 2025''; and
(C) in subclause (IV), by striking ``fiscal year 2026'' and
inserting ``the portion of fiscal year 2026 beginning on
January 31, 2026, and ending on September 30, 2026, and
fiscal year 2027''; and
(3) in subparagraph (D)--
(A) in the matter preceding clause (i), by inserting ``or
during the portion of fiscal year 2026 beginning on October
1, 2025, and ending on January 30, 2026'' after ``through
2025''; and
(B) in clause (ii), by inserting ``and the portion of
fiscal year 2026 beginning on October 1, 2025, and ending on
January 30, 2026'' after ``through 2025''.
(b) Implementation.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, the Secretary of Health and Human Services may implement
the amendments made by this section by program instruction or
otherwise.

SEC. 6202. EXTENSION OF THE MEDICARE-DEPENDENT HOSPITAL (MDH)
PROGRAM.

(a) In General.--Section 1886(d)(5)(G) of the Social
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(d)(5)(G)) is amended--
(1) in clause (i), by striking ``October 1, 2025'' and
inserting ``January 31, 2026''; and
(2) in clause (ii)(II), by striking ``October 1, 2025'' and
inserting ``January 31, 2026''.
(b) Conforming Amendments.--
(1) In general.--Section 1886(b)(3)(D) of the Social
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(b)(3)(D)) is amended--
(A) in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking
``October 1, 2025'' and inserting ``January 31, 2026''; and
(B) in clause (iv), by inserting ``and the portion of
fiscal year 2026 beginning on October 1, 2025, and ending on
January 30, 2026'' after ``through fiscal year 2025''.
(2) Permitting hospitals to decline reclassification.--
Section 13501(e)(2) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act
of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 1395ww note) is amended by inserting ``,
or the portion of fiscal year 2026 beginning on October 1,
2025, and ending on January 30, 2026'' after ``through fiscal
year 2025''.

SEC. 6203. EXTENSION OF FUNDING FOR QUALITY MEASURE
ENDORSEMENT, INPUT, AND SELECTION.

Section 1890(d)(2) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1395aaa(d)(2)) is amended--
(1) in the first sentence--
(A) by striking ``and $14,030,000'' and inserting
``$14,030,000''; and
(B) by inserting the following before the period at the
end: ``, and $13,300,000 for fiscal year 2026''; and
(2) in the third sentence, by striking ``and 2024 and the
period beginning on October 1, 2024, and ending on September
30, 2025,'' and inserting ``2024, 2025, and 2026''.

SEC. 6204. EXTENDING ACUTE HOSPITAL CARE AT HOME WAIVER
AUTHORITIES.

Section 1866G(a)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1395cc-7(a)(1)) is amended by striking ``September 30, 2025''
and inserting ``January 30, 2026''.

SEC. 6205. EXTENSION OF FUNDING FOR MEDICARE HOSPICE SURVEYS.

Section 3(a)(2) of the IMPACT Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-
185) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at the end
and inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
``(C) $2,000,000 for the period beginning on October 1,
2025, and ending on January 30, 2026.''.

SEC. 6206. EXTENSION OF ADD-ON PAYMENTS FOR AMBULANCE
SERVICES.

Section 1834(l) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1395m(l)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (12)(A), by striking ``October 1, 2025''
and inserting ``January 31, 2026''; and
(2) in paragraph (13), by striking ``October 1, 2025'' each
place it appears and inserting ``January 31, 2026'' in each
such place.

SEC. 6207. EXTENSION OF THE WORK GEOGRAPHIC INDEX FLOOR.

Section 1848(e)(1)(E) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1395w-4(e)(1)(E)) is amended by striking ``October 1, 2025''
and inserting ``January 31, 2026''.

SEC. 6208. EXTENSION OF CERTAIN TELEHEALTH FLEXIBILITIES.

(a) Removing Geographic Requirements and Expanding
Originating Sites for Telehealth Services.--Section 1834(m)
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2)(B)(iii), by striking ``ending
September 30, 2025'' and inserting ``ending January 30,
2026''; and
(2) in paragraph (4)(C)(iii), by striking ``ending on
September 30, 2025'' and inserting ``ending on January 30,
2026''.

[[Page H4647]]

(b) Expanding Practitioners Eligible To Furnish Telehealth
Services.--Section 1834(m)(4)(E) of the Social Security Act
(42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)(4)(E)) is amended by striking ``ending on
September 30, 2025'' and inserting ``ending on January 30,
2026''.
(c) Extending Telehealth Services for Federally Qualified
Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics.--Section
1834(m)(8)(A) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1395m(m)(8)(A)) is amended by striking ``ending on September
30, 2025'' and inserting ``ending on January 30, 2026''.
(d) Delaying the In-Person Requirements Under Medicare for
Mental Health Services Furnished Through Telehealth and
Telecommunications Technology.--
(1) Delay in requirements for mental health services
furnished through telehealth.--Section 1834(m)(7)(B)(i) of
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)(7)(B)(i)) is
amended, in the matter preceding subclause (I), by striking
``on or after October 1, 2025'' and inserting ``on or after
January 31, 2026''.
(2) Mental health visits furnished by rural health
clinics.--Section 1834(y)(2) of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 1395m(y)(2)) is amended by striking ``October 1,
2025'' and inserting ``January 31, 2026''.
(3) Mental health visits furnished by federally qualified
health centers.--Section 1834(o)(4)(B) of the Social Security
Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(o)(4)(B)) is amended by striking
``October 1, 2025'' and inserting ``January 31, 2026''.
(e) Allowing for the Furnishing of Audio-Only Telehealth
Services.--Section 1834(m)(9) of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 1395m(m)(9)) is amended by striking ``ending on
September 30, 2025'' and inserting ``ending on January 30,
2026''.
(f) Extending Use of Telehealth To Conduct Face-to-Face
Encounter Prior to Recertification of Eligibility for Hospice
Care.--Section 1814(a)(7)(D)(i)(II) of the Social Security
Act (42 U.S.C. 1395f(a)(7)(D)(i)(II)) is amended by striking
``ending on September 30, 2025'' and inserting ``ending on
January 30, 2026''.
(g) Program Instruction Authority.--The Secretary of Health
and Human Services may implement the amendments made by this
section through program instruction or otherwise.

SEC. 6209. REVISING PHASE-IN OF MEDICARE CLINICAL LABORATORY
TEST PAYMENT CHANGES.

(a) Revised Phase-in of Reductions From Private Payor Rate
Implementation.--Section 1834A(b)(3)(B) of the Social
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m-1(b)(3)(B)) is amended--
(1) in clause (ii), by inserting ``and for the period
beginning on January 1, 2026, and ending on January 30,
2026'' after ``2025''; and
(2) in clause (iii), by striking ``for each of 2026 through
2028'' and inserting ``for the period beginning on January
31, 2026, and ending on December 31, 2026, and for each of
2027 and 2028''.
(b) Revised Reporting Period for Reporting of Private
Sector Payment Rates for Establishment of Medicare Payment
Rates.--Section 1834A(a)(1)(B) of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 1395m-1(a)(1)(B)) is amended--
(1) in clause (i), by striking ``December 31, 2025'' and
inserting ``January 31, 2026''; and
(2) in clause (ii), by striking ``January 1, 2026, and
ending March 31, 2026'' and inserting ``February 1, 2026, and
ending April 30, 2026''.

SEC. 6210. EXTENSION OF FUNDING OUTREACH AND ASSISTANCE FOR
LOW-INCOME PROGRAMS.

(a) State Health Insurance Assistance Programs.--Subsection
(a)(1)(B) of section 119 of the Medicare Improvements for
Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (42 U.S.C. 1395b-3 note)
is amended--
(1) in clause (xiii), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in clause (xiv), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by inserting after clause (xiv) the following new
clause:
``(xv) for the period beginning on October 1, 2025, and
ending on January 30, 2026, $5,013,699.''.
(b) Area Agencies on Aging.--Subsection (b)(1)(B) of such
section 119 is amended--
(1) in clause (xiii), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in clause (xiv), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by inserting after clause (xiv) the following new
clause:
``(xv) for the period beginning on October 1, 2025, and
ending on January 30, 2026, $5,013,699.''.
(c) Aging and Disability Resource Centers.--Subsection
(c)(1)(B) of such section 119 is amended--
(1) in clause (xiii), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in clause (xiv), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by inserting after clause (xiv) the following new
clause:
``(xv) for the period beginning on October 1, 2025, and
ending on January 30, 2026, $1,671,233.''.
(d) Coordination of Efforts to Inform Older Americans About
Benefits Available Under Federal and State Programs.--
Subsection (d)(2) of such section 119 is amended--
(1) in clause (xiii), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in clause (xiv), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by inserting after clause (xiv) the following new
clause:
``(xv) for the period beginning on October 1, 2025, and
ending on January 30, 2026, $5,013,699.''.

SEC. 6211. EXTENSION OF TEMPORARY INCLUSION OF AUTHORIZED
ORAL ANTIVIRAL DRUGS AS COVERED PART D DRUGS.

Section 1860D-2(e)(1)(C) of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 1395w-102(e)(1)(C)) is amended by striking ``September
30, 2025'' and inserting ``January 30, 2026''.

SEC. 6212. MEDICARE IMPROVEMENT FUND.

Section 1898(b)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1395iii(b)(1)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``fiscal year 2026'' and inserting ``fiscal
year 2027''; and
(2) by striking ``$1,804,000,000'' and inserting
``$1,403,000,000''.

SEC. 6213. MEDICARE SEQUESTRATION.

Section 251A(6)(D) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency
Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901a(6)(D)) is
amended--
(1) in clause (i), by striking ``10 months'' and inserting
``11 months''; and
(2) in clause (ii), by striking ``2 months'' and inserting
``1 month''.

TITLE III--HUMAN SERVICES

SEC. 6301. SEXUAL RISK AVOIDANCE EDUCATION EXTENSION.

Section 510 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 710) is
amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) by striking ``2023, for the period beginning on October
1, 2023, and ending on November 17, 2023, for the period
beginning on November 18, 2023, and ending on January 19,
2024, for the period beginning on January 20, 2024, and
ending on March 8, 2024, for the period beginning on March 9,
2024, and ending on September 30, 2024, and for fiscal year
2025'' and inserting ``2025, and for the period beginning on
October 1, 2025, and ending on January 30, 2026''; and
(ii) by striking ``fiscal year 2024'' and inserting
``fiscal year 2026''; and
(B) in paragraph (2)--
(i) in subparagraph (A)--

(I) by striking ``through 2023'' and inserting ``through
2025'';
(II) by striking ``fiscal year 2024 or 2025'' and inserting
``fiscal year 2026''; and
(III) by inserting ``(or, with respect to the applicable
period, for fiscal year 2026)'' after ``an application for
the fiscal year''; and

(ii) in subparagraph (B)(i), by striking ``2024 or 2025''
and inserting ``2026''; and
(2) in subsection (f)(1) by striking ``2023, for the period
beginning on October 1, 2023, and ending on November 17,
2023, an amount equal to the pro rata portion of the amount
appropriated for the corresponding period for fiscal year
2023, for the period beginning on November 18, 2023, and
ending on January 19, 2024, an amount equal to the pro rata
portion of the amount appropriated for the corresponding
period for fiscal year 2023, for the period beginning on
January 20, 2024, and ending on March 8, 2024, an amount
equal to the pro rata portion of the amount appropriated for
the period at the end of the corresponding sentence for
fiscal year 2023, for the period beginning on March 9, 2024,
and ending on September 30, 2024, an amount equal to the pro
rata portion of the amount appropriated for the corresponding
period for fiscal year 2023, and for for fiscal year 2025, an
amount equal to the amount appropriated for fiscal year
2024'' and inserting ``2025, and for the period beginning on
October 1, 2025, and ending on January 30, 2026, an amount
equal to the pro rata portion of the amount appropriated for
the corresponding period for fiscal year 2025''.

SEC. 6302. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY EDUCATION EXTENSION.

Section 513 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 713) is
amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(1)--
(A) in subparagraph (A), in the matter preceding clause
(i), by striking ``2023, for the period beginning on October
1, 2023, and ending on November 17, 2023, for the period
beginning on November 18, 2023, and ending on January 19,
2024, for the period beginning on January 20, 2024, and
ending on March 8, 2024, for the period beginning on March 9,
2024, and ending on September 30, 2024, and for fiscal year
2025'' and inserting ``2025, and for the period beginning on
October 1, 2025, and ending on January 30, 2026''; and
(B) in subparagraph (B)(i), by striking ``the period
beginning on October 1, 2023, and ending on November 17,
2023, for the period beginning on November 18, 2023, and
ending on January 19, 2024, for the period beginning on
January 20, 2024, and ending on March 8, 2024, for the period
beginning on March 9, 2024, and ending on September 30, 2024,
and for fiscal year 2025'' and inserting ``fiscal years 2024
and 2025, and for the period beginning on October 1, 2025,
and ending on January 30, 2026'';
(2) in subsection (c)(3), by striking ``2024 or 2025'' and
inserting ``2026''; and
(3) in subsection (f), by striking ``2023, for the period
beginning on October 1, 2023, and ending on November 17,
2023, an amount equal to the pro rata portion of the amount
appropriated for the corresponding period for fiscal year
2023, for the period beginning on November 18, 2023, and
ending on January 19, 2024, an amount equal to the pro rata
portion of the amount appropriated for the corresponding
period for fiscal year 2023, for the period beginning on
January 20, 2024, and ending on March 8, 2024, an amount
equal to the pro rata portion of the amount appropriated for
the corresponding period for fiscal year 2023, for the period
beginning on March 9, 2024, and ending on September 30, 2024,
an amount equal to the pro rata portion of the amount
appropriated for the corresponding period for fiscal year
2023, and for fiscal year 2025, an amount equal to the amount
appropriated for fiscal year 2024 for fiscal year 2024'' and
inserting ``2025, and for the period beginning on October 1,
2025, and ending on January 30, 2026, an amount equal to the
pro rata portion of the

[[Page H4648]]

amount appropriated for the corresponding period for fiscal
year 2025''.

SEC. 6303. EXTENSION OF FUNDING FOR FAMILY-TO-FAMILY HEALTH
INFORMATION CENTERS.

Section 501(c)(1)(A) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
701(c)(1)(A)) is amended--
(1) in clause (vii), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in clause (viii), by adding ``; and'' at the end; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new clause:
``(ix) for the period beginning on October 1, 2025, and
ending on January 30, 2026, an amount equal to the pro rata
portion of the amount appropriated for fiscal year 2025.''.

TITLE IV--MEDICAID

SEC. 6401. MODIFYING CERTAIN DISPROPORTIONATE SHARE HOSPITAL
ALLOTMENTS.

(a) Extending Tennessee DSH Allotments.--Section
1923(f)(6)(A)(vi) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1396r-4(f)(6)(A)(vi)) is amended--
(1) in the heading, by inserting ``and a portion of fiscal
year 2026'' after ``2025''; and
(2) by inserting ``, and the DSH allotment for Tennessee
for the portion of fiscal year 2026 beginning October 1,
2025, and ending January 30, 2026, shall be $17,748,493,
which may be claimed as fiscal year 2026 uncompensated care
costs'' before the period.
(b) Delaying DSH Allotment Reductions.--Section 1923(f) of
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396r-4(f)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (7)(A)--
(A) in clause (i)--
(i) in the matter preceding subclause (I), by striking
``For each of fiscal years 2026 through 2028'' and inserting
``For the period beginning January 31, 2026, and ending
September 30, 2026, and for each of fiscal years 2027 and
2028'';
(ii) in subclause (I), by inserting ``or period'' after
``the fiscal year''; and
(iii) in subclause (II), by inserting ``or period'' after
``in the fiscal year''; and
(B) in clause (ii), by striking ``for each of fiscal years
2026 through 2028'' and inserting ``for the period beginning
January 31, 2026, and ending September 30, 2026, and for each
of fiscal years 2027 and 2028''; and
(2) in paragraph (8), by striking ``2027'' and inserting
``2028''.

TITLE V--FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION

SEC. 6501. SHORT TITLE.

This title may be cited as the ``Over-the-Counter Monograph
Drug User Fee Amendments''.

SEC. 6502. FINDING.

Congress finds that the fees authorized by the amendments
made in this title will be dedicated to over-the-counter
(OTC) monograph drug activities, as set forth in the goals
identified for purposes of part 10 of subchapter C of chapter
VII of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C.
379j-71 et seq.), in the letters from the Secretary of Health
and Human Services to the Chairman of the Committee on Energy
and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Chairman
of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of
the Senate, as set forth in the Congressional Record.

