Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agency Appropriations Act, 2027 in plain language
Title I: Agricultural Programs
This title would fund the Department of Agriculture's headquarters offices and its research, marketing, food-safety, and regulatory agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2027.
For the Office of the Secretary, it would provide $55,261,000. Of this, up to $6,000,000 would go to the immediate Office of the Secretary (including $500,000 for the Office of Seafood), up to $15,259,000 to the Office of Homeland Security, up to $5,190,000 to the Office of Tribal Relations, up to $2,000,000 to the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement, up to $18,315,000 to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration (of which $17,015,000 is for Departmental Administration's management-support and general-administration work), up to $3,500,000 to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations and Intergovernmental Affairs, and up to $4,997,000 to the Office of Communications. Offices in the Administration mission area could use their salary funds to pay for one administrative support staffer. The Secretary could move money between these Office of the Secretary units but could not raise or lower any single office's funding by more than 5 percent. Up to $22,000 of the immediate office's funds could go to official reception and representation expenses. Departmental Administration funding would have to be reimbursed from other accounts in this Act for travel expenses tied to holding hearings required under 5 U.S.C. 551-558, the law governing agency administrative hearings. Congressional Relations and Intergovernmental Affairs funding would have to be passed through to other USDA agencies to keep staff at the agency level, and none of it could be spent more than 30 days after enactment unless the Secretary has told the House and Senate Appropriations Committees how the money is allocated by agency. During any 30-day notice period tied to section 716 of this Act (the provision requiring advance notice before certain reorganizations, closures, or relocations), the Secretary could not begin carrying out the notified action or publicly announce it.
Under Executive Operations, several offices would be funded: the Office of the Chief Economist would get $29,500,000, of which $10,000,000 is for policy-research grants and cooperative agreements and $500,000 is for a specific research-coordination duty under the 1994 USDA reorganization law; the Office of Hearings and Appeals would get $10,203,000; the Office of Budget and Program Analysis would get $13,967,000; the Office of the Chief Information Officer would get $134,913,000, of which at least $60,032,000 must go to department cybersecurity; the Office of the Chief Financial Officer would get $5,813,000; the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights would get $1,309,000; and the Office of Civil Rights would get $20,000,000.
Agriculture Buildings and Facilities would get $20,000,000, available until spent, for space rental, building operation, maintenance, repair, and consolidating unneeded space for return to the General Services Administration. Hazardous Materials Management would get $1,000,000, available until spent, for USDA's compliance with federal environmental cleanup laws (CERCLA and the Solid Waste Disposal Act); this money could be transferred to any USDA agency that needs it to meet those cleanup duties. The Office of Safety, Security, and Protection would get $19,100,000. The Office of Inspector General would get $99,975,000, including up to $125,000 for confidential investigative expenses such as paying informants. The Office of the General Counsel would get $46,500,000, and the Office of Ethics would get $4,136,000.
For Research, Education, and Economics, the Office of the Under Secretary would get $1,500,000 (of which $500,000 must go to the Office of the Chief Scientist); the Economic Research Service would get $90,612,000; and the National Agricultural Statistics Service would get $187,500,000, of which up to $48,500,000 is available until spent for the Census of Agriculture. The Secretary would have to give Congress 30 days' written notice before discontinuing any data-collection program or report.
The Agricultural Research Service's Salaries and Expenses account would get $1,795,813,000, spent according to a spending table in the committee report that goes with this Act. This money could fund land purchases up to $100,000 with advance congressional approval, and building projects generally capped at $500,000 per building (up to $1,800,000 for greenhouses or headhouses, up to $1,100,000 each for 10 specified buildings, and up to $5,000,000 each for 4 specified buildings); altering any one building would be capped at 10 percent of its replacement value or $500,000, whichever is more, except that this cap would not apply to modernizing or replacing facilities at Beltsville, Maryland, or to buildings needed under a 1948 law on animal-virus-serum-toxin control. The agency could lease sites to non-federal entities that build and own research facilities the agency then uses, could grant easements at Beltsville and elsewhere for similar non-federal-built research facilities (with the Secretary able to accept ownership of the finished facility if that serves the national interest), and could accept outside funding to establish or run research facilities or projects. Its Buildings and Facilities account would get $18,003,000, available until spent, per the report's community-project funding table.