SEC. 6503. DEFINITIONS.

Section 744L(9)(A) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic
Act (21 U.S.C. 379j-71(9)(A)) is amended--
(1) in clause (v), by striking ``; or'' and inserting a
semicolon;
(2) in clause (vi)--
(A) by striking ``addition'' and inserting ``the
addition''; and
(B) by striking the period and inserting ``; or''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(vii) the addition or modification of a testing procedure
applicable to one or more OTC monograph drugs, provided that
such additional or modified testing procedure reflects a
voluntary consensus standard with respect to pharmaceutical
quality that is--
``(I) established by a national or international standards
development organization; and
``(II) recognized by the Secretary through a process
described in guidance for industry, initially published in
July 2023, or any successor guidance, publicly available on
the website of the Food and Drug Administration, which
addresses voluntary consensus standards for pharmaceutical
quality.''.

SEC. 6504. AUTHORITY TO ASSESS AND USE OTC MONOGRAPH FEES.

(a) Types of Fees.--Section 744M(a)(1) of the Federal Food,
Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 379j-72(a)(1)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (A)--
(A) by striking ``on December 31 of the fiscal year or at
any time during the preceding 12-month period'' and inserting
``at any time during the applicable period specified in
clause (ii) for a fiscal year'';
(B) by striking ``Each person'' and inserting the
following:
``(i) Assessment of fees.--Each person''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(ii) Applicable period.--For purposes of clause (i), the
applicable period is--

``(I) for fiscal year 2026, the 12-month period ending on
December 31, 2025;
``(II) for fiscal year 2027, the 9-month period ending on
September 30, 2026; and
``(III) for fiscal year 2028 and each subsequent fiscal
year, the 12-month period ending on September 30 of the
preceding fiscal year.'';

(2) in subparagraph (B)(i), by amending subclause (I) to
read as follows:

``(I) has ceased all activities related to OTC monograph
drugs prior to--

``(aa) for purposes of fiscal year 2026, January 1, 2025;
``(bb) for purposes of fiscal year 2027, January 1, 2026;
and
``(cc) for purposes of fiscal year 2028 and each subsequent
fiscal year, October 1 of the preceding fiscal year; and'';
and
(3) by amending subparagraph (D) to read as follows:
``(D) Due date.--
``(i) Fiscal year 2026.--For fiscal year 2026, the facility
fees required under subparagraph (A) shall be due on the
later of--

``(I) the first business day of June of such year; or
``(II) the first business day after the enactment of an
appropriations Act providing for the collection and
obligation of fees under this section for such year.

``(ii) Fiscal year 2027.--For fiscal year 2027, the
facility fees required under subparagraph (A) shall be due--

``(I) in a first installment representing 50 percent of
such fee, on the later of--

``(aa) October 1, 2026; or
``(bb) the first business day after the enactment of an
appropriations Act providing for the collection and
obligation of fees under this section for such year; and

``(II) in a second installment representing the remaining
50 percent of such fee, on--

``(aa) February 1, 2027; or
``(bb) if an appropriations Act described in subclause
(I)(bb) is not in effect on February 1, 2027, the first
business day after enactment of such an appropriations Act.
``(iii) Subsequent fiscal years.--For fiscal year 2028 and
each subsequent fiscal year, the facility fees required under
subparagraph (A) shall be due on the later of--

``(I) the first business day on or after October 1 of the
fiscal year; or
``(II) the first business day after the date of enactment
of an appropriations Act providing for the collection and
obligation of fees under this section for the fiscal year.''.

(b) Fee Revenue Amounts.--Section 744M(b) of the Federal
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 379j-72(b)) is
amended to read as follows:
``(b) Fee Revenue Amounts.--
``(1) In general.--For each of the fiscal years 2026
through 2030, fees under subsection (a)(1) shall be
established to generate a total facility fee revenue amount
equal to the sum of--
``(A) the annual base revenue for the fiscal year (as
determined under paragraph (2));
``(B) the dollar amount equal to the inflation adjustment
for the fiscal year (as determined under subsection (c)(1));
``(C) the dollar amount equal to the operating reserve
adjustment for the fiscal year, if applicable (as determined
under subsection (c)(2));
``(D) additional direct cost adjustments (as determined
under subsection (c)(3));
``(E) an additional dollar amount equal to--
``(i) $2,373,000 for fiscal year 2026;
``(ii) $1,233,000 for fiscal year 2027; and
``(iii) $854,000 for fiscal year 2028; and
``(F) in the case of a fiscal year for which the Secretary
applies the one-time facility fee workload adjustment under
subsection (c)(4), the dollar amount equal to such
adjustment.
``(2) Annual base revenue.--For purposes of paragraph (1),
the dollar amount of the annual base revenue for a fiscal
year shall be--
``(A) for fiscal year 2026, the dollar amount of the total
revenue amount established for fiscal year 2025 under this
subsection as in effect on the day before the date of
enactment of the Over-the-Counter Monograph Drug User Fee
Amendments, not including any adjustments made for such
fiscal year 2025 under subsection (c)(2), as so in effect;
and
``(B) for fiscal years 2027 through 2030, the dollar amount
of the total revenue amount established under this subsection
for the previous fiscal year, not including any adjustments
made for such previous fiscal year under subsection (c)(2) or
(c)(3).''.
(c) Adjustments; Annual Fee Setting.--Section 744M(c) of
the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 379j-
72(c)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)--
(A) in subparagraph (A), in the matter preceding clause
(i)--
(i) by striking ``subsection (b)(2)(B)'' and inserting
``subsection (b)(1)(B)''; and
(ii) by striking ``fiscal year 2022 and each subsequent
fiscal year'' and inserting ``each fiscal year'';
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``fiscal year 2022''
and all that follows through the period at the end and
inserting the following: ``a fiscal year shall be equal to
the product of--
``(i) for fiscal year 2026--

``(I) the fee for fiscal year 2025 under subsection (a)(2);
and
``(II) the inflation adjustment percentage under
subparagraph (C); and

``(ii) for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2030--

``(I) the applicable fee under subsection (a)(2) for the
preceding fiscal year; and
``(II) the inflation adjustment percentage under
subparagraph (C).''; and

(C) in subparagraph (C)--
(i) in the matter preceding clause (i), by inserting ``the
sum of'' after ``is equal to'';
(ii) by striking clause (i);
(iii) by redesignating subclauses (I) and (II) of clause
(ii) as clauses (i) and (ii), respectively, and adjusting the
margins accordingly;
(iv) by striking ``(ii) for each of fiscal years 2024 and
2025, the sum of--''; and
(v) in clause (ii), as so redesignated, by striking
``Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV'' and inserting
``Washington-Arlington-Alexandria-DC-VA-MD-WV'';
(2) in paragraph (2)--
(A) in subparagraph (A)--
(i) by striking ``fiscal year 2021 and subsequent fiscal
years'' and inserting ``each fiscal year'';
(ii) by striking ``subsections (b)(1)(B) and (b)(2)(C)''
and inserting ``subsection (b)(1)(C)''; and

[[Page H4649]]

(iii) by striking ``the number of weeks specified in
subparagraph (B)'' and inserting ``10 weeks'';
(B) by striking subparagraph (B);
(C) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) and (D) as
subparagraphs (B) and (C), respectively; and
(D) in subparagraph (C), as so redesignated, by striking
``paragraph (4) establishing'' and inserting ``paragraph (5)
publishing'';
(3) in paragraph (3)--
(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking
``subsection (b)(2)(D)'' and inserting ``subsection
(b)(1)(D)''; and
(B) by striking subparagraphs (A) through (E) and inserting
the following:
``(A) $135,000 for fiscal year 2026;
``(B) $300,000 for fiscal year 2027;
``(C) $55,000 for fiscal year 2028;
``(D) $30,000 for fiscal year 2029; and
``(E) $0 for fiscal year 2030.''; and
(4) by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the following:
``(4) One-time facility fee workload adjustment.--
``(A) In general.--In addition to the adjustments under
paragraphs (1), (2), and (3), the Secretary may further
increase the fee revenues and fees through a one-time
adjustment made for fiscal year 2028, 2029, or 2030, in
accordance with this paragraph.
``(B) Adjustment described.--
``(i) Conditions for adjustment.--An adjustment under this
paragraph may be made for a fiscal year only if--

``(I) an adjustment under this paragraph had not been made
for any prior fiscal year;
``(II) the average number of OTC monograph drug facilities
subject to a facility fee under subsection (a)(1) over the
period of the preceding 3 fiscal years exceeds 1,625; and
``(III) with respect to facilities described in subclause
(II), the average number of such facilities (expressed as a
percentage) that appeared on the arrears lists pursuant to
subsection (e)(1)(A)(i) over the period of the preceding 3
fiscal years is less than 30 percent.

``(ii) Amount of adjustment.--An adjustment under this
paragraph for a fiscal year shall equal the product of--

``(I) the total facility revenue amount determined under
subsection (b) for the fiscal year, exclusive of the
adjustment under this paragraph for such fiscal year; and
``(II) the excess facility percentage described in clause
(iii).

``(iii) Excess facility percentage.--The excess facility
percentage described in this clause is--

``(I) the amount by which the average number of OTC
monograph drug facilities subject to a facility fee under
subsection (a)(1) over the preceding 3 fiscal years exceeds
1,625; divided by
``(II) 1,625.

``(5) Annual fee setting.--The Secretary shall, not later
than 60 days before the first day of each fiscal year--
``(A) establish for such fiscal year, based on the revenue
amounts under subsection (b) and the adjustments provided
under this subsection--
``(i) OTC monograph drug facility fees under subsection
(a)(1); and
``(ii) OTC monograph order request fees under subsection
(a)(2); and
``(B) publish such fee revenue amounts, facility fees, and
OTC monograph order request fees in the Federal Register.''.
(d) Crediting and Availability of Fees.--Section 744M(f) of
the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 379j-
72(f)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2)(D)--
(A) in the subparagraph heading, by striking ``in
subsequent years''; and
(B) by striking ``(after fiscal year 2021)''; and
(2) in paragraph (3), by striking ``2021 through 2025'' and
inserting ``2026 through 2030''.

SEC. 6505. REAUTHORIZATION; REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

(a) Performance Report.--Section 744N of the Federal Food,
Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 379j-73) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) by striking ``Beginning with fiscal year 2021, and not
later than 120 calendar days after the end of each fiscal
year thereafter'' and inserting the following:
``(1) In general.--Not later than 120 calendar days after
the end of each fiscal year'';
(B) by striking ``section 3861(b) of the CARES Act'' and
inserting ``section 6502 of the Over-the-Counter Monograph
Drug User Fee Amendments''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) Additional information.--Beginning with fiscal year
2026, the annual report under this subsection shall include--
``(A) the progress of the Food and Drug Administration in
achieving the goals, and future plans for meeting the goals,
including--
``(i) the number of Tier 1 OTC monograph order requests for
which a proposed order was issued, and the number of such
requests for which a final order was issued, in the previous
fiscal year;
``(ii) the number of Tier 2 OTC monograph order requests
for which a proposed order was issued, and the number of such
requests for which a final order was issued, in the previous
fiscal year;
``(iii) the number of specified safety OTC monograph order
requests for which a proposed order was issued, and the
number of such requests for which a final order was issued,
in the previous fiscal year;
``(iv) the number of generally recognized as safe and
effective finalization OTC monograph order requests for which
a proposed order was issued, and the number of such requests
for which a final order was issued, in the previous fiscal
year;
``(v) the average timeline for processing OTC monograph
order requests, in the aggregate and by submission type, in
the previous fiscal year; and
``(vi) postmarket safety activities with respect to OTC
monograph drugs, including--

``(I) collecting, developing, and reviewing safety
information on OTC monograph drugs, including adverse event
reports;
``(II) developing and using improved analytical tools,
adverse event data-collection systems, including information
technology systems, to assess potential safety problems,
including access to external databases; and
``(III) activities under section 760;

``(B) information regarding registration of OTC monograph
drug facilities and contract manufacturing organization
facilities and payment of registration fees by such
facilities, including--
``(i) the OTC monograph drug facilities and contract
manufacturing organization facilities that were first
registered under section 510(c) or 510(i) in the fiscal year;
and
``(ii) for each OTC monograph drug facility and contract
manufacturing organization facility that was assessed a
facility fee under section 744M(a) in the fiscal year,
whether the facility paid such fee;
``(C) the status of implementation of evidence and testing
standards under section 505G(r) for nonprescription drugs
intended for topical administration, including--
``(i) the application of evidence or testing standards; and
``(ii) the number of active ingredient requests for
nonprescription drugs intended for topical administration
reviewed using the standards under section 505G(b); and
``(D) the progress of the Food and Drug Administration in
allowing nonclinical testing alternatives to animal testing
for the consideration of sunscreen active ingredients.
``(3) Confidentiality.--Nothing in paragraph (2) shall be
construed to authorize the disclosure of information that is
prohibited from disclosure under section 301(j) of this Act
or section 1905 of title 18, United States Code, or that is
subject to withholding under section 552(b)(4) of title 5,
United States Code.'';
(2) in subsection (b), by striking ``fiscal year 2021 and
each subsequent fiscal year'' and inserting ``each fiscal
year''; and
(3) in subsection (d)--
(A) by striking ``2025'' each place it appears and
inserting ``2030''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(4) Minutes of negotiation meetings.--
``(A) Public availability.--The Secretary shall make
publicly available, on the public website of the Food and
Drug Administration, robust written minutes of all
negotiation meetings conducted under this subsection between
the Food and Drug Administration and the regulated industry,
not later than 30 days after each such negotiation meeting.
``(B) Content.--The robust written minutes described under
subparagraph (A) shall contain, in detail, any substantive
proposal made by any party to the negotiations as well as
significant controversies or differences of opinion during
the negotiations and their resolution.''.
(b) GAO Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than September 30, 2027, the
Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the
Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House
of Representatives a report assessing the supply chain of
over-the-counter monograph drugs.
(2) Contents.--The report required under paragraph (1)
shall include an assessment of--
(A) the overall stability of the supply chain of over-the-
counter monograph drugs;
(B) what information is collected by the Food and Drug
Administration with respect to the supply chain of over-the-
counter monograph drugs;
(C) how the Food and Drug Administration uses information
collected on the supply chain of over-the-counter monograph
drugs to inform regulatory decisions;
(D) how the Food and Drug Administration coordinates with
other Federal agencies to monitor and mitigate disruptions to
the supply chain of over-the-counter monograph drugs; and
(E) the unique characteristics of the over-the-counter
monograph drug marketplace and what additional authorities or
information the Food and Drug Administration may need to
ensure the stability of the supply chain of over-the-counter
monograph drugs.

SEC. 6506. TREATMENT OF ACTIVE INGREDIENTS FOR TOPICAL
ADMINISTRATION.

(a) In General.--Section 505G of the Federal Food, Drug,
and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 355h) is amended by adding at the
end the following:
``(r) Evidence and Testing Standards for Active Ingredients
for Topical Administration.--
``(1) Evidence and testing standards for active ingredients
for topical administration.--The Secretary shall--
``(A) in evaluating the generally recognized as safe and
effective status of active ingredients used in
nonprescription drugs intended for topical administration for
purposes of subsection (a), utilize standards that allow for
the use of real world evidence (as defined in section
505F(b)), as appropriate, as part of a comprehensive
evaluation of scientific evidence to demonstrate the safety
and effectiveness of such active ingredients, to supplement
evidence from traditional clinical trials, provided that such
standards allow the Secretary to evaluate whether the
benefits of such active ingredients outweigh the risks; and
``(B) apply subsection (b)(6)(C) to the regulation of
active ingredients used in drugs intended for topical
administration.
``(2) Non-animal testing methods for topical active
ingredients.--

[[Page H4650]]

``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall consider the types
of nonclinical tests described in paragraphs (1) through (4)
of the first subsection (z) of section 505 (as inserted by
section 3209(a)(2) of the Health Extenders, Improving Access
to Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP, and Strengthening Public
Health Act of 2022 (division FF of Public Law 117-328)), or
any other alternative to animal testing that the Secretary
determines appropriate, in the consideration of drugs
intended for topical administration under this section.
``(B) Guidance.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall issue new
draft guidance on how sponsors can use nonclinical testing
alternatives to animal testing, as appropriate, to meet
safety and efficacy standards under this section for drugs
intended for topical administration.
``(3) Clarification.--Nothing in this subsection shall be
construed to alter, supersede, or limit the standards for
making determinations of whether a drug is generally
recognized as safe and effective under section 201(p) or the
standards set forth under section 505 for determining the
safety and effectiveness of drugs.''.
(b) Sunscreen Final Administrative Order.--A final
administrative order on nonprescription sunscreen active
ingredients issued under section 3854 of the Coronavirus Aid,
Relief, and Economic Security Act (Public Law 116-136; 21
U.S.C. 360fff-3 note) shall--
(1) account for historical data regarding the safety of
sunscreen active ingredients that have previously been
accepted for marketing in the United States;
(2) account for the role of broad spectrum sunscreens with
a Sun Protection Factor of 15 or higher in effective skin
cancer prevention; and
(3) incorporate the evidence and testing standards for
sunscreen active ingredients detailed in section 505G(r) of
the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 355h) (as
added by subsection (a)).

SEC. 6507. INCREASING THE CLARITY AND PREDICTABILITY OF THE
PROCESS FOR DEVELOPING APPLICATIONS FOR RX-TO-
NONPRESCRIPTION SWITCHES.

(a) In General.--Section 505(b) of the Federal Food, Drug,
and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 355(b)) is amended by adding at
the end the following:
``(7) Rx-to-nonprescription switches.--
``(A) Meetings.--Any person planning to submit an
application for an Rx-to-nonprescription switch may submit to
the Secretary a written request for a meeting, for purposes
of developing a plan for such application that addresses the
potential risks to public health of such switch and the
evidence necessary to support such application, including the
design of any necessary studies, and the format and content
of the planned application. The Secretary may grant such a
meeting, as appropriate, consistent with established
procedures for granting meetings with, and providing written
responses to, applications under this section. Each such
meeting shall be documented in meeting minutes.
``(B) Guidance.--
``(i) In general.--Not later than 18 months after the date
of enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary shall issue
guidance to increase the clarity and predictability of the
process and standards for approval of applications for
nonprescription drugs under this section, including in the
case of applications for an Rx-to-nonprescription switch,
especially with respect to prescription drugs with well-
established safety profiles for which an applicant may seek
approval for nonprescription use.
``(ii) Contents.--The guidance under clause (i) shall--

``(I) describe how published reports in medical literature,
any previous finding of safety or effectiveness for the drug
under this section, the results of significant human
experience with the drug, unpublished studies and other data,
and other sources of information may be used to support an
application for a nonprescription drug, including in the
context of an application for an Rx-to-nonprescription
switch;
``(II) set forth procedures for sponsors to request
meetings described in subparagraph (A) and document the
recommendations made in such meetings;
``(III) describe evidentiary expectations to support
approval of an application for a nonprescription drug,
including in the context of an application for an Rx-to-
nonprescription switch, including how sponsors can
demonstrate that consumers can appropriately self-select and
use the drug and comprehend the nonprescription drug label;
and
``(IV) provide recommendations for how mechanisms, in
addition to the required Drug Facts Label, such as mobile
applications and decisions aids, can be incorporated into the
information submitted in support of an application for an Rx-
to-nonprescription switch.

``(C) Plan to engage with stakeholders.--Not later than 1
year after the date of enactment of this paragraph, the
Secretary shall develop and make publicly available on the
website of the Food and Drug Administration a plan to engage
stakeholders on steps and factors for application holders and
other stakeholders to consider in identifying approved
prescription drugs that may be promising candidates for
applications for an Rx-to-nonprescription switch.
``(D) Definition.--For purposes of this paragraph, the term
`Rx-to-nonprescription switch' means the approval of an
application, or supplemental application, as applicable,
submitted under this section by the holder of an approved
application for a prescription drug seeking approval to
market such drug as a nonprescription drug, including for--
``(i) a full Rx-to-nonprescription switch, under which a
drug previously approved for prescription use only is--

``(I) approved for nonprescription use under the same
conditions as applied to the drug when approved for
prescription use; or
``(II) approved for nonprescription use subject to one or
more additional conditions for nonprescription use; and

``(ii) a partial Rx-to-nonprescription switch, under which
the drug is approved for nonprescription use only under
certain conditions described in the approved labeling, while
the drug otherwise remains approved for prescription use
only.
``(E) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this paragraph
shall be construed to--
``(i) supersede or modify the authority of the Secretary
under section 505G with respect to the regulation of OTC
monograph drugs; or
``(ii) authorize the disclosure by the Secretary of
confidential commercial information or trade secrets.''.
(b) GAO Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United
States shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy
and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report that
evaluates--
(A) the number of applications for an Rx-to-nonprescription
switch approved during the period beginning on October 1,
2022, and ending on the date of the report;
(B) the number of drugs for which an application for an Rx-
to-nonprescription switch was approved during such period
subject to an additional condition for nonprescription use;
(C) among the drugs for which an application for a full or
partial Rx-to-nonprescription switch was approved during such
period, the average length of time from receipt by the Food
and Drug Administration of the application to the approval of
such application;
(D) the number of partial Rx-to-nonprescription switch
applications approved during such period, and the number of
applications for such a partial switch not approved;
(E) any barriers to timely and predictable review of
applications for an Rx-to-nonprescription switch;
(F) engagement by the Food and Drug Administration with
public stakeholders, including public meetings or additional
activities to support review of applications for an Rx-to-
nonprescription switch; and
(G) opportunities for collaboration between the Center for
Drug Evaluation and Research and the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services for the purpose of analyzing health
insurance claims data for commonly prescribed drugs that
appear to be suitable for an Rx-to-nonprescription switch.
(2) Definition.--In this subsection, the term ``Rx-to-
nonprescription switch'' has the meaning given such term in
paragraph (7) of section 505(b) of the Federal Food, Drug,
and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 244(b)), as added by subsection
(a).

SEC. 6508. REGULATION OF CERTAIN NONPRESCRIPTION DRUGS THAT
ARE MARKETED WITHOUT AN APPROVED DRUG
APPLICATION.

(a) Development Advice to Sponsors or Requestors.--Section
505G(h) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21
U.S.C. 355h(h)) is amended by striking ``sponsors or
requestors'' and inserting ``sponsors, requestors, or
organizations nominated by sponsors or requestors to
represent their interests in a proceeding''.
(b) Technical Correction.--Section 505G(b)(2)(A)(iv)(III)
of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C.
355h(b)(2)(A)(iv)(III)) is amended by striking ``requestors''
and inserting ``sponsors or requestors''.

SEC. 6509. SUNSET DATES.

(a) Authorization.--Sections 744L and 744M of the Federal
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 379j-71; 379j-72)
shall cease to be effective October 1, 2030.
(b) Reporting Requirements.--Section 744N of the Federal
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 379j-73) shall cease
to be effective January 31, 2031.

SEC. 6510. EFFECTIVE DATE.

The amendments made by this title shall take effect on
October 1, 2025, or the date of the enactment of this Act,
whichever is later, except that fees under part 10 of
subchapter C of chapter VII of the Federal Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 379j-71 et seq.) shall be assessed
beginning October 1, 2025, regardless of the date of the
enactment of this Act.

SEC. 6511. SAVINGS CLAUSE.

Notwithstanding the amendments made by this title, part 10
of subchapter C of chapter VII of the Federal Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 379j-71 et seq.), as in effect on the
day before the date of enactment of this Act, shall continue
to be in effect with respect to assessing and collecting any
fee required by such part for a fiscal year prior to fiscal
year 2026.

TITLE VI--NO SURPRISES ACT IMPLEMENTATION

SEC. 6601. EXTENDING AVAILABILITY OF FUNDING FOR NO SURPRISES
ACT IMPLEMENTATION.

Section 118(a) of division BB of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260) is amended--
(1) by striking ``otherwise appropriated, to the Secretary
of Health and Human Services'' and inserting the following:
``otherwise appropriated--
``(1) to the Secretary of Health and Human Services'';
(2) in paragraph (1), as so inserted, by striking
``September 30, 2025.'' and inserting ``January 30, 2026;
and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(2) to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in
addition to amounts otherwise appropriated under paragraph
(1), $14,000,000 for

[[Page H4651]]

the period beginning on October 1, 2025, and ending on
January 30, 2026.''.

DIVISION G--DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS EXTENDERS

TITLE I--HEALTH CARE MATTERS

SEC. 7101. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY FOR COLLECTION OF
COPAYMENTS FOR HOSPITAL CARE AND NURSING HOME
CARE.

Section 1710(f)(2)(B) of title 38, United States Code, is
amended by striking ``September 30, 2025'' and inserting
``September 30, 2026''.

SEC. 7102. EXTENSION OF REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE NURSING HOME
CARE TO CERTAIN VETERANS WITH SERVICE-CONNECTED
DISABILITIES.

Section 1710A(d) of title 38, United States Code, is
amended by striking ``September 30, 2025'' and inserting
``September 30, 2026''.

SEC. 7103. EXTENSION OF STAFF SERGEANT PARKER GORDON FOX
SUICIDE PREVENTION GRANT PROGRAM.

Section 201(j) of the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans
Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019 (Public Law 116-
171; 38 U.S.C. 1720F note) is amended by striking ``the date
that is three years after the date on which the first grant
is awarded under this section'' and inserting ``September 30,
2026''.

SEC. 7104. EXTENSION OF FUNDING FOR EXPANSION OF RURAL ACCESS
NETWORK FOR GROWTH ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM.

Section 2(d) of the Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental
Health Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-21; 38 U.S.C. 1712A note)
is amended by striking ``2025'' and inserting ``2026''.

TITLE II--BENEFITS

SEC. 7201. EXTENSION OF REQUIREMENT FOR QUARTERLY BRIEFINGS
ON ADMINISTRATION OF AUTHORITIES RELATING TO
DETERMINATIONS REGARDING PRESUMPTIONS OF
SERVICE CONNECTION BASED ON TOXIC EXPOSURE.

Section 202(b)(2) of the Sergeant First Class Heath
Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics
Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-168) is amended by striking ``On
a quarterly basis during the two-year period beginning on the
date of the enactment of this Act,'' and inserting ``On a
quarterly basis during the period beginning on the date of
the enactment of this Act and ending on December 31, 2026,''.

SEC. 7202. EXTENSION OF REQUIREMENT RELATING TO RESTORATION
OF ENTITLEMENT TO EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE IN
CASES OF CLOSURE OR DISAPPROVAL OF EDUCATIONAL
INSTITUTIONS.

Section 3699(c)(2)(C) of title 38, United States Code, is
amended by striking ``September 30, 2025'' and inserting
``September 30, 2026''.

SEC. 7203. EXTENSION OF TEMPORARY CLARIFICATION OF LICENSURE
REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTRACTOR MEDICAL
PROFESSIONALS TO PERFORM MEDICAL DISABILITY
EXAMINATIONS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS UNDER PILOT PROGRAM FOR USE OF CONTRACT
PHYSICIANS FOR DISABILITY EXAMINATIONS.

Section 2002(a)(4) of the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe,
M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of
2020 (Public Law 116-315; 38 U.S.C. 5101 note) is amended by
striking ``five years'' and inserting ``six years''.

SEC. 7204. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO MAINTAIN REGIONAL OFFICE
IN REPUBLIC OF PHILIPPINES.

Section 315(b) of title 38, United States Code, is amended
by striking ``September 30, 2025'' and inserting ``September
30, 2026''.

TITLE III--HOUSING

SEC. 7301. EXTENSION OF AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR
HOMELESS WOMEN VETERANS AND HOMELESS VETERANS
WITH CHILDREN REINTEGRATION GRANT PROGRAM.

Section 2021A(f)(1) of title 38, United States Code, is
amended by striking ``2025'' and inserting ``2026''.

SEC. 7302. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY FOR TREATMENT AND
REHABILITATION FOR SERIOUSLY MENTALLY ILL AND
HOMELESS VETERANS.

(a) General Treatment.--Section 2031(b) of title 38, United
States Code, is amended by striking ``September 30, 2025''
and inserting ``September 30, 2026''.
(b) Additional Services at Certain Locations.--Section
2033(d) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by
striking ``September 30, 2025'' and inserting ``September 30,
2026''.

SEC. 7303. EXTENSION OF FUNDING FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR
SUPPORTIVE SERVICES FOR VERY LOW-INCOME VETERAN
FAMILIES IN PERMANENT HOUSING.

Section 2044(e) of title 38, United States Code, is amended
by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(9) $660,000,000 for fiscal year 2026.''.

SEC. 7304. EXTENSION OF FUNDING FOR GRANT PROGRAM FOR
HOMELESS VETERANS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS.

Section 2061(d)(1) of title 38, United States Code, is
amended by striking ``2025'' and inserting ``2026''.

SEC. 7305. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE FOR
SPECIALLY ADAPTED HOUSING FOR DISABLED VETERANS
RESIDING TEMPORARILY IN HOUSING OWNED BY A
FAMILY MEMBER.

Section 2102A(e) of title 38, United States Code, is
amended by striking ``September 30, 2025'' and inserting
``September 30, 2026''.

SEC. 7306. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY FOR SPECIALLY ADAPTED
HOUSING ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY GRANT PROGRAM.

Section 2108(g) of title 38, United States Code, is amended
by striking ``September 30, 2025'' and inserting ``September
30, 2026''.

SEC. 7307. IMPROVEMENTS TO PARTIAL CLAIM PROGRAM OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

(a) Clarification of Relationship to Other Powers of
Secretary.--Section 3720(h) of title 38, United States Code,
is amended by striking ``of subsection (a)'' and all that
follows through the period at the end and inserting ``of
subsection (a) in conjunction with the purchase of a loan
under section 3732(a)(2) of this title unless the Secretary
determines the purchase would be made consistent with section
3732(d) of this title.''.
(b) Administration of Partial Claim Program.--Section 3737
of such title is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)(2), by striking ``first lien
guaranteed loan for such property'' and inserting ``amount of
indebtedness under the guaranteed loan that the Secretary
does not purchase''; and
(2) in subsection (c)--
(A) in paragraph (2)(B)(ii), by striking ``120 days'' and
inserting ``180 days''; and
(B) by amending paragraph (3) to read as follows:
``(3) An amount paid to the holder of a loan as a partial
claim--
``(A) shall not alter the guaranty calculation specified by
section 3703 of this title;
``(B) shall be included, for the purpose of a liquidation
sale, in the same manner as any other advance allowed by the
Secretary; and
``(C) shall not be claimed under the guaranty or increase
the Secretary's cost of acquisition of the property securing
the defaulted loan.''.
(c) Requirements of Loan Holder.--Section (d)(1) of such
section is amending by inserting ``and servicing the loan''
after ``documents''.
(d) Default and Foreclosure.--Subsection (e) of such
section is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``an individual who''
and all that follows through the period at the end and
inserting the following: ``a borrower who defaults on a
partial claim shall be liable to the Secretary for any loss
suffered by the Secretary with respect to such default, and
such loss may be recovered in the same manner as any other
debt due the United States. The Secretary shall not restore
housing loan entitlement under section 3702(b) of this title
until such loss is repaid in full.''; and
(B) by amending subparagraph (B) to read as follows:
``(B) The Secretary may charge administrative costs, fees,
and interest, as appropriate, with respect to any default
under a partial claim in a manner similar to the interest and
administrative costs charged under section 5315 of this
title.''; and
(2) by amending paragraph (2) to read as follows:
``(2) Notwithstanding section 2410 of title 28, a non-
judicial sale of real property to satisfy a loan guaranteed
under this chapter shall discharge the property from a
partial claim interest held by the Secretary, provided that
the holder of the guaranteed loan conducts the non-judicial
sale and distributes the sale proceeds, if any, in accordance
with the State or local law where such property is
situated.''.
(e) Guidance in Advance of Regulations.--Subsection (h) of
such section is amended to read as follows:
``(h) Guidance in Advance of Regulations.--Notwithstanding
any other provision of law, the Secretary may, before
prescribing regulations, issue administrative guidance with
respect to the Partial Claim Program under this section and
the loss mitigation options prescribed under section 3732(d)
of this title, including any additional terms, conditions,
and requirements the Secretary determines necessary.''.

SEC. 7308. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REPORTS ON
PARTIAL CLAIM PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
VETERANS AFFAIRS AND OTHER MATTERS.