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Research and Education Activities account would get $1,046,500,000 (of which $537,500,000 is available until spent and $7,000,000 through September 30, 2028), spent per the report's funding table. Every institution eligible for Evans-Allen program funds must get at least $1,000,000. Education grants for Alaska Native- and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions must be split equally between Alaska and Hawaii. Grants to 1890 land-grant institutions would go to those eligible under existing law. No more than 5 percent of Agriculture and Food Research Initiative funding, from this or any other Act, could be kept by the Secretary for administrative costs. The Native American Institutions Endowment Fund would get $11,880,000, available until spent. Extension Activities would get $557,100,000 (of which $33,500,000 is available until spent) for states, D.C., and several territories; institutions eligible for cooperative extension funding must get at least $1,000,000 each, and Smith-Lever Act funds could cover extension agents' retirement and workers'-compensation costs. Integrated Activities would get $39,100,000 (of which $8,000,000 is available through September 30, 2028); indirect costs could not be charged against Extension Implementation grants under the Crop Protection/Pest Management Program.
The Office of the Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs would get $1,200,000.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's Salaries and Expenses account would get $1,157,850,000 (of which $584,177,000 is available until spent and $8,500,000 through September 30, 2028), including up to $30,000 for overseas representation allowances. No money could fund a brucellosis eradication program this year unless states match at least 40 percent of its cost. In agricultural emergencies threatening any part of the farm sector, the Secretary could transfer money from other department accounts to fight contagious disease or pests in animals, poultry, or plants, must notify Congress within 15 days of any such transfer, and unspent emergency transfers would carry over and merge with the next year's transferred funds. Building alterations would be capped at 10 percent of replacement value. For fiscal year 2027, the agency could charge states, other governments, organizations, or individuals fees covering the full cost of technical assistance, goods, or services it provides them, as long as each entity's fee reasonably reflects what it received; the fees would be credited back to this account, without further appropriation, to keep providing such assistance. Its Buildings and Facilities account would get $500,000, available until spent.
The Agricultural Marketing Service's Marketing Services account would get $204,551,000, including $5,000,000 for a specific purpose under the Agricultural Act of 2014 and $1,000,000 for a purpose under a 2022 appropriations provision; $13,750,000 of the total, available until spent, would fund regional food-system work under a 2018 farm-bill provision, and the Secretary must divide that money equally among four regional innovation initiatives. Building alterations would be capped at 10 percent of replacement value. The agency could charge fees for standardization activities (except developing or maintaining federal grain standards). Its administrative expenses paid from collected fees would be capped at $62,596,000 for the year, though the agency could exceed that cap by up to 10 percent if crop size was understated or other uncontrollable events occur, after notifying Congress. Money under Section 32 of a 1935 law (used to support farm markets, income, and supply) could only fund authorized commodity-program and related operating expenses, except for transfers to the Commerce Department under a 1956 wildlife law, transfers elsewhere authorized in this Act, and up to $24,464,000 for administering marketing agreements and orders. Payments to state departments of agriculture and similar marketing agencies would get $500,000. Fee-funded inspection and weighing services would be capped at $55,000,000 for the year, with the same 10-percent, notify-Congress exception for grain-export oversight needs or other uncontrollable factors.
The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety would get $800,000. The Food Safety and Inspection Service would get $1,226,000,000, plus up to $1,000,000 credited from laboratory-accreditation fees, to run federal meat, poultry, and egg inspection. Funding for the Public Health Data Communication Infrastructure system would stay available until spent. At least 148 full-time positions must be dedicated solely to inspecting and enforcing the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act in fiscal year 2027. Building alterations would be capped at 10 percent of replacement value.