(a) Annual Reports.--
(1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and every year thereafter until
the Partial Claim Program terminates, the Comptroller General
of the United States shall submit to the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives a report.
(2) Elements.--Each report required by paragraph (1) shall
include, for the period covered by the report and
disaggregated by quarter, the following:
(A) Key data on the performance of the Partial Claim
Program, including--
(i) the number of partial claims filed and approved; and
(ii) the redefault and foreclosure rates of loans for which
a partial claim was made.
(B) A comparison of the data described in subparagraph (A)
with data on the performance of other loss mitigation options
provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
(C) The number of housing loans insured, guaranteed, or
made by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under chapter 37 of
title 38, United States Code.
(D) The number of applications for housing loan benefits
under such chapter denied.
(E) The number of housing loans insured, guaranteed, or
made by the Secretary under such chapter refinanced under
section 3710(a)(8) or 3712 of title 38, United States Code.
(F) The number of veterans who owe a payment on a mortgage
associated with a loan insured, guaranteed, or made by the
Secretary under such chapter that is at least--

[[Page H4652]]

(i) 60 days late; and
(ii) 90 days late.
(b) Assessment.--
(1) In general.--Not later than one year before the Partial
Claim Program terminates, the Comptroller General shall--
(A) conduct an assessment of the benefits and challenges of
the Partial Claim Program; and
(B) submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the
Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of
Representatives a report on the findings of the Comptroller
General with respect to that assessment.
(2) Considerations.--In conducting the assessment required
by paragraph (1), the Comptroller General shall consider the
following:
(A) The characteristics of borrowers for whom a partial
claim was made compared to the characteristics of borrowers
provided other loss mitigation options by the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
(B) The performance of loans guaranteed under chapter 37 of
title 38, United States Code, following various loss
mitigation actions.
(C) The information the Department considered in
determining whether a borrower would benefit from a partial
claim compared to other loss mitigation options.
(D) The costs to taxpayers of the Partial Claim Program
compared to the costs of other loss mitigation options
provided by the Department.
(E) Any similarities and differences in the Department's
administration and use of the Partial Claim Program compared
to the Department's administration and use of the COVID-19
Veterans Assistance Partial Claim Payment program established
under subpart F of part 36 of title 38, Code of Regulations.
(F) The information the Department learned from the COVID-
19 Veterans Assistance Partial Claim Payment program and the
extent to which those lessons learned were applied to the
Partial Claim Program.
(G) The types of information the Department collected to
monitor the performance and effectiveness of the Partial
Claim Program and how the Department used that information to
make any needed adjustments to the program.
(H) How the use by the Department of partial claims
compares to the use of partial claims by other Federal
housing agencies, including, for each partial claim program--
(i) the volume of loans for which partial claims have been
made;
(ii) the results for borrowers (including redefault and
foreclosure rates); and
(iii) the costs to taxpayers.
(c) Partial Claim Program Defined.--In this section, the
term ``Partial Claim Program'' means the Partial Claim
Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs carried out
under section 3737 of title 38, United States Code.

TITLE IV--OTHER MATTERS

SEC. 7401. EXTENSION OF SUBPOENA AUTHORITY OF INSPECTOR
GENERAL OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

Section 312(d)(7)(A) of title 38, United States Code, is
amended by striking ``September 30, 2025'' and inserting
``September 30, 2026''.

SEC. 7402. EXTENSION OF REQUIREMENT FOR ANNUAL REPORT ON USE
OF AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE EQUITABLE RELIEF.

Section 503(c) of title 38, United States Code, is amended
by striking ``December 31, 2025'' and inserting ``December
31, 2026''.

SEC. 7403. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY FOR SECRETARY OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS TO TRANSPORT INDIVIDUALS TO AND FROM
FACILITIES OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

Section 111A(a)(2) of title 38, United States Code, is
amended by striking ``September 30, 2025'' and inserting
``September 30, 2026''.

SEC. 7404. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY RELATING TO VENDEE LOAN
PROGRAM.

Section 3733(a)(8) of title 38, United States Code, is
amended--
(1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking
``September 30, 2025'' and inserting ``September 30, 2026'';
and
(2) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``September 30, 2025''
and inserting ``September 30, 2026''.

SEC. 7405. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY FOR TRANSFER OF REAL
PROPERTY.

Section 8118(a)(5) of title 38, United States Code, is
amended by striking ``September 30, 2025'' and inserting
``September 30, 2026''.

SEC. 7406. RETROACTIVE EFFECTIVE DATE.

The amendments made by this division, except for the
amendments made by section 7307, shall take effect as if
enacted on September 30, 2025.

DIVISION H--MISCELLANEOUS

SEC. 8001. BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

(a) Statutory PAYGO Scorecards.--The budgetary effects of
this division and divisions E through G shall not be entered
on either PAYGO scorecard maintained pursuant to section 4(d)
of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.
(b) Senate PAYGO Scorecards.--The budgetary effects of this
division and divisions E through G shall not be entered on
any PAYGO scorecard maintained for purposes of section 4106
of H. Con. Res. 71 (115th Congress).
(c) Classification of Budgetary Effects.--Notwithstanding
Rule 3 of the Budget Scorekeeping Guidelines set forth in the
joint explanatory statement of the committee of conference
accompanying Conference Report 105-217 and section 250(c)(8)
of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of
1985, the budgetary effects of this division and divisions E
through G shall not be estimated--
(1) for purposes of section 251 of such Act;
(2) for purposes of an allocation to the Committee on
Appropriations pursuant to section 302(a) of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974; and
(3) for purposes of paragraph (4)(C) of section 3 of the
Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 as being included in an
appropriation Act.
(d) Balances on the PAYGO Scorecards.--Effective on the
date of the adjournment of the first session of the 119th
Congress, and for the purposes of the annual report issued
pursuant to section 5 of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of
2010 (2 U.S.C. 934) after such adjournment and for
determining whether a sequestration order is necessary under
such section, the balances on the PAYGO scorecards
established pursuant to paragraphs (4) and (5) of section
4(d) of such Act shall be zero.

Motion to Concur

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will designate the motion.
The text of the motion is as follows:

Mr. Cole of Oklahoma moves that the House concur in the
Senate amendment to H.R. 5371.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 873, the motion
shall be debatable for 1 hour equally divided and controlled by the
chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations,
or their respective designees.
The gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole) and the gentlewoman from
Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oklahoma.

{time} 1830

General Leave

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Oklahoma?
There was no objection.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Continuing
Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction
and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026.
History reminds us, Mr. Speaker, that shutdowns never change the
outcome. The only cost is paid by the American people.
Over the last 43 days, the facts did not shift, the votes required
did not shift, and the path forward did not change. The only thing that
did move was the level of pain Democrats inflicted on the Nation.
For 6 long weeks, Americans have paid the price for a shutdown they
neither caused nor deserved. The pain has been all too real for far too
many Americans, including families struggling without paychecks,
seniors on the brink of hunger with food assistance lapsed, airports in
chaos, and communities bracing as programs that they rely on were
stalled or stopped altogether.
With yesterday being Veterans Day, we especially reflect on the
impact of this shutdown on those who served our Nation past and
present. Our military families were left wondering if they would be
paid. Thanks to President Trump, they were.
Yet, this is not how the greatest Nation in the world should
function. Today that changes.
The legislation before us reopens the government, restores critical
services, and puts an end to the needless hardship Democrats have
inflicted on the country.
This bill supports our troops. It pays Federal workers. It fully
funds SNAP benefits until September 30 of next year. It compensates our
air traffic controllers right before a busy holiday season. In fact, it
takes a holistic approach in ensuring Federal services and programs are
operational. In the simplest terms, we are putting the government back
to work for our people.
The bill is fundamentally the same responsible approach House
Republicans offered on September 19, but with an important addition:
three full-year appropriations bills for FY26. These bipartisan,
bicameral, full-year appropriations bills cover the Military
Construction and Veterans Affairs; Legislative Branch; Agriculture,
Rural Development; and Food and Drug Administration divisions.
Once passed, we will have full-year funding in place for many of our
most crucial programs. Military construction needs will be met for a
full year, as will medical programs for our Nation's veterans. The
legislative branch

[[Page H4653]]

will be properly resourced, including critical funding enhancements for
the Capitol Police and for Member security. Agriculture, food and
nutrition programs like WIC and SNAP will be fully funded to help
vulnerable people in need.
Importantly, this legislation delivers Member-driven community
project funding in both the military construction and agriculture
divisions, which will direct resources back into the hands of the
communities we represent. This was a top priority for the
Appropriations Committee, and we achieved it while holding overall
spending levels in check.
It is a responsible appropriations progress like this that causes me
to reflect on an important message to our friends in the Democratic
leadership. My sincere apologies to Minority Leaders Jeffries and
Schumer, but after today they will no longer get to hold the government
hostage, and they will not get to force a rushed, pork-filled Christmas
omnibus at the end of the year.
Republicans have actively restored a responsible, line-by-line
process. Over the next few months, we will continue this work and
efforts through regular order. This Article I advancement is an
accomplishment that every Member of this Chamber can be proud of
regardless of party. Yet some still need to decide what they stand for
today.
To my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, do they want the
leverage or do they want to legislate? Do they treat Americans as
collateral damage or as constituents, and do they answer to their
caucus or their country?
For Republicans, the answer has been clear for the last 43 days. We
have and we will continue to put Americans first. Democrats can join
us. They have an opportunity to make the responsible choice to reopen
our government and pass three official full-year appropriations bills.
Mr. Speaker, eight Senate Democrats saw reason and did exactly that. I
hope House Democrats do the same.
True courage is taking responsible action for the Nation even when
politics makes it inconvenient. Let's reopen the government and get
back to work.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 7 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill that does nothing, not
one thing to address the Republican healthcare crisis amid a cost-of-
living crisis.
More than 20 million Americans will have to pay double, even triple
their monthly insurance premiums in just a matter of weeks, and this
bill leaves families without even a glimmer of hope that their costs
might go down.
Energy prices are up. Grocery prices are up. Housing costs are up.
When two-thirds of American workers are living paycheck to paycheck,
you can understand why the most important issue on their mind is
affordability.
What does President Trump say? Affordability is a ``con job.'' How
out of touch can he be? The President should start to listen to the
American people, not his millionaire, billionaire friends.

President Trump and my Republican colleagues refuse to address this
issue. They continue to avoid it. They were so intent on avoiding it
that they shut down the government instead of dealing with it.
Speaker Johnson has indicated that he will not deal with it. He has
shown no interest in holding a vote on extending the healthcare
subsidies, which would prevent monthly costs from soaring.
Republicans have tried to say they will deal with this problem their
own way, but they have no plan. They are trying to repeal the
Affordable Care Act, as they have been trying to do unsuccessfully for
15 years. However, they are poised to succeed, which is why it is so
important for this continuing resolution to fail.
President Trump and Republicans' plan is to drive up prices for
everybody, compounding the cost-of-living crisis. More than 2 million
Americans are expected to lose their health insurance next year because
it has simply become too expensive.
There are more than 50 pages of healthcare provisions in this bill.
Not one of them stops costs from skyrocketing at the beginning of next
year. Not one of them offers relief to American families being squeezed
tighter and tighter by the Republican crisis.
There is one group of people, however, who will receive some relief
thanks to this bill: United States Senators who may have participated
in an insurrection. Snuck into this bill at the eleventh hour by Senate
Republicans is a provision to pay out at least a million dollars each
to eight United States Senators implicated in the January 6
insurrection. Understand, this is a corrupt precedent. This is where
Members can profit from their own votes. It is the fleecing of the
American people, which they get and understand.
At the same time, this bill excludes a provision that would order a
plaque to be hung that honors the police officers who put their lives
on the line to defend our democracy from that same insurrection. What a
contrast.
It is yet another instance of this administration's shameless
corruption that is financially ruining American families. While there
is $230 million for the President to pay himself from the Department of
Justice, $8 million for some of his closest Senate allies, $200 million
for a pair of private jets for the Department of Homeland Security
Secretary, and $40 billion to Argentina, the American people are left
with nothing but higher costs.
This bill also fails to fully cover the Toxic Exposures Fund, which
was created to support veterans exposed to burn pits and Agent Orange.
We made a promise to stand by the men and women who served our country
in uniform. This bill does not live up to that promise.

{time} 1840

Mr. Speaker, Republicans need to stop taking photographs with
veterans and then vote against their healthcare.
Those who lead in the appropriations process here believe in the
constitutional power of the purse. Over the past month, President Trump
has been firing Federal workers en masse. When his administration has
failed there, they have made life so miserable for Federal workers that
they had no choice but to leave.
Federal workers should be ``traumatically affected.'' Those are the
words of the Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, an
unelected bureaucratic.
The Federal workforce has dwindled by 200,000 since January,
jeopardizing the public services that so many people rely on. I say:
Spare us your false concern.
Mr. Speaker, since January, this administration has been stealing
from our communities, withholding as much as $410 billion in funding
approved by Democrats and Republicans--House and Senate--signed into
law. They are illegally blocking authorized funds from being
distributed.
Even now, as we debate this bill, the Trump administration is arguing
to the Supreme Court that they should be allowed to withhold food stamp
funding that Congress lawfully approved. They were ordered by three
separate courts to distribute food assistance and are still fighting to
withhold it.
It is not connected to opening this government. They have the money.
They have it now for food stamps. They just refuse to use it. Imagine
using food as a political weapon. It is unspeakable and immoral. It
seems like their only plan is to strip children of food assistance,
while kicking their parents off their health insurance.
They have demonstrated that that is who they are. These are their
true colors. We cannot expect Democrats to go along with any bipartisan
funding deal if that agreement can be undone with a party line vote.
Congress must assert its authority over the power of the purse.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote ``no,'' and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), our distinguished majority leader.
Mr. SCALISE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole),
the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, for not only yielding
but bringing this important bill to the floor.
Our appropriators worked tirelessly to negotiate a multi-bill package
that

[[Page H4654]]

is part of this bill to reopen the government. We never should have
been here, Mr. Speaker. Over a month ago, we tried, as Republicans, to
prevent a government shutdown. We had a vote here on the House floor.
Mr. Speaker, 99 percent of Republicans voted to keep the government
open, and 99 percent of Democrats voted to shut it down.
Then that bill went over to the Senate. We watched for 42 days, where
time and time again Democrats, just to appease their most radical base,
continued to vote in unison to shut the government down.
Mr. Speaker, during that shutdown, we saw millions of families
experience pain. They experienced pain and suffering that Democrats
themselves acknowledged they imposed on the American people. They said
over and over again--and we have quote after quote from Democrats
during this shutdown--that they needed to oppose the suffering to get
leverage. They wanted to use the American people as pawns to get
leverage. Mr. Speaker, for what?
They ultimately filed an alternative bill. It was a $1.5 trillion mad
spending spree that included things like $200 billion of taxpayer
funding for illegals to get taxpayer benefits, while they gutted the
$50 billion rural healthcare fund that we put in place in the working
families tax cut.
Mr. Speaker, anybody who comes up here and says they care about
healthcare is also advocating to gut the $50 billion rural healthcare
fund to provide $200 billion in taxpayer-funded benefits for illegals.
It is insanity.
If we want to look at where this all began, as some on the other
side, Democrats, want to talk about a healthcare crisis, the healthcare
law of the land is what many refer to as ObamaCare. Let's remember the
original name that Democrats gave that bill when they created it. They
called it the Affordable Care Act. Only Democrats voted for it.
Republicans knew it was going to be anything but affordable. It was
going to interfere with the doctor-patient relationship. Unfortunately,
it has done that.
If we want to talk about affordable, maybe the only other bill that
is more laughable in its name is the Inflation Reduction Act. That is
another product brought to us by Democrat-only votes. The Inflation
Reduction Act ushered in the inflation under Joe Biden that we are
still trying to shake today.
Mr. Speaker, since the Affordable Care Act started, Americans have
seen over 80 percent increases in their healthcare costs because of a
bill created by Democrats that they want to now blame on Republicans. I
understand why they would want to try to now pawn that off on somebody
else.
If we then look over time, during COVID, they created a temporary
relief fund, Mr. Speaker, not to individuals but to insurance
companies. Democrats called it ``temporary'' in the law. They created a
temporary COVID relief tax credit to insurance companies to bail out
big insurance companies who were seeing record profits. That is now
what they want Republicans to renew.
It is an insurance company bailout that Democrats created to be
temporary. They set it up to expire. They are now saying that the world
is going to end if that insurance company bailout doesn't get renewed.
At the same time we as Republicans worked to actually lower premiums
for families, they fought it every step of the way. That is right. We
had a bill we passed through this House just a few months ago in the
working families tax credit.
Part of that bill was called the cost share reduction. It was scored
by the CBO to lower premiums for families by over 12 percent. What
happened? By the way, every Democrat voted against that, too, because
they have never cared about lowering premiums.

That bill goes to the Senate. Senate Democrats worked overtime to get
that provision removed. If we look at the Senate Committee on the
Budget website, they still brag that they removed that provision that
would have lowered premiums for families.
Republicans absolutely have worked and will continue, by the way, to
work to lower premiums for families. Make no mistake that the high
premiums that everybody faces today are a result of the inaptly named
Affordable Care Act and the many failures associated with it.
Mr. Speaker, this bill today is about ending the misery Democrats
created on families. This is not just about funding the government. It
is not just about solving other problems that we should be working to
solve. It is about getting the government back open, while not holding
the American people hostage.
That is what has disgusted the American people most during this
shutdown. It should never have happened. It has caused real suffering
for American families. Our men and women in uniform had to wonder
whether or not they were going to get paid. Air traffic controllers
already had a really stressful job and then had to show up for work
without getting paid. They missed multiple paychecks.
We know a lot of those air traffic controllers are going to work jobs
as Uber drivers. They aren't able to show up for work because they have
bills and rent due. They are trying to put food on their table, and
Democrats want to vote ``no'' tonight to keep denying them food.

{time} 1850

The 42 million SNAP recipients are people who are low-income and who
need those food benefits.
Mr. Speaker, if Democrats vote ``no'' today, then they are voting to
deny those 42 million low-income families basic food needs. Mr.
Speaker, don't talk about how much you care about low-income people and
vote ``no'' tonight to deny them food, basic services, basic things
that American families need who shouldn't be part of the leverage
Democrats want to show their radical base, that they are fighting
Donald Trump because they are upset with the results of the election
from November.
It is time to end this madness, Mr. Speaker. Let's get this
government back open. Let's go negotiate our differences, which are
many, but let's do it while not continuing to hold the American people
hostage.
I urge my Democratic colleagues who have voted relentlessly to shut
this government down and impose this suffering on the American people
to stop. Stop imposing the suffering. Let's open the government, and
let's get back to the work of the American people.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I remind the majority leader that for a 60-
year-old couple earning $82,800 per year, their premiums will rise by
over $17,000. This is a 255 percent increase.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr.
Bishop), who is the distinguished ranking member of the Agriculture and
Rural Development Subcommittee.
Mr. BISHOP. Mr. Speaker, as ranking member of the Agriculture, Rural
Development, and Food and Drug Administration Subcommittee, I rise to
oppose this bill. Though it does represent, for the most part, solid
bipartisan work to provide investments in agriculture and rural
America, I am disappointed that the rest of it falls far short of the
needs of most Americans.
Healthcare providers and patients are frustrated and frightened by
the imminent skyrocketing of healthcare costs caused by the loss of the
ACA tax credits and cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and lifesaving
biomedical research.
My constituent, Ms. Angela Hoomes, is unable to walk without
debilitating pain. She is worried that, without the tax credits, she
won't be able to afford health insurance to complete the multiple back
surgeries she needs.
For many Georgians, healthcare is a matter of life and death. Our
Republican colleagues could have corrected this in the Rules Committee,
but they rejected an amendment last night that would have lowered
healthcare premium costs. To me, that is unconscionable. So are the
administration's actions during the shutdown.
As a Christian, I am outraged that USDA used the shutdown to
illegally withhold SNAP from 42 million Americans. USDA had the chance
to do the right thing and use designated contingency funds but rejected
it. When ordered to do so by the courts, they fought it all the way to
the Supreme Court to keep hungry families from receiving food.
America produces the highest quality, safest, most affordable, and
most abundant food, fiber, and medicine anywhere in the world. To that
end, this bill provides many welcome investments.

[[Page H4655]]

It fully funds SNAP and WIC, replenishes the SNAP and WIC contingency
funds, and fully funds cash value vouchers for fruits and vegetables
for women and children.
It also helps rural America by providing $1 billion in single family
direct home loans, $120 million over the House level, and funding water
and wastewater programs at $446 million, both issues that Democrats
tried to address in full committee.
The bill provides $1.85 billion for the Agricultural Research Service
and $1.67 billion for NIFA, protecting farmers, small businesses, and
families against President Trump's budget request to eliminate land
grant university research and extension activities across the country.
I am also pleased to see that the bill language requires the USDA to
notify Congress before canceling grants over $1 million.
The agriculture portion of this bill does make positive steps in the
right direction. The bill discards many of the harmful policy riders in
the House bill, yet it does not go far enough to negate House language
falsely questioning the safety of Mifepristone and encouraging the FDA
to explore liability protections for certain infant formula
manufacturers, over which the agency has absolutely no jurisdiction
whatsoever.
While the overall funding package may reopen the government for 1
month or 2, this bill does not address the breach of trust that this
administration has demonstrated since January.
They have failed to follow the law, and we cannot trust that they
will even execute this bill if we vote on it today.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the
gentleman from Georgia.
Mr. BISHOP. They cut SNAP by 20 percent in the big, ugly bill this
summer, dismantled and defunded Federal programs, fired Federal
workers, and illegally ignored court orders.
This bill fails to address the healthcare crisis, and bipartisan
outrage has erupted over language in this bill to pay millions of
taxpayer dollars to a handful of Senators whose phone records were
subpoenaed in relation to the January 6 investigation.
It is a bad bill, and I oppose it.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas
(Mr. Carter), who is the distinguished chairman of the Military
Construction and Veterans Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee.
Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank my longtime friend and
colleague and the chairman of Appropriations Committee, Mr. Cole, for
yielding me the time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5371. I look forward to
reopening the government. The shutdown has gone on long enough, and it
is time to end it.
Yesterday was Veterans Day. It is a timely reminder of the commitment
our Armed Forces personnel have made and the responsibility we have to
take care of those who serve our Nation.
The military construction and veterans affairs component of the
legislation meets that goal. The legislation includes $133.3 billion
for the Department of Veterans Affairs, including $113.8 billion in
discretionary funding for VA medical care.
It includes critical funding for mental health services, telehealth
services, veteran homelessness programs, medical research programs, and
rural health initiatives.
It invests in information technology, including robust investment in
VA's electronic health record modernization.
It fully funds all mandatory veteran benefits, including veteran
disability compensation programs, education benefits, and vocational
rehabilitation and employment training.
Nearly $20 billion is for the Department of Defense military
construction program. This amount funds nearly 300 projects at military
bases around the world.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the
gentleman from Texas.
Mr. CARTER of Texas. It includes $2 billion to improve and maintain
housing for servicemembers and their families. It provides requested
resources for the American Battle Monuments Commission, Armed Forces
Retirement Home, and operations at Arlington National Cemetery.
I thank Mr. Cole for his endless work to get us to this point.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the bill.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), who is the distinguished ranking
member of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for
yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose this slush fund for Senators bill that
will force healthcare costs to explode for millions of Americans.
In fact, this legislation guarantees only two things: Republican
Senators suspected of helping Trump try to steal an election will get a
whole lot richer, and life will get more expensive for everyone else.
That is because this bill adds rocket fuel to Republicans' larger
assault on Americans' access to quality, affordable healthcare.
Remember, Mr. Speaker, Republicans already slashed $1 trillion from
Medicaid, $500 billion from Medicare, and let Trump steal billions in
medical research. With this bill, Republicans dump massive healthcare
price hikes on struggling Americans. Millions will be priced out of any
coverage at all, which will drive coverage costs up and health services
down for all of us.
It is a health budget nightmare for America's families and a slush
fund lottery win for eight Republican Senators. That is because the one
thing we can all agree on, unless you are Jeffrey Epstein's best friend
in the White House, is that the cost-of-living is out of control. Rent,
home insurance, and electric bills are all soaring. The cost of beef,
coffee, and vegetables just keep climbing.
People are really struggling to get by, yet Donald Trump continues to
block SNAP benefits to 42 million struggling seniors, parents, and
veterans.

{time} 1900

How anyone could swipe food from the plates of nearly 20 million
children like that is simply disgusting, but that same moral bankruptcy
is embedded in this bill.
This bill unleashes huge health insurance hikes on 203,000 people in
my district alone. Mr. Speaker, 82,000 people will lose coverage
altogether due to the impact of the big, ugly law and soaring ACA
prices.
Worse, this bill also reneges on our commitment to veterans. As the
ranking member of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and
Related Agencies Subcommittee, I take our promises to veterans
personally and seriously.
Just this summer, I secured bipartisan support for my amendment to
restore $51.7 billion in advance funding for the Toxic Exposures Fund.
This is funding, mind you, that President Trump sought in his budget.
Yet, as Republicans slipped a slush fund for Senators into this bill,
they gutted a critical funding protection for veterans.
Just so we are all clear, average Americans will see their kitchen
table budget blow up from the health coverage price hikes, and veterans
will see their future healthcare funding for toxic exposures put in
jeopardy, all so billionaires can keep getting huge tax breaks.
It is hard to pick between the worst moral outrages behind this bill.
Was it covering up for Epstein's best friend for nearly 2 months just
so Republicans could vacation and avoid negotiating a better healthcare
plan for our struggling families, or is it the slush fund that
personally enriches Republican Senators and will haunt everyone who
votes for this bill?
Well, House Democrats will oppose this partisan spending bill that
guts America's healthcare, and we will keep fighting to extend
healthcare tax credits.
Donald Trump and Republicans broke their promise to lower costs, and
this bill certainly cements that betrayal.
Democrats will stand by our promise to lower costs, and we will make
sure every American knows Republicans are responsible for this
devastating healthcare crisis.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Harris), my good friend and

[[Page H4656]]

the distinguished chairman of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food
and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.
Mr. HARRIS of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the
Senate amendment to H.R. 5371, which will finally put an end to the
Democrat-led government shutdown.
Millions of Americans have suffered because Democrats have refused to
reopen the government, harming those who depend on SNAP benefits,
Federal workers, Border Patrol agents, and our troops, who were
uncertain about their next paycheck.
This legislation extends government funding to the end of January
2026, thereby blocking attempts to force a budget-busting omnibus at
the last minute before Christmas. It also includes the FY 2026
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and
Related Agencies Appropriations Act.
Republicans have effectively locked in disciplined, flat spending
levels while supporting the Trump administration's policy priorities.
The Agriculture bill provides $26.65 billion in discretionary
spending, which is level with the current amounts while also including
community project funding.
This bill provides critical funding support to America's farmers,
ranchers, and rural communities. It ensures both USDA and FDA can
safeguard our Nation's food and drug supply and fully fund nutrition
programs, including SNAP and WIC.
Additionally, the bill closes the hemp loophole that has resulted in
the spread of unregulated, intoxicating hemp-derived products that are
being sold online and in gas stations and corner stores across the
country. Many of these products are accessible and attractive to
children, resulting in thousands of calls to U.S. poison control
centers, with more than 30 percent involving children aged 5 years and
younger. This provision is supported by 39 State attorneys general and
over 81 national and State public health, medical, law enforcement, and
other organizations.
It is beyond disappointing that our colleagues on the other side of
the aisle will soon be voting to continue the chaos and uncertainty of
a government shutdown.
This is what responsible Republican governance looks like. We stared
down the radical Democrats' outrageous, budget-busting demands and held
the line for hardworking American taxpayers.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the
gentleman from Maryland.
Mr. HARRIS of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I thank Appropriations Committee
Chairman Cole for his leadership throughout this process, and I
strongly encourage my colleagues to support this legislation.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Espaillat), the distinguished ranking member of the
Legislative Branch Subcommittee.
Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the
Senate's amendment to H.R. 5371 because, once again, the Senate has put
other interests ahead of those of the American people.
Today's backroom deal does nothing to stop 20 million Americans who
will see their healthcare premiums double or triple. It does absolutely
nothing to stop provisions in the reconciliation package that will
strip 15 million people of their Medicaid coverage.
These cuts will have a resounding impact on individuals and the
healthcare industry and economy as a whole. Safety net hospitals like
Montefiore in my district and federally funded clinics like Boriken in
East Harlem face having to eliminate services or completely close.
Families, seniors, and children who go to these clinics and hospitals
cannot afford to lose healthcare coverage.

On top of that, Mr. Speaker, the Legislative Branch bill was done
unilaterally, not with a consultation of both sides. It was done on its
own in the Senate, in the dark, in cahoots with a bunch of people. It
includes a provision that will line the pockets of eight Senators that
we know of by allowing them to sue the government for millions of
dollars if the Department of Justice subpoenas their phone records or
seeks a lawful nondisclosure order.
While families in my district are stretching every single dollar just
to pay for food and rent, Senators want to get a personal payout if law
enforcement dares to hold them accountable.
At every turn of this shutdown and fight for healthcare access,
Republicans and the Trump administration have tried to inflict
suffering as much as possible.
For weeks, the administration held food stamps hostage, and even when
some States complied with a court ruling to release full benefits, the
President demanded that they be clawed back. Even when Governors
stepped up and said they don't want people to go hungry, the
administration ran to court, Mr. Speaker, to take $6.20 away from poor
people. Who does that? Explain that to me. Who takes $6.20 away from a
single mom or a hungry senior?
That is the state of America today. It is unbelievable, and here we
are to vote on this. I will be casting my vote as a ``no.'' In fact, it
will be a ``hell no'' tonight.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Michigan (Mrs. McClain), my very good friend and the chair of the House
Republican Conference.
Mrs. McCLAIN. Mr. Speaker, God, I love the compassion and the passion
on the other side of the aisle. Democrats are worried about taking
money from families. Well, you know what? You all can do the right
thing and vote ``yes.'' If not, you are the ones who are taking money
from needy families, not us, because yes means we want to feed the
families. We want to have SNAP programs. No means we don't fund those
programs. See how simple that is? Keep on with the rhetoric. I mean, it
is cute, but the American people don't buy it.
Listen, for the past 40 days, Democrats have inflicted needless pain
on hardworking Americans. They stranded millions of travelers. They
denied food assistance for hungry families. How did they do that? When
you vote ``no'' to continue funding, that means you deny food stamps
for hungry families. No means no, you don't want to pay them. Yes, like
the Republicans vote, that means, yes, we do want to pay them.
Democrats left our troops wondering when they would get their next
paycheck, and for what, Mr. Speaker? Democrats did that to use the
American people as leverage. Don't take my word for it. Take theirs. It
was leverage for more wasteful Washington spending, spending that no
one other than the radical left ever wanted.
To remind the American people, Democrats wanted to waste $1.5
trillion of their hard-earned tax dollars. What did Democrats get in
return? Democrats got nothing. Democrats got nothing because
Republicans refused to waste the American people's money.
Democrats did not get a dime for radical climate change, not a dollar
for taxpayer-funded benefits for illegals, and not one single
concession to the radical far-left base.