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I AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS Processing, research, and marketing Office of the secretary (INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS) For necessary expenses of the Office of the Secretary, $55,261,000 of which not to exceed $6,000,000 shall be available for the immediate Office of the Secretary, of which $500,000 shall be for the Office of Seafood; not to exceed $15,259,000 shall be available for the Office of Homeland Security; not to exceed $5,190,000 shall be available for the Office of Tribal Relations; not to exceed $2,000,000 shall be available for the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement; not to exceed $18,315,000 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 $4,997,000 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, $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, $10,203,000. OFFICE OF BUDGET AND PROGRAM ANALYSIS For necessary expenses of the Office of Budget and Program Analysis, $13,967,000. Office of the chief information officer For necessary expenses of the Office of the Chief Information Officer, $134,913,000, of which 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, $5,813,000. Office of the assistant secretary for civil rights For necessary expenses of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, $1,309,000: 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, $20,000,000. 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, $20,000,000, 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. ), $1,000,000, 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, $19,100,000. 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.), $99,975,000, 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, $46,500,000. Office of ethics For necessary expenses of the Office of Ethics, $4,136,000. 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, $1,500,000: 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, $187,500,000, of which up to $48,500,000 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, $1,795,813,000, which shall be for the purposes, and in the amounts, specified in the table titled Agricultural Research Service, Salaries and Expenses in the report accompanying this 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 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, $18,003,000, to remain available until expended, for the purposes, and in the amounts, specified for this account in the table titled Community Project Funding in the report accompanying this Act. 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, $1,046,500,000, 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 report accompanying this Act, of which $537,500,000 shall remain available until expended and of which $7,000,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2028: Provided, 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. 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, $557,100,000 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 report accompanying this 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, $39,100,000, 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 report accompanying this Act, of which $8,000,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2028: 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, $1,200,000: 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 ), $1,157,850,000 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 report accompanying this Act, of which $584,177,000 shall remain available until expended, and of which $8,500,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2028: 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 2027, 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, $204,551,000, of which $5,000,000 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 , and the Secretary shall take measures to ensure an equal distribution of funds between the four 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 $24,464,000 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, $800,000: 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 ), $1,226,000,000; 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 2027 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 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.
Title II: Farm Production and Conservation Programs
This title would fund USDA's farm-support, farm-credit, and conservation agencies.
The Office of the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation would get $1,000,000. The Farm Production and Conservation Business Center's Salaries and Expenses account would get $150,598,000, and $70,740,000 already appropriated this year under the Commodity Credit Corporation's annual conservation-program funding provision in the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(a)) would be transferred into and merged with this account.
The Farm Service Agency's Salaries and Expenses account would get $1,105,526,000, of which at least $15,000,000 must go to hiring new employees to fill vacancies at county offices and farm loan officer positions, available through September 30, 2028. By the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2027, the agency must report to Congress on each operational IT project's performance against customer-satisfaction and service-level measures, its cost baseline, planned spending on upgrades, and whether it still meets business needs. The Secretary could use the Commodity Credit Corporation's services and facilities, but not its money, to make payments for any FSA-administered program, and other funds available to the agency could be advanced into and merged with this account. Of the total, $696,594,000 would go to county offices and stay available until spent, though the FSA Administrator could shift money to or from county offices if it is judged to exceed or fall short of what a county office needs. None of this or any other Act's funds could be used to close FSA county offices, and none could be used to permanently relocate county-based employees in a way that would leave an office with two or fewer employees, without prior notice to and approval from Congress's Appropriations Committees.
State Mediation Grants would get $6,500,000, and the Secretary could treat U.S. territories and federally recognized tribes as states for this grant program. The Grassroots Source Water Protection Program would get $8,000,000, available until spent, for wellhead and groundwater protection work. The Dairy Indemnity Program would get such sums as necessary, available until spent, to pay dairy farmers and manufacturers for losses, run the same way it was under a 2001 law.
The Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund Program Account would carry loan totals of: $4,663,756,000 for guaranteed farm ownership loans and $1,241,992,000 for direct farm ownership loans; $2,000,000,000 for unsubsidized guaranteed operating loans and $1,633,000,000 for direct operating loans; $14,388,000 for emergency loans; $20,000,000 for Indian tribe land acquisition loans; $150,000,000 for guaranteed conservation loans; and $60,000,000 for boll weevil eradication loans (with the Secretary treating the pink bollworm as a boll weevil for this purpose). For the cost of these direct and guaranteed loans and grants, the bill would provide $1,062,000 for emergency loans (available until spent) and $30,553,000 for direct farm ownership loans. An additional $326,053,000 would cover administrative expenses for running these loan programs, of which $305,803,000 would be paid over to the Farm Service Agency's Salaries and Expenses account. Money appropriated to this account for farm ownership, operating, conservation, and emergency loans and guarantees could be shifted among these programs, but only after telling Congress at least 15 days in advance.