{time} 1910

Millions of Americans whose lives were upended by the Democratic
shutdown will remember this.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the
gentlewoman from Michigan.
Mrs. McCLAIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding
additional time.
Mr. Speaker, the American people will remember who held them hostage
for petty political reasons and who fought to put America first.
Now that the shameful charade is over, House Republicans will
continue our work on behalf of the American people. We will restore
regular order to the appropriations process. We will continue to
fulfill the mandate of the American people, and we will keep delivering
results for American people because that is what we are here to do and
not to play politics.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are advised to direct their comments
to the Chair and not to engage in personalities.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I have the greatest honor to yield 2
minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the
distinguished Speaker Emerita and, I might add, probably the epitome of
the best Speaker that

[[Page H4657]]

this Nation has ever had, in addition to which millions of Americans
have healthcare coverage through the Affordable Care Act because of
Speaker Pelosi. She is also Italian American.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, and a grandmother.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, Madam Chair once
and the future chair of the Committee on Appropriations. I thank her
for her leadership and her kind words.
I take heed, Mr. Speaker, of your comment to address my remarks to
you and not to your colleagues, so I can say to you and perhaps you can
tell them: Either they don't know what they are talking about, or they
don't care about meeting the needs of the American people.
Did any one of them vote to eliminate a need for preexisting
conditions in healthcare? Not one of them.
Did any one of them vote to say to children that, until they are 26
years old, they have access to your policy? Not one of them.
Did any of them vote to eliminate being a woman as being a
preexisting medical condition? Not one of them.
The list goes on and on.
Did any one of them vote for the Affordable Care Act, which, Mr.
Speaker, you can tell them was paid for? It was paid for. Later, when
we decided that we could extend the tax credits further so that more
people could have more access to care, did anyone vote for that? No.
Mr. Speaker, all they have done is try to eliminate access to
healthcare in our country. The public is catching on to them.
You might tell them: If a woman is born with a child who has a heart
condition, she is out of luck with what they are proposing.
If a father gets a stroke, forget about it.
If you have a sibling with a disability, they don't care.
If your wife has breast cancer, you have big bills to pay because
they want to take away healthcare, whether it is Medicaid to tens of
millions of people, half a trillion dollars for Medicare for seniors
and people with disabilities, and millions of dollars added to the cost
for families to access the Affordable Care Act.
The list goes on and on. Either they don't know, or they don't care.
I will say one more thing. As a grandmother and mother, how about the
President of the United States having a Halloween party on Halloween
night and saying to the Supreme Court: Please don't make me feed the
children or the poor people in our country.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the
gentlewoman from California.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, going to the Supreme Court for that means
that ``cruelty'' has not even come close to the word that is needed for
that kind of behavior. This is the worst President for children that
America has ever seen.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from West
Virginia (Mr. Moore), my very good friend and distinguished member of
the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations.
Mr. MOORE of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the
Senate amendment to H.R. 5371, which includes full funding for the
legislative branch. I am honored to serve as the vice chairman of the
Legislative Branch Subcommittee, and I am grateful to Chairman Valadao
for his leadership on that committee.
Mr. Speaker, it has been a long road to bring this bill to the floor.
It is a road that was made significantly longer by a totally
unnecessary Schumer shutdown that we have been living in. The bill
before us not only reopens the entire government, but it ensures that
the House and its supporting agencies remain working for the American
people.
The bill invests in safety and security. It increases funding for the
Capitol Police and provides support for security programs through the
House Sergeant at Arms. It is tough on foreign adversaries, including
language that I wrote preventing the purchase of technology tied to the
Chinese Communist Party.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Cole for his leadership and Ranking
Member Espaillat and our subcommittee members and their staff and our
staff for their work, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), the distinguished ranking member of the Energy and
Water Development and Related Agencies Subcommittee.
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member DeLauro for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, Congress should vote today for affordable health
insurance for Americans and reduce its rising costs. Instead, in the
dead of night, eight Senate Republicans slipped into this bill a payola
for themselves, literally raking in millions of dollars to themselves.

This payola is called corruption. It is corruption. Millions of
taxpayer dollars now are slated for Senators Graham, Hagerty, Hawley,
Sullivan, Tuberville, Johnson, Lummis, and Blackburn. Each is teed up
to personally rake in a minimum of $500,000 up to $1.5 million.
Meanwhile, the American people need more affordable health insurance,
but these Senators, with their House allies, are lining their own
pockets. I say: No more tax breaks to billionaires and no payoffs to
U.S. Senators. This is what happens when power serves itself instead of
the people.
This isn't leadership. It is corruption disguised as legislation.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 10 seconds to the
gentlewoman from Ohio.
Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, let's cleanse America of disgusting
corruption. Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Washington (Mr. Newhouse), my very good friend and distinguished member
of the Committee on Appropriations.
Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Cole for yielding me
time.
Mr. Speaker, over 40 days after the Senate Democrats shut down the
Federal Government, we are finally reopening. The result of the
shutdown has been thousands of employee furloughs, major disruptions to
our air travel, servicemembers going without pay, delayed food
assistance for low-income individuals and families, and much, much
more.
Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Appropriations,
the responsibility of funding the Federal Government is one that I take
very seriously, especially in light of our Nation's debt surpassing $38
trillion.
The performative tactics that we have watched over the last 7 weeks
have truly been a disservice to Americans. My friends across the aisle
should never have put leverage or politics over those people who they
represent.
The most important thing right now is that we get back to work,
making sure that the Federal Government can provide the essential
services that people depend on and that Congress can continue working
to pass full-year funding legislation, providing responsible Federal
spending and funding those essential services.
Mr. Speaker, we are making significant progress with the inclusion of
these three appropriations bills, but our work is far from over. I
encourage all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support
this deal, vote to end this unnecessary shutdown, and help us get back
to the business of hardworking Americans across this country.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), the distinguished ranking member of the
Defense Subcommittee.
Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, Donald Trump and Republicans control the
entire government. For 42 days, Republicans shut it down. Why? It was
because they refuse to extend tax credits to help millions of Americans
afford their healthcare. If that wasn't bad enough, President Trump
even withheld food assistance during the shutdown. Hunger should never
be used as a weapon.

[[Page H4658]]

{time} 1920

The CR continues the Republican healthcare crisis. The Speaker has
already said he won't hold a vote to extend the Affordable Care Act tax
credits to reduce healthcare costs for Americans.
Now my constituents are going to have to choose between heating their
homes, feeding their families, or taking their children to the doctor.
It is a terrible deal for the American people.
Americans deserve an open and transparent government that works for
them. They deserve access to affordable healthcare and nutritious food
for their families. That is what Democrats are fighting for. I wish the
President and Republicans would join us in this fight and share our
priorities.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Missouri (Mr. Alford), my very good friend and member of the
Appropriations Committee.
Mr. ALFORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his leadership.
Mr. Speaker, in the words of Yogi Berra: ``This seems like deja vu
all over again.''
Fifty-nine days ago, I stood at this very lectern debating the
ranking member and a friend of mine over the continuing resolution to
keep our government open.
On September 19, we did our work in this body, but Senate Democrats
chose to hold America hostage with the Schumer shutdown. Democrats in
Congress, including the minority whip, shamefully admitted they were
using the misery they inflicted on the American people as leverage to
achieve their leftist wish list of demands, slowly twisting the heads
of the American people in a vice.
Tonight, I am relieved to say the misery of the Schumer shutdown is
on our doorstep.
Mr. Speaker, this package proves that when Republicans stay united
and put America first, we can govern with strength, compassion, and
common sense. Tonight, Mr. Speaker, we will reopen the government and
liberate the Schumer hostages.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
California (Mrs. Torres), a member of the Appropriations Committee.
Mrs. TORRES of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition
of this deeply flawed bill because the American people deserve better.
Since Trump returned to office, Republicans have created an
affordability nightmare, a mass transfer of hard-earned taxpayer
dollars to billionaires.
In my district alone, more than 350,000 people are facing
skyrocketing healthcare costs or cuts to critical services. Republicans
shut down the government instead of finding bipartisan solutions to
keep care affordable and took a 7-week paid hiatus, doubling healthcare
costs for working families, cutting off food assistance right before
Thanksgiving, and letting Trump spend his days pardoning
insurrectionists, enriching billionaires, cozying up to dictators, and
building himself a new ballroom, all while taking food away from
families in need.
Now Senate Republicans want to reward themselves with a taxpayer-
funded handout. It is shameful. House Republicans should be here doing
their jobs, not making life harder for working families.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Yakym). Members are reminded to direct
their remarks to the Chair and not to engage in personalities toward
the President.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington), my very good friend and chairman
of the House Budget Committee.
Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, the Democrats rejecting a clean CR,
shutting the government down, creating all of the havoc, the pain and
suffering for our fellow Americans is so obviously disingenuous.
They never vote against clean CRs. For 4 years under Biden, you all
didn't reject one clean CR. Chuck Schumer in 44 years never rejected a
clean CR.
Mr. Speaker, what is it about? They say policy. They put forward a
proposal, Mr. Chairman. They said it is about healthcare, healthcare
for illegals. They repeal work requirements for able-bodied adults.
That is an 80/20 issue in this country. They put forward a spending
bill of $1.5 trillion. That is twice the discretionary budget.
Mr. Chairman, they are spending more money than we have ever spent
outside of COVID. That is their counterproposal. It is not only
disingenuous. It is unserious.
What is it about? It is about politics. It is about resisting and
fighting and undermining Donald Trump. Here is the deal: They are not
fighting and resisting Donald Trump. They are undermining the will of
the American people that gave Trump the Presidency.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the
gentleman from Texas.
Mr. ARRINGTON. They undermine the will of the people who
overwhelmingly elected President Trump and gave him the mandate of the
America First agenda. They are not resisting us. They are posturing and
placating the radical left. They are holding back what the American
people wanted and that was a new direction for this country.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to direct their
comments to the Chair.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Pallone), the distinguished ranking member of the Energy
and Commerce Committee.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I want my colleagues to understand that
when the Affordable Care Act was adopted, it was adopted for middle-
class people who could not afford health insurance. They had no other
option. They had nowhere to go. You just would end up without health
insurance.
I have constituents coming to me now crying because their insurance
is going from $500 a month to $1,500 a month. That is an increase of
$1,000 a month. Who could afford that? No one in the middle class.

At the end of 2024 last year during a Democratic administration, the
number of insured Americans was at a record high of about 95 percent.
Democrats worked for that. Then Trump comes in and the Republicans with
their big, ugly bill, and they make cuts to Medicaid, cuts to hospitals
and nursing homes, and no funding to extend the ACA tax credits.
What is going to happen? More and more people have no health
insurance. That is the bottom line. They will not have health
insurance, and the Republicans don't seem to care. I want you to know
that the Democrats care, and we will continue to fight for you.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished
gentleman from Guam (Mr. Moylan), my very good friend.
Mr. MOYLAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Oklahoma for
yielding.
Mr. Speaker, Guam is home to 3,372 Federal employees, more than
43,000 SNAP recipients, over 9,000 WIC recipients, and more than 20,000
veterans, all of whom have been impacted by this shutdown. If we
continue to put politics over our country, my constituents will
continue to suffer.
Simply put, this gets us back on track, ensures funding for those who
need it is in place and turns the lights back on. This bill ensures
that families receive the assistance they need, veterans have access to
care, and our island is reimbursed for the sacrifice we made to keep
Federal programs running during this difficult time.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill and to deliver
for the American people. The time for deliberation is when the
government is open and people have the assistance they need.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Massachusetts (Mr. Neal), the distinguished ranking member of the Ways
and Means Committee.
Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, the destruction that is taking place in
America's healthcare system during these 10 months is unbelievable.
They have eviscerated the National Institutes of Health. They have cut
back on the Centers for Disease Control and billions of dollars for
Medicaid for a tax cut for the wealthy. Wait till you see what is
coming to America's hospitals after the next election. It is so
contrived they waited until after the election to implement it.
Mr. Speaker, 24 million people are likely to lose health insurance if
we

[[Page H4659]]

don't implement these tax credits as suggested. The emergency room is
going to be back in full force now because this is where people will go
for their healthcare.
All of this is taking place to justify a tax cut for people at the
very top. Here is the real kicker: Our Republican colleagues of fiscal
probity borrowed the money for the tax cuts.
In 2017, it was $2.4 trillion. In the last tax bill, almost $4
trillion is borrowed for a tax cut for wealthy people. Whatever
happened to the fiscal soundness that the Republican Party used to
lecture everybody on.

{time} 1930

Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meuser), my very good friend.
Mr. MEUSER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Cole for his leadership.
Mr. Speaker, if this were a library, we would have the fiction side
over there and the nonfiction side over here. The only thing that is
not fiction, however, is their consistent criticism of the healthcare
system known as ObamaCare that they created. That is what this fight
seems to be about, and that is the one end of things that is truthful.
Today, Mr. Speaker, after 6 weeks of lots of pain and no gain, they
are going to vote again to keep the government closed. They are going
to vote again--they are whipping their votes--so they would not be
paying Federal workers and won't be funding essential programs like
SNAP and undoing the chaos at our airports.
I spent the last 43 days in my district talking with these groups,
talking with SNAP, talking with Head Start, seeing their pain,
realizing it, understanding it. Some of my colleagues did the same,
but, shockingly, they are still going to vote to keep the government
closed and keep this funding from being delivered.
It is time to fix the damage that Democrats have caused. With this
vote tonight, Republicans will restore SNAP payments and get TSA, air
traffic controllers, and Federal workers paid.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the
gentleman from Pennsylvania.
Mr. MEUSER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for the additional
time.
You know what, Mr. Speaker, yesterday was Veterans Day. Veterans
didn't fight for the red. They didn't fight for the blue. They fought
for the red, white, and blue. Maybe tonight we can follow their
example.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
Washington (Ms. DelBene).
Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, this bill fails to address the fundamental
needs of families across our country.
Americans have made it crystal clear that affordability is their
number one concern. President Trump and Republicans promised to lower
costs on day one, and that has been one big broken promise.
Healthcare premiums are skyrocketing because Republicans refuse to
extend the ACA tax credits, causing healthcare costs to go up for
everyone.
Over 4 million people will be forced off their coverage next year
because it is too expensive. This is on top of soaring prices for food,
energy, and housing. That is unacceptable for the wealthiest nation in
the world.
Republicans who say they support affordable healthcare should be
standing up for their constituents rather than falling in line behind
President Trump.
I am going to keep fighting for affordable healthcare and lower
costs. The American people deserve better.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Gooden), my very good friend.
Mr. GOODEN. Mr. Speaker, throughout this sham and shame of a
shutdown, we have heard so many lies from the Democrats. Over the last
45 days, and especially the last 45 minutes, I have heard them say this
is an evil bill, that Republicans don't care about the disabled, and
that Trump is the worst President in history for children. They have
said that Republicans are to blame for the fentanyl crisis, that
Republicans shouldn't take photos with veterans. January 6, of course,
they mention that. They have said Republicans are corrupt. They have
said that Republicans are starving kids.
What they haven't said is the one thing that this bill does, which is
to open up the government. Not one Democrat is getting up here saying
this bill opens the government.
Let me remind them and my colleagues and the American people that
this bill opens the government tonight, and the American people have
Republicans to thank for ending this shutdown and opening the
government.
I urge a ``yes'' vote. I am proud to vote ``yes.'' I am so
disappointed in my Democratic colleagues because, for the life of me,
throughout my time in the House, I have heard them talk about how
wonderful it is to keep the government open and that a shutdown is so
bad and can never happen. Tonight, they won't even admit that this bill
opens the government, and this is what we need for this country
tonight.
I urge a ``yes'' vote.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Barragan).
Ms. BARRAGAN. Mr. Speaker, I oppose the Republican spending bill that
makes healthcare more expensive for hardworking Americans.
While Republicans were on their 7-plus week vacation, all of our
constituents were receiving notices of premium increases. A constituent
of mine, a lifelong educator, has been told that her premiums will jump
from $383 to nearly $1,000.
Meanwhile, Trump and Republicans can find money for a fancy ballroom.
They can give tax breaks to billionaires. They even included millions
of dollars in cash payments in this bill for eight Republican Senators.
If anyone else in government gave themselves millions in taxpayer
money, they would go to prison. For Americans trying to afford
healthcare? Not $1 in tax credits.
House Democrats are united against this corrupt bill and will keep
fighting to protect America's healthcare.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject this bill.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, it has been an interesting debate.
Frankly, as a couple of my colleagues have suggested, a lot of the
rhetoric on the other side hasn't had much to do with the legislation
in front of us. My friends chose all on their own to shut the
government down 43 days ago.

During that time, soldiers have had to worry about getting paid. The
only reason they were paid is because the President of the United
States managed to pull a rabbit out of a hat twice or we would have
military families completely unpaid.
We have our air traffic controllers. Most of us flew here today,
yesterday, or in recent days. They are keeping the skies as safe as
they can, but they haven't gotten paid.
We are in this Capitol Building. We are under the protection of the
Capitol Police. They do a splendid job. They keep doing their job. They
haven't been paid.
We have people who are in desperate need of some of the services this
government has promised to give them, SNAP and WIC, at risk unless we
pass this legislation tonight.
We can have all of these debates about all of these other issues. As
a matter of fact, my friend, the Speaker, his counterpart in the United
States Senate, the majority leader, and the President have said when
you open the government, we will be happy to talk to you about some of
these issues, but you are not going to shut down the government, punish
the American people, put people's lives at risk, and think we are going
to sit down and negotiate with you under those circumstances. That is
not going to happen.
We told you 43 days ago, from bitter experience, government shutdowns
don't work. They never achieve the objective that you announce. Guess
what. You haven't achieved that objective yet, and you are not going
to. We did the same thing twice, so I am not saying that we have clean
hands over here. You guys did it on DACA. It didn't work there. It is
not going to work here.
The only people who have suffered have been the American people, the
people whom we are all here to serve.
Let's keep the focus on getting the government back open.
I would also add--and I appreciate this very much--there have been
robust discussions back and forth, and we

[[Page H4660]]

have three appropriations bills attached to this. They are
appropriations bills that do important things.
The Agriculture bill will make sure that people who rely on WIC and
SNAP don't have to worry about another government shutdown between now
and September 30 of next year.
The Legislative Branch bill will make sure that the Capitol Police
and everybody else who is staff who allows this Chamber to function
don't have to worry about getting paid until September 30 of next year.
Obviously, military construction and, more importantly, veterans rely
on benefit commitments we have made. Passage of this bill makes sure
that we fulfill those commitments between now and September 30 of next
year, and we buy the time to sit down to rationally and responsibly
negotiate other appropriations bills that we can bring, I hope, on a
bipartisan basis to this floor to keep the government open.
I would just ask my friends to reflect on that. I hope some of you
feel the weight of that decision. I know you do. I hope you can vote to
keep the government open. There is no excuse to shut it down. The
United States Senate operated to keep it open in a bipartisan fashion.
Now, it took them a long time to do it, but they got there. Let's not
follow that example.
When they finally got the job done, they sent us a product. It is not
a perfect product. It has some things in it I don't like, but frankly,
if we had kept the government open, we would never have been in this
situation in the first place.
I would just ask my friends to remember their constituents. I know
they think about them. I know they are serious about the points they
make. Reopen the government and raise your issues. Let's see if we can
come to a negotiated settlement, but let's not punish the American
people.
A ``no'' vote on this, again, means soldiers and military families
don't get paid. A ``no'' vote means that people in need of SNAP and WIC
might not get it. A ``no'' vote means the people who allow us to come
here to debate and work won't get paid either.
I can go down the list of horrors. It is pretty simple. This is a
vote about two things: opening the Government of the United States,
which you willfully tried to shut down. Fortunately, you did not
succeed in that in this Chamber, but some of your colleagues, using
arcane Senate rules, did manage to do it but finally came to their
senses. You ought to pay attention to those people. They said enough is
enough. Let's reopen the government.
I urge my colleagues to do that today. I hope it is done in a
bipartisan way.
I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.

{time} 1940

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to direct their remarks
to the Chair.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Massachusetts (Ms. Clark), the distinguished Democratic whip.
Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, Donald Trump said the cost-
of-living crisis is fake news, ``a con job by the Democrats.''
Mr. Speaker, 60 percent of Americans can't afford a basic quality of
life, 45 percent have had to skip a doctor's appointment or a
prescription because they can't afford it, and 41 percent are living
with medical debt. The American people are simply not making it.
Not only is that crisis real, it is a crisis that Republicans
promised to solve. Voters believed them. Now, after a 54-day hiatus,
what are Republicans doing? They are voting to raise the cost of
living. They are voting to make it even harder to get by, not by some
marginal amount. They are doubling, tripling, and quadrupling monthly
premiums.
What is their defense? They are looking people in the eye and flat-
out gaslighting them: Costs aren't up; costs are down.
Trump says: ``I don't want to hear about the affordability.'' Well,
get used to hearing about it. You are going to hear about it a lot
because people are feeling it every single day. People can't make rent.
They can't afford their prescriptions. They can't afford to take their
kid to a doctor. They can't find childcare. When they find it, they
can't afford that, either. Grocery and utility bills are spiking. This
is the crisis of our time, and it is about to get exponentially worse
because of the GOP's craven allegiance to billionaires over working
people.
The cost-of-living crisis is not fake news. It is not a perception
issue. It is daily life for the people that we all represent. Let's do
something about it. Let's reject this budget. Let's stop the healthcare
cuts. Let's stop the premium hikes. Let's stop the hospital closures,
and let's stop the billionaire giveaways.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, this bill fails to prevent healthcare costs
from skyrocketing and fails to address the crisis of affordability. It
fails to keep our promise to veterans. It provides a million-dollar
jackpot to eight Senators. It fails to protect Congress' power of the
purse. I encourage my colleagues to vote ``no.''
Mr. Speaker, I have the honor of yielding 1 minute to the gentleman
from New York (Mr. Jeffries), our distinguished Democratic leader.
Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentlewoman, the
top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, for yielding and
for her steadfast leadership on behalf of working families and
hardworking American taxpayers in the great State of Connecticut, and
all across America.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to this woefully
inadequate spending bill that fails to decisively address the
Republican healthcare crisis and fails to extend the Affordable Care
Act tax credits for tens of millions of Americans.
Mr. Speaker, before I say anything further, let me thank our men and
women in uniform, our Active-Duty troops, our hardworking Federal
employees, our civil servants, our TSA agents, our Capitol Police, our
staff here in the House of Representatives, and our air traffic
controllers for their service, their sacrifice, and for the work that
they do on behalf of the American people each and every day. It is our
promise to all of them that we will continue to work hard to make sure
they are treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve in a
year in which the Trump administration has gone after hardworking
Federal employees relentlessly, including firing more than 200,000
Federal employees prior to the start of the Trump Republican shutdown.
Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the Presidency. Donald
Trump and Republicans made the decision to shut the government down,
the longest shutdown in American history. They would rather do that
than provide healthcare that is affordable to working-class Americans,
middle-class Americans, and hardworking American taxpayers.
All across the country, I am certain that there are people in America
asking the question: Where do we go from here?
House Democrats have a simple answer. We will continue to fight to
lower the high cost of living. House Democrats will continue to fight
to address the healthcare crisis that Republicans have created, and
House Democrats will continue to fight to extend the Affordable Care
Act tax credits for tens of millions of Americans.
This fight is not over. We are just getting started. We will fight
today. We will fight tomorrow. We will fight this week. We will fight
next week. We will fight this month. We will fight next month. We will
fight until we win this battle for the American people. That is our
commitment as House Democrats.
There are only two ways that this fight will end. There are only two
ways, Mr. Speaker, that this fight will end: Either Republicans finally
decide to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits this year or the
American people will throw Republicans out of their jobs next year and
end the speakership of Donald J. Trump once and for all. That is how
this fight ends.
Mr. Speaker, during this painful Trump Republican shutdown, what we
have seen is two different philosophies in terms of how to govern for
the American people. The Democratic Party philosophy is clear. We are
ready, willing, and able to find bipartisan, common ground, anytime,
anyplace, to enact spending agreements that actually make life better
for the American people.

[[Page H4661]]

However, in order to do that, we need to have partners on the other
side of the aisle who are actually willing to find the bipartisan path
forward. What we have seen from Republicans from the very beginning
of this Presidency is a my-way-or-the-highway approach. That has been
the Republican philosophy. Jam your extremism down the throats of the
American people. That is what we have seen from day one of this
Presidency. That is the reason why the government has been shut down by
Republicans and Donald Trump for the longest period of time in American
history.

What have we seen from Donald Trump and Republicans during this
shutdown? A consistent unwillingness to actually find common ground in
order to make life better for the American people. Donald Trump, during
the shutdown, found the time to play golf week after week after week.
Donald Trump found the time to pardon serial fraudsters like George
Santos and Rudolph Giuliani. Donald Trump found the time to meet with
the Chinese Communist Party. Donald Trump found the time to destroy the
east wing of the White House. Donald Trump found the time to extort
$230 million from the Department of Justice so he could line his
pockets. Donald Trump found the time to bail out Argentina with $40
billion. Donald Trump found the time to rip away SNAP benefits from 42
million Americans.
Mr. Speaker, these extremists are not like us. They are not like us.
They have zero interest in fighting hard to make life better for the
American people. Their philosophy: My way or the highway. Our response:
Get lost.
We are going to continue to fight hard on behalf of the American
people in the midst of a healthcare crisis and a cost-of-living crisis
that is very real, despite what Donald Trump, the leader of the
Republican Party, has to say. He claims there is no affordability
crisis in the United States of America.
However, why would anyone believe anything that Donald Trump or
Republicans have to say on this issue? Throughout 2024, before the
election, Republicans in the House and the Senate and Donald Trump on
the campaign trail spent all of their time saying that costs were going
to go down on day one.

{time} 1950

Mr. Speaker, costs haven't gone down. Republicans haven't done a damn
thing to lower the high cost of living. Costs haven't gone down in this
country. Costs have gone up. Inflation is on the way up. Housing costs
are out of control. Grocery costs are out of control. Electricity bills
are out of control. Healthcare costs are skyrocketing and out of
control.
In the midst of this affordability crisis, seeing this, Democrats
said we have got to fight to make sure we extend Affordable Care Act
tax credits so that tens of millions of people--working-class folks,
middle-class folks, people in rural America, working-class America,
small-town America, the heartland of America, Black and Brown
communities all throughout America--don't experience premium increases
that in some cases will go up by $1,000 or $2,000 per year.
In many cases, month after month after month, it will go up $1,000 or
$2,000 per month. That is tens of thousands of dollars per year. It is
unacceptable in this country, the wealthiest country in the history of
the world. This is in the midst of a Republican healthcare crisis.
Republicans enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in American history.
They ripped health insurance away from 14 million Americans. As a
result of Republican policies, hospitals, nursing homes, and community-
based health centers are closing all across America including in rural
parts of this great country of ours.
Now because of the Republican refusal to extend the Affordable Care
Act tax credits, tens of millions of Americans are at risk of being
unable to afford to see a doctor when they need one. It is happening in
this country, the wealthiest country in the history of the world.
It can't be the case that healthcare is simply a privilege for the
wealthy, the well-off, and the well-connected. Mr. Speaker, that is the
Republican perspective.
As Democrats, we believe that healthcare has to be a right and a
right that is affordable and available to every single American in the
United States. That is what this fight is all about, and that is what
the fight will continue to be about as we move forward.
Many of my Republican colleagues have suggested that they want to
deal with the healthcare affordability issue. They want to address the
Republican healthcare crisis that is devastating people all across this
country. We have an opportunity for them to do so.
There is a discharge petition connected to legislation that House
Democrats have introduced to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits
for 3 years. We believe that working-class Americans, middle-class
Americans, and everyday Americans deserve the same level of certainty
that Republicans always provide to the wealthy, the well-off, and the
well-connected donors. Working-class Americans deserve that level of
certainty.
We ask our Republican colleagues to join us in extending the
Affordable Care Act tax credits. It is not too late. We are in the
midst of open enrollment. The tax credits expire on December 31. We
will stay on this issue until we get this issue resolved for everyday
Americans.
Mr. Speaker, as I close, I have had the opportunity, as many of us
do, to serve in the United States Congress with legendary figures, too
numerous to mention. Some of those legendary Members include, of
course, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, the great Jim
Clyburn, Maxine Waters, Elijah Cummings, and Charlie Rangel.
Our own Marcy Kaptur is the longest serving woman in the history of
the United States House of Representatives. We have all had the
opportunity to serve with legendary Members like John Dingell. As I
said, they are too numerous to mention.
Mr. Speaker, one can't call that roll without calling the name of the
great John Lewis. I had the distinct honor of serving with John Lewis
for several terms. Many of us here in the House of Representatives did.
I will never forget on my first day in Congress that I had the
opportunity to meet John Lewis for the first time in person. He called
me over to see him on the House floor. He just asked me a simple
question. He said: Are you the new guy?
I said: Yes, sir, Mr. Lewis, I am.
He said: Well, we are colleagues now. You don't have to call me Mr.
Lewis. You can call me John.
I said: Yes, sir, Mr. Lewis, I understand.
Then he said to me: You are from Brooklyn, right?
Mr. Speaker, I have to be honest. I was tempted to say that Brooklyn
is always in the House. Instead, since my mother, Laneda Jeffries,
raised me with some sense, I said: Yes, sir, I am from Brooklyn.
Then he said something to me that I have never forgotten. He said:
Well, I hear some positive things about you from your predecessor, but
Washington, D.C., young man, can be a rough place. I don't want you to
get into any trouble unless it is good trouble.
Mr. Speaker, I wanted to stop by on the House floor to make sure it
is clear to the American people that the spirit of John Lewis lives
amongst House Democrats. We will continue to get into good trouble to
make their lives better. That is our commitment to every single
American all across this country, from this day and for every day,
moving forward.
It was John Lewis who said to us that ours is not the struggle of one
day, one week, or one year. Ours is the struggle of a lifetime and
maybe even many lifetimes. Each one of us in every generation must do
our part.
Mr. Speaker, we love Mr. Lewis. We were blessed by our opportunity to
serve with him. House Democrats are here to do our part. We are in this
fight until we win this fight for the American people.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from
engaging in personalities toward the President.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished
gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Johnson), the

[[Page H4662]]

Speaker of the House. He is my very good friend and a person I admire
greatly.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Chairman
Cole, who has done an extraordinary job in this process.
Mr. Speaker, we all know why we are here. House Democrats voted to
shut down the government. It was 54 days ago when we had that vote. It
was September 19. Since that time, Senate Democrats have voted 14 times
to close the government. Republicans voted a collective 15 times to
open the government for the people, and the Democrats voted that many
times to close it.
Then they admitted, many of them--and we can name them here, but I am
not going to take the time--they admitted they were using the American
people as leverage in this political game. They knew that it would
cause pain, and they did it anyway. The whole exercise was pointless.
It was wrong. It was cruel.
In mere moments, I want everyone to watch the board. They will do it
again. I will guess most of our Democrat colleagues will vote again to
close the government, again to take food out of the mouths of families
who need it, again to deny pay to Federal employees, and again to stall
flights and cancel airlines and do all the rest that they have done. We
are not going to let them succeed in that gambit. That is right.

{time} 2000

While the Democrats keep voting to shut the government down,
Republicans are going to vote to open it back up. We are going to get
the American Government running again and working for the people, as
they deserve.
I am going to close with this. As Speaker, I have the ability to talk
as long as I want, but I am not going to do that tonight. We are not
going to waste any more time of the people.
I am just going to say this. I think that everybody needs to remember
this one simple thing: From the very beginning of this whole ordeal, on
the Republican side, we operated in good faith. We offered a clean,
nonpartisan CR. We were honest and transparent with the American people
from the very beginning. Every single day of the shutdown, we went out
and looked right into the camera with a press conference and told the
American people the simple truth. We have done for the people what has
been right and just and truthful. In the end, that is what God honors
always. Don't forget it.
We need to get this government open as soon as possible. The American
people demand and deserve it.
Mr. Speaker, let's get this done.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, there are many flaws in the hastily
written Senate Republican Continuing Resolution, before us today. The
most egregious is the Continuing Resolution's failure to ``continue''
tax credits for health insurance which have been on the books for 4
years, right at the same time 24 million Americans are enrolling for
2026 insurance coverage in the ACA health exchanges. For millions, the
abandonment of premium assistance will result in increases of 100
percent, 200 percent, and even higher. A couple in Enfield,
Connecticut, in their 60s, who visited with me last week with their
premium notice, are looking at an increase from $300/month to $2,449/
month. The only way they can pay that is to draw funds from their
retirement 401k, triggering tax penalties on top of the increased out-
of-pocket costs. My office heard from many other constituents with
similar shocking increases, whose stories are attached to my written
statement.
I also want to alert Members of the House that this new continuing
resolution (CR) released this past Saturday November 8, 2025, which
funds the government to January 30, 2026, has a serious gap in funding
for the Columbia-class submarine program. This program, which has been
referred to as the ``number one acquisition priority'' of both the
Department of the Navy and the Department of Defense, is building new
ballistic submarines on a very tight schedule to replace the aging
fleet of Ohio-class submarines, who have been on patrol starting in the
1980's. The first two submarines--USS District of Columbia and USS
Wisconsin--are under construction and fully funded with appropriations
approved by prior Congresses. The third, USS Groton SSBN 828 is ready
to start construction, subject to Congress approving the funds.
For this CR, The Navy requested an anomaly for full fiscal year 2026
Columbia program funding to Congressional leadership to keep this
program on track. In past years, this has been a normal request in
order to make sure production stays on schedule, regardless of late
passage of the full Navy budget. Astonishingly, Mr. Speaker, the Senate
continuing resolution refused the Navy's request and Columbia program
has zero additional funding. This is not a minor bookkeeping concern.
The absence of a set aside, or anomaly, to fund construction of SSBN
828, will create serious risk of a halt work order to the production
schedule of the Nation's most critical defense program.
The legislative chaos of the last two months, with the House shut
down at the Speaker's behest, has suffocated the normal communication
and negotiation that would address glaring harm, such as the cut off of
health insurance subsidies and steady funding of the Navy's
shipbuilding budget. There is a better path, Mr. Speaker, which is to
have our chamber exercise its independent constitutional role and
protect both the health care and national security of our Nation.
Reject this budget and fix these glaring flaws. I include in the Record
the following written statements from my constituents:

Kristin McShane--Norwich

My name is Kristin McShane and I live in Norwich CT. My
husband and I own a martial arts school. We buy our health
insurance through the state health exchange and on average
pay $850 a month for insurance. We got a letter the other day
that our rates will be increasing a lot due to ACA rates
expiring. On top of high monthly premiums, we have high
deductibles and many things are not covered. We also pay for
all vision and dental expenses out of pocket as they are not
covered and out of pocket coverage is even more than that.
It's hard to have so much of our monthly income going to
medical bills and insurance. We haven't been told exactly
what our increase will be but we are going to have to make
cuts to other parts of our lives to afford them. It's not
right or fair to give very earthly people tax breaks while
increasing necessary expenses for average hard working people
who are barely getting by. I can't remember the last stress
free day we have had because of the increasing costs of
everything but most especially healthcare.