The Risk Management Agency's Salaries and Expenses account would get $60,345,000, of which $1,000,000 must support crop-insurance compliance and integrity work required by federal law, on top of money otherwise provided for that purpose; up to $1,000 could go to official reception and representation expenses.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service's Conservation Operations account would get $800,000,000 (available until September 30, 2028), spent per the report's funding table, of which $49,005,500 is earmarked in the report's community-project table. This money would fund conservation planning, soil and water management, plant-materials centers, soil mapping, and related land and building work; building projects at plant-materials centers are capped generally, with alterations to other buildings capped at $250,000; when structures are built on non-federal land, the right to use that land must first be secured. Of the total, $2,000,000 must fund the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Program, and grant recipients under that program would face a 50 percent cost-share requirement.
Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations would get $35,000,000, available until spent, for watershed and flood-prevention work; the usual 250,000-acre size limit on eligible watersheds would apply only to projects whose primary purpose is flood prevention, and $10,000,000 of the funds must go to states actively running corrugated-metal-pipe pilot projects with NRCS. The Watershed Rehabilitation Program would get $3,000,000.
A general Corporations provision would let the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, and other named government corporations spend within their available funds and borrowing authority, and make multi-year contracts and commitments, to carry out their budgeted programs. The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Fund would get such sums as necessary, available until spent, to make payments required by the Federal Crop Insurance Act.
For the Commodity Credit Corporation Fund, such sums as necessary would reimburse CCC for net realized losses not yet repaid. Up to $5,000,000 of CCC's funds tied to its Foreign Agricultural Service business could be transferred to FAS for information-resource-management work unrelated to CCC business. The Secretary must notify Congress in writing 15 days before obligating, committing, transferring, or cancelling any CCC emergency funds, and that notice must include a detailed spending plan and timeline whenever the amount involved exceeds $100,000,000. For hazardous-waste management, CCC could not spend more than $15,000,000 this year on site investigation, cleanup, and related operation and maintenance needed to comply with federal environmental-cleanup law.
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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, $1,000,000: 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, $150,598,000: 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, $1,105,526,000, 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, 2028: Provided, That the agency shall submit a report by the end of the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2027 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 ), $8,000,000, 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). 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 ), and guaranteed conservation loans ( 7 U.S.C. 1924 et seq. ), to be available from funds in the Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund, as follows: $4,663,756,000 for guaranteed farm ownership loans and $1,241,992,000 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: $1,062,000 for emergency loans, to remain available until expended; and $30,553,000 for farm ownership direct 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, $60,345,000: 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, $800,000,000, which shall be for the purposes and in the amounts specified in the table titled Natural Resources Conservation Service, Conservation Operations in the report accompanying this Act, to remain available until September 30, 2028, of which $49,005,500 shall for be for the purposes, and in the amounts specified for this account in the table titled Community Project Funding in the report accompanying this 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: Provided further, That of the total amount available under this heading, $2,000,000 shall be for necessary expenses to carry out the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Program under section 222 of subtitle A of title II of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 ( 7 U.S.C. 6923 ), as amended by section 12302 of Public Law 115–334 : Provided further, That for grants provided through the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Program, grant recipients shall be subject to a fifty percent cost-share requirement. 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, $35,000,000, to remain available until expended: 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 projects in states that are actively engaged in corrugated metal pipe pilot projects with NRCS. 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
This title would fund USDA's rural housing, business, and utilities loan and grant programs.
The Office of the Under Secretary for Rural Development would get $1,000,000. Rural Development's Salaries and Expenses account would get $270,000,000, of which at least $75,000,000, available until spent, must go to information-technology expenses; this money could also pay for advertising and promotion of Rural Development programs. Fees collected under a Housing Act provision on guaranteed loans would be credited to this account and stay available until spent for that purpose. Of the total, $2,000,000, available until spent, would fund a pilot program helping rural hospitals improve long-term operations and financial health through technical assistance analyzing their management practices.
The Rural Housing Insurance Fund Program Account would carry loan totals of $1,000,000,000 for section 502 direct loans, $6,000,000 for a Single Family Housing Relending demonstration program for Native American tribes, $25,000,000,000 (available through September 30, 2028) 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 acquired single-family housing, $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 these loans and grants, the bill would provide $132,900,000 for section 502 direct loans, $2,653,000 for the tribal relending demonstration, $4,270,000 for section 504 repair loans, $16,640,000 (available until spent) for section 515 rental-housing repair, rehabilitation, and new construction, $655,000 for section 523 loans, $471,000 for section 524 loans, $5,057,000 (available until spent) for section 514 farm-labor housing loans, and $6,000,000 (available until spent) for farm-labor housing grants. The Secretary could adjust fees on section 538 guaranteed loans to cover their projected cost, but could not subsidize the interest on them. Applicants in communities with a current rural-area waiver would count as living in a rural area for section 502 guaranteed loans. At least $5,000,000 of the section 502 direct-loan funds must, until June 1, 2027, go to people building homes under a mutual and self-help housing grant. The Secretary must set up incentives, including allowing a return on initial equity investment and reimbursement of up to $15,000 per property for asset-management oversight costs, to encourage nonprofits and public housing authorities to acquire multi-family properties and keep them in the program. An additional $30,000,000, available until spent, would fund a demonstration program restructuring existing USDA multi-family rental-housing loans (sections 514, 515, and 516) to preserve safe, affordable housing for low-income residents and farm laborers, including by reducing or eliminating interest, deferring payments, adjusting debt, and other financial assistance, conditioned on a restrictive-use agreement matching the restructuring. A further $412,254,000 would cover administrative expenses, paid to the Rural Development Salaries and Expenses account.
The Rental Assistance Program would get $1,795,000,000, plus such additional sums as needed to pay off pre-1992 rental-assistance debt. New agreements for maturing loans that cannot reasonably be restructured would be capped at 5,000 units. The Secretary could enter rental-assistance contracts on maturing properties for 10 to 20 years, with rents based on HUD's Fair Market Rent methodology (or a higher, budget-based rent if the Agency finds it necessary). Agreements entered or renewed this year would run for one year. Owners under sections 514 or 515 could ask for a 20-year renewal (or one matching the loan term), subject to future appropriations. Unspent balances from one-year agreements could fund debt reduction, maintenance, repair, rehabilitation, preservation, or further rental assistance. Rental assistance tied to a pre-2027 farm-labor housing agreement could not be moved to another project until it has gone unused for 12 straight months, if the project has a waiting list or eligible tenants not receiving it, and any such recaptured assistance should go to another farm-labor housing project where practical; otherwise, the Secretary could recapture rental assistance from a project no longer needing it and use the funds for current needs.
The Rural Housing Voucher Account would get $48,000,000, available until spent, to fund vouchers for low-income households (whether or not they receive rental assistance) living in a section 515 property that was prepaid or paid off after September 30, 2005, and that is not getting stand-alone rental assistance; the voucher would cover the gap between market rent and what the tenant pays, subject to available appropriations, and would be run, as much as practical, like HUD's Section 8 voucher program. Up to $1,000,000 could go to administering these vouchers.
Mutual and Self-Help Housing Grants would get $25,000,000, available until spent. Rural Housing Assistance Grants, for very-low-income housing repair and preservation, would get $26,000,000, available until spent.
The Rural Community Facilities Program Account would carry loan totals of $1,250,000,000 for direct loans and $650,000,000 for guaranteed loans. For the cost of these loans and grants, it would get $422,980,252, available until spent, of which $398,527,252 is earmarked in the report's community-project table. Of the total, $5,000,000 must fund a Rural Community Development Initiative building the capacity of nonprofit housing and community-development groups, low-income rural communities, and federally recognized tribes, with the recipient organizations required to bring at least matching funds from other sources. Unobligated prior-year balances (other than ones designated as an emergency requirement or earmarked in a prior report) could cover this year's loan and grant costs, and any use of such balances for grants specifically would need prior notice to and approval from Congress. Of the total, $19,453,000 must fund community-facilities grants, of which $8,000,000 is for grants to tribal colleges and $1,000,000, available until spent, funds a pilot program, run with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, helping rural hospitals modernize aging facilities, prioritizing critical-access hospitals getting Rural Health Transformation Program help. Up to $1,000,000 could cover administrative expenses for this account.