Caleb--Norwich

As a small business owner in Connecticut, I am writing to
share my deep concern about the potential loss of the health
insurance exchange and the premium tax credits.
For business owners like me, the ACA marketplace (the
exchange) is often the only way to get affordable health
coverage. The tax credits are not just a small help--they are
essential. Without them, many of us, our families, and even
our employees would not be able to afford health insurance.
Losing this system would negatively impact our business. It
would mean facing impossible choices between our health and
our livelihood. It makes it harder to run a stable business,
stay productive, and provide for our families.
We are counting on you to protect the health insurance
exchange and the tax credits that make coverage possible.
Please oppose any efforts that would take away this critical
support for Connecticut's small business community.

Lee--Mystic

She and her partner buy their insurance through the
exchange and she's expecting their premium to go from $700 to
approximately $2,500 per month. Her partner left a higher
paying job last year to take a different role without
insurance, and now they aren't sure if they can make it work.

Anonymous--Clinton

I won't be able to afford insurance next year without the
ACA. I work for a small business that can't afford to offer
benefits. At 54 I will go without coverage and hope I stay
healthy.

Anonymous--East Haddam

I am a widow who resides with my 23-year-old son who just
graduated from college in May '24. He is, and has been,
seeking full time employment in the criminal justice field. I
have a full-time and part-time job. My full-time employer
does not provide medical insurance. Both my son and I are on
a medical/dental insurance policy which I purchased through
Access Health CT. Due to our household income, we qualify for
tax credits. Even with these tax credits, I am currently
paying close to $700/month for our insurance. I know that I
cannot afford a monthly premium upwards of $1000!
It is a well-known fact that health insurance premiums in
the United States are ridiculous! Our healthcare system is
broken, now it will become unaffordable! it is a sad
statement when other countries medical programs far surpass
the United State of America!

Jill--Niantic

Current plan is no longer available. New Bronze Anthem plan
($6k deductible) but without dental or vision. Premium is
$1,384.15 which is a 14% increase. Premium tax credits are no
longer available, leading to a monthly premium of $1,384.15
(258% increase) however, also need to add in a dental plan
with premium of $23.56 so final monthly premium for 2026 will
be $1,407.71.
Versus 2025 premium of $386.90 means the premium increase
is $1,020.81 every month (264%) which is $12,249.72 for the
year or 13% of our annual income. Additionally, under

[[Page H4663]]

the new plan available, copays have been changed to co-
insurance and I've lost vision insurance.

Anonymous--Enfield

Currently paying $295.70 per month for 2 adults. Going up
to $2,449 per month.

Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this
Continuing Resolution. Although I support opening the government after
this devastating 43-day shutdown, I will not support a bill that will
continue the Republican's assault on Americans and their pocketbooks.
At a time when Oregonians and Americans are already struggling with
rising costs, this bill locks in devastating cuts to health care and
drives up the cost of health insurance--in many cases significantly.
Just a few months ago the Republicans passed a cruel budget in which
they paid for tax cuts for billionaires by making the largest cuts to
Medicaid and SNAP in history. Now they are continuing their heartless
obsession with destroying the Affordable Care Act.
These Republican policies are damaging to the entire health care
system, but are especially harmful for rural hospitals and clinics. At
home in Oregon, hospitals and health systems have described the
consequences of this agenda as `catastrophic.' Staff will be reduced,
clinics will close, and we will go back to the day when people without
insurance delayed care and ended up in emergency rooms.
These cuts to health care--and the Republican shutdown more broadly--
are further proof that the first ten months of this Trump
administration have been chaotic, harmful, and completely out of touch
with the needs of the American people. Donald Trump held an extravagant
Great Gatsby party at Mar-a-Lago the night before SNAP benefits
expired, and the administration and Republicans continue to ignore the
needs of working families. That's not governing; it's a cruel and
corrupt abdication of their promise and their responsibility to bring
down costs and grow the economy. Oregonians and Americans deserve
better.
During the shutdown I held three town hall meetings--something most
Republicans still refuse to do--and heard from many constituents who
are extremely worried about the already high cost of living. The
Republican health care cuts and the increased costs the Republicans are
locking in with this bill will make life harder, not easier, for the
people we represent. The Republicans who crafted these policies might
change their minds if they actually showed up to hear from their
constituents.
Donald Trump claimed he would lower costs, but this bill, along with
his chaotic tariff policies, are making costs rise--not fall. People
across this country are struggling to pay for housing, groceries, child
care, and other necessities. Too many families have already reached
their breaking point, and this will drive them further into debt and
despair.
The Republican agenda would dramatically increase premiums for more
than 198,000 Oregonians, including my constituent Teresa from Clatsop
County. Teresa, a small business owner, runs a small flower and produce
farm. Like many small business owners, she purchases her coverage on
the Oregon health care exchange. Because of Republicans' refusal to
protect health care, her premium will soon be going from $230 a month
to $1,077 a month.
This is unconscionable, unacceptable, and unnecessary. Teresa is
about to turn 60; she works a tough, physical job. Running a small
family farm is challenging even in a strong economy. She won't be able
to afford her premium, and yet she can't afford to be without health
care. One illness or one injury could threaten her health and her
livelihood. Teresa could be forced to close her family business--a
business that plays an important part in Oregon's north coast economy.
Teresa is not alone. Americans across the country are receiving
similar letters about dramatic premium increases, forcing them to make
impossible decisions; if they keep their coverage, how will they pay
for food and housing and child care? They can't.
Teresa, and everyone in the United States, should feel secure, not
fearful, when they get sick. They deserve better.
I am fighting to make health care accessible and affordable, and I'm
asking Republicans to join House Democrats in this important work.
We've had weeks to address the rising costs--to consider good-faith
proposals that could prevent pushing millions off a health care cliff.
But the Speaker of the House closed the United States House of
Representatives for business for seven weeks. That's no way to run
government.
This Continuing Resolution is a betrayal to the people we represent.
Outrageously, at the last-minute Republicans included a provision in
this bill that allows certain Republican Senators to sue the federal
government for hundreds of thousands of dollars in connection with
seizing their phone records regarding Jan. 6, 2021. This provision is a
get-rich-quick scheme for Senators who attempted to overthrow
democracy. It's the epitome of corruption and has no place in Congress
much less in a spending bill. I supported removing the language from
the bill, but Republican leadership didn't even let us vote on an
amendment to do that.
I invite my colleagues to listen to their constituents, vote no, come
back to the table, and join us in the work to make healthcare
affordable and accessible for all.
Mr. MOORE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, as we take up the Senate-
passed bill to reopen the government, I want to clarify that we should
be proceeding through regular order before taking any action that could
potentially impact the entire hemp industry and affect more than
220,000 American jobs.
Authorizing policy through an appropriations bill is counter to House
rules and undermines the jurisdiction of our authorizing committees.
Appropriations bills are intended to fund the operations of government,
not to rewrite permanent law.
The Agriculture Committee is the proper venue to hear from
stakeholders and debate this change. This provision should never have
been added to an appropriations bill on the floor of the Senate without
input from the farmers and small businesses who will be potentially
impacted.
What we need is a measured, transparent approach that prioritizes
public safety while preserving a viable path forward for an emerging
American industry. Once the government is reopened, I look forward to
working with my colleagues to restore certainty and stability for
farmers in North Carolina and throughout the U.S.
Ms. MACE. Mr. Speaker, while I support the Senate Amendment to H.R.
5371, which puts an end to the Democrats' reckless and unnecessary 43-
day government shutdown, I strongly oppose Section 781 of this bill,
which would deal a fatal blow to American farmers supplying the
regulated hemp industry and small businesses, and jeopardize tens of
billions of dollars in economic activity.
The 2018 Farm Bill expanded the definition of hemp and established a
successful framework for the hemp industry. Under this framework, the
hemp industry supports over 320,000 American jobs, generates $28.4
billion in regulated market activity, and produces some $1.5 billion in
state tax revenue.
The hemp industry has stepped forward to self-regulate in the absence
of uniform federal regulations--uniting behind a framework which
restricts the sale and possession of hemp products to adults 21 years
and older, standardizes packaging to eliminate ``look-a-like'' products
that are appealing to children, standardizes labeling to empower adult
consumers to make informed choices, and requires independent third-
party laboratory tests for consumable hemp products. They have been
asking Congress to pass legislation to responsibly regulate their
industry.
Rather than adopt this common-sense regulatory framework to protect
children and allow adults to make informed decisions, Section 781 of
this bill essentially imposes a national ban of all ingestible hemp
products with any ``quantifiable'' level of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC),
which represents between 90 and 95 percent of hemp products in the
marketplace, including the vast majority of non-intoxicating
cannabidiol (CBD) products offered in the marketplace.
Section 781 of this bill would needlessly and arbitrarily change the
definition of legal hemp rather than responsibly regulating the market,
This would effectively turn out the lights on America's legal hemp
farmers, preempt the work being done in states to create regulatory
frameworks for hemp products, and restrict consumer choice for the tens
of millions of Americans who use hemp-derived products.
Approximately 20 percent of American adults report using CBD or a
hemp-derived product in the preceding 12 months. These products are
here; they are widespread, and they are not going away. As the failed
war on drugs has shown, provisions like this drive out responsible
actors from the industry and embolden shady, black-market actors who
care not for consumer safety or the protection of children.
Rather than have a substantive, open debate on the future of hemp
policy in America, prohibitionists slipped this provision into a must-
pass government funding bill, forcing Members of Congress to choose
between voting their conscience on hemp and paying our military
servicemembers. This is wrong.
I opposed this language when prohibitionists tried to insert it into
the Agriculture-FDA Appropriations bill last fiscal year, I opposed the
language when they tried to insert it into the farm bill, I continue to
oppose this language. But I cannot vote to keep this government shut
down and force the approximately 35,000 military servicemembers in
South Carolina to work without pay.
In the year before this provision takes effect, I will work
tirelessly to reverse this harmful language and create a common-sense
regulatory framework which protects America's children, ensures product
quality, and preserves access to products used by tens of millions of
Americans.

[[Page H4664]]

The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
Pursuant to House Resolution 873, the previous question is ordered.
The question is on the motion by the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr.
Cole).
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 222,
nays 209, not voting 2, as follows:

[Roll No. 285]

YEAS--222

Aderholt
Alford
Allen
Amodei (NV)
Arrington
Babin
Bacon
Baird
Balderson
Barr
Barrett
Baumgartner
Bean (FL)
Begich
Bentz
Bergman
Bice
Biggs (AZ)
Biggs (SC)
Bilirakis
Boebert
Bost
Brecheen
Bresnahan
Buchanan
Burchett
Burlison
Calvert
Cammack
Carey
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Ciscomani
Cline
Cloud
Clyde
Cole
Collins
Comer
Crane
Crank
Crawford
Crenshaw
Cuellar
Davidson
Davis (NC)
De La Cruz
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Donalds
Downing
Dunn (FL)
Edwards
Ellzey
Emmer
Estes
Evans (CO)
Ezell
Fallon
Fedorchak
Feenstra
Fine
Finstad
Fischbach
Fitzgerald
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Flood
Fong
Foxx
Franklin, Scott
Fry
Fulcher
Garbarino
Gill (TX)
Gimenez
Golden (ME)
Goldman (TX)
Gonzales, Tony
Gooden
Gosar
Graves
Gray
Greene (GA)
Griffith
Grothman
Guest
Guthrie
Hageman
Hamadeh (AZ)
Haridopolos
Harrigan
Harris (MD)
Harris (NC)
Harshbarger
Hern (OK)
Higgins (LA)
Hill (AR)
Hinson
Houchin
Hudson
Huizenga
Hunt
Hurd (CO)
Issa
Jack
Jackson (TX)
James
Johnson (LA)
Johnson (SD)
Jordan
Joyce (OH)
Joyce (PA)
Kean
Kelly (MS)
Kelly (PA)
Kennedy (UT)
Kiggans (VA)
Kiley (CA)
Kim
Knott
Kustoff
LaHood
LaLota
LaMalfa
Langworthy
Latta
Lawler
Lee (FL)
Letlow
Loudermilk
Lucas
Luna
Luttrell
Mace
Mackenzie
Malliotakis
Maloy
Mann
Mast
McClain
McClintock
McCormick
McDowell
McGuire
Messmer
Meuser
Miller (IL)
Miller (OH)
Miller (WV)
Miller-Meeks
Mills
Moolenaar
Moore (AL)
Moore (NC)
Moore (UT)
Moore (WV)
Moran
Murphy
Nehls
Newhouse
Norman
Nunn (IA)
Obernolte
Ogles
Onder
Owens
Palmer
Patronis
Perez
Perry
Pfluger
Reschenthaler
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rose
Rouzer
Roy
Rulli
Rutherford
Salazar
Scalise
Schmidt
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Self
Sessions
Shreve
Simpson
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smucker
Spartz
Stauber
Stefanik
Steil
Strong
Stutzman
Suozzi
Taylor
Tenney
Thompson (PA)
Tiffany
Timmons
Turner (OH)
Valadao
Van Drew
Van Duyne
Van Orden
Wagner
Walberg
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Westerman
Wied
Williams (TX)
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Womack
Yakym
Zinke

NAYS--209

Adams
Aguilar
Amo
Ansari
Auchincloss
Balint
Barragan
Beatty
Bell
Bera
Beyer
Bishop
Bonamici
Boyle (PA)
Brown
Brownley
Budzinski
Bynum
Carbajal
Carson
Carter (LA)
Casar
Case
Casten
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Cherfilus-McCormick
Chu
Cisneros
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Conaway
Correa
Costa
Courtney
Craig
Crockett
Crow
Davids (KS)
Davis (IL)
Dean (PA)
DeGette
DeLauro
DelBene
Deluzio
DeSaulnier
Dexter
Dingell
Doggett
Elfreth
Escobar
Espaillat
Evans (PA)
Fields
Figures
Fletcher
Foster
Foushee
Frankel, Lois
Friedman
Frost
Garamendi
Garcia (CA)
Garcia (IL)
Garcia (TX)
Gillen
Goldman (NY)
Gomez
Gonzalez, V.
Goodlander
Gottheimer
Green, Al (TX)
Grijalva
Harder (CA)
Hayes
Himes
Horsford
Houlahan
Hoyer
Hoyle (OR)
Huffman
Ivey
Jackson (IL)
Jacobs
Jayapal
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (TX)
Kamlager-Dove
Kaptur
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kennedy (NY)
Khanna
Krishnamoorthi
Landsman
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Latimer
Lee (NV)
Lee (PA)
Leger Fernandez
Levin
Liccardo
Lieu
Lofgren
Lynch
Magaziner
Mannion
Massie
Matsui
McBath
McBride
McClain Delaney
McClellan
McCollum
McDonald Rivet
McGarvey
McGovern
McIver
Meeks
Menendez
Meng
Mfume
Min
Moore (WI)
Morelle
Morrison
Moskowitz
Moulton
Mrvan
Mullin
Nadler
Neal
Neguse
Norcross
Ocasio-Cortez
Olszewski
Omar
Pallone
Panetta
Pappas
Pelosi
Peters
Pettersen
Pingree
Pocan
Pou
Pressley
Quigley
Ramirez
Randall
Raskin
Riley (NY)
Rivas
Ross
Ruiz
Ryan
Salinas
Sanchez
Scanlon
Schakowsky
Schneider
Scholten
Schrier
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Sewell
Sherman
Sherrill
Simon
Smith (WA)
Sorensen
Soto
Stansbury
Stanton
Steube
Stevens
Strickland
Subramanyam
Swalwell
Sykes
Takano
Thanedar
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Titus
Tlaib
Tokuda
Tonko
Torres (CA)
Torres (NY)
Trahan
Tran
Underwood
Vargas
Vasquez
Veasey
Velazquez
Vindman
Walkinshaw
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Whitesides
Williams (GA)
Wilson (FL)

NOT VOTING--2

McCaul
Watson Coleman

{time} 2021

Ms. SCHOLTEN changed her vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
So the motion to concur was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

____________________