Under Rural Business-Cooperative Service programs: the Rural Business Program Account would carry $2,000,000,000 in guaranteed-loan totals, and its cost of loan guarantees and grants would be $63,600,000, available until spent, of which $38,600,000 is for business and industry guaranteed loans, $18,000,000 for rural business development grants, $7,000,000 split among the Delta Regional Authority, Northern Border Regional Commission, Southwest Border Regional Commission, and Appalachian Regional Commission (capped at 5 percent for administration), and $4,000,000 for business grants benefiting federally recognized tribes, including $250,000 for a national rural-transportation technical-assistance grant. The Intermediary Relending Program Fund Account would carry $9,000,000 in direct-loan principal, with $2,631,000 for the cost of those loans, of which $263,000 (through June 30, 2027) is reserved for tribes and $526,000 (through the same date) for Mississippi Delta Region counties; $4,468,000 would cover administrative expenses, paid to Rural Development Salaries and Expenses. The Rural Economic Development Loans Program Account would carry $50,000,000 in direct-loan principal for rural economic-development and job-creation projects, with grant costs under the same authority capped at $10,000,000. Rural Cooperative Development Grants would get $17,600,000, including $2,800,000 for appropriate-technology-transfer agreements, $3,000,000 for cooperative-development centers serving socially disadvantaged groups, $6,500,000 (available until spent) for value-added agricultural product market-development grants, and $1,000,000 (available until spent) for Agriculture Innovation Centers. The Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program would carry $15,000,000 in direct-loan principal, with $3,600,000 for the cost of those loans and related grants. The Rural Energy for America Program would carry $50,000,000 in loan-guarantee principal, with $1,890,000 for the cost of those loans.
Under Rural Utilities Service programs: the Rural Water and Waste Disposal Program Account would carry $1,015,000,000 in direct-loan principal and $50,000,000 in guaranteed-loan principal, with $385,343,050 for the cost of these loans and grants, available until spent. Of that, $75,824,000 is for direct loans (at least $4,224,000 of which must fund 1-percent loans for distressed communities), $1,000,000 and $5,000,000 fund two specific rural-utilities program provisions, $7,000,000 funds additional grants under one such provision, $20,000,000 funds loans and grants including water and waste-disposal grants for tribes and Hawaiian Home Lands, and up to 2 percent each could go to Alaska and to a related regional consortium for training and technical assistance under a further provision. Of the total, $35,000,000 must fund technical-assistance grants for rural water and waste systems (unless the Secretary finds extreme need otherwise), including $11,000,000 for a qualified multi-state nonprofit helping small communities of 3,300 people or fewer and at least $800,000 for a national Native American organization assisting tribal water systems; $24,000,000 must fund a circuit-rider technical-assistance contracting program; $4,000,000 must fund solid-waste-management grants; and $213,519,050 must fund grants under a further provision, of which $135,519,050 is earmarked in the report's community-project table. Unobligated direct-loan subsidy funds left after July 31, 2027, could be shifted to grant programs under this heading, and unobligated prior-year balances (other than emergency-designated or earmarked funds) could cover this year's subsidy costs.
The Rural Electrification and Telecommunications Loans Program Account would carry loan and guarantee totals of $2,867,000,000 for guaranteed rural electric loans, $4,533,000,000 for cost-of-money direct loans, $910,000,000 for guaranteed underwriting loans, $350,000,000 for cost-of-money rural telecommunications loans, and $200,000,000 for guaranteed rural telecommunications loans. The cost of the direct telecommunications loans would be $3,185,000. An additional $4,535,000, available until spent, would fund energy-efficiency loans under a 2002 law, and the energy-efficiency measures funded must demonstrably help cut greenhouse gases. A further $33,270,000 would cover administrative expenses, paid to Rural Development Salaries and Expenses.
The Distance Learning, Telemedicine, and Broadband Program would get $33,160,198, available until spent, for telemedicine and distance-learning grants, of which $3,160,198 is earmarked in the report's community-project table and $3,000,000 must fund grants that require meeting specific consortium eligibility criteria. An additional $40,000,000, available until spent, would continue a broadband loan-and-grant pilot program first created in 2018; at least 90 percent of the households served by a funded project must lack sufficient broadband access, defined as below 25 megabits per second downstream and 3 megabits per second upstream; funded projects should build out to at least 100 megabits per second downstream and 20 megabits per second upstream where possible; a loan or grant recipient could not use the money to overbuild or duplicate service already provided by another Rural Utilities Service broadband-loan recipient unless that existing service falls short of the minimum threshold; administrative costs would be capped at 4 percent of the funds and technical assistance and pre-development planning at 3 percent. A further $15,000,000, available until spent, would fund the Community Connect Grant Program.
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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, $1,000,000: 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; $270,000,000: 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, 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; $6,000,000 shall be for a Single Family Housing Relending demonstration program for Native American Tribes; and $25,000,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2028, 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, $132,900,000; Single Family Housing Relending demonstration program for Native American Tribes, $2,653,000; section 504 housing repair loans, $4,270,000; repair, rehabilitation, and new construction of section 515 rental housing, $16,640,000, to remain available until expended; section 523 self-help housing land development loans, $655,000; section 524 site development loans, $471,000; section 514 farm labor housing loans, $5,057,000, 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, 2027: 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 $15,000 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, $1,795,000,000, 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 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 2027 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 2027 for a project that the Secretary determines no longer needs rental assistance and use such recaptured funds for current needs. 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, $26,000,000, 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, $422,980,252 to remain available until expended, of which $398,527,252 shall be for the purposes, and in the amounts, specified for this account in the table titled Community Project Funding in the report accompanying this 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 and or loan guarantees 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 $19,453,000 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 and of which $1,000,000, to remain available until expended, shall be for the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out a pilot program in coordination with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator that assists rural hospitals in modernizing aging facilities by giving preference to critical access hospitals receiving assistance from the Rural Health Transformation Program: 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) ), $2,000,000,000. 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, $63,600,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That of the amount appropriated under this heading, $38,600,000 shall be for business and industry guaranteed loans: Provided further , That of the amount appropriated under this heading, $18,000,000 shall be for rural business development grants as authorized by section 310B(c) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act: Provided further, That of the amount appropriated under this heading, $7,000,000 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, $2,631,000 as authorized by the Intermediary Relending Program Fund Account ( 7 U.S.C. 1936b ), of which $263,000 shall be available through June 30, 2027, for Federally Recognized Native American Tribes; and of which $526,000 shall be available through June 30, 2027, 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 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 ), $17,600,000: Provided, That of the amount appropriated under this heading, $2,800,000 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; $6,500,000, 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 ), $15,000,000. For the cost of loans and grants, $3,600,000 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 ), $50,000,000. For the cost of loans, $1,890,000 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 ). 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, $385,343,050 to remain available until expended: Provided, That $75,824,000 of the amount appropriated under this heading shall be available for direct loans, of which no less than $4,224,000 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: 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 $20,000,000 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 $11,000,000 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 $24,000,000 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 $213,519,050 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 $135,519,050 shall be for the purposes, and in the amounts, specified for this account in the table titled Community Project Funding in the report accompanying this Act: Provided further, That if any funds made available for the direct loan subsidy costs under this heading remain unobligated after July 31, 2027, 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, $2,867,000,000; 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, $4,533,000,000; 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. 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, $3,185,000. In addition, $4,535,000, 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. , $33,160,198, to remain available until expended, of which $3,160,198 shall be for the purposes, and in the amounts, specified for this account in the table titled Community Project Funding in the report accompanying this 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. 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. ), $40,000,000, to remain available until expended: 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, $15,000,000, to remain available until expended, for the Community Connect Grant Program authorized by 7 U.S.C. 950bb–3 .
Title IV: Domestic Food Programs
This title would fund USDA's nutrition-assistance programs.
The Office of the Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services would get $800,000.
Child Nutrition Programs (school lunch and most of the Child Nutrition Act, apart from a few excluded sections covered elsewhere in this title) would get $37,900,930,000, available through September 30, 2028. Of that total, $18,004,000 must fund a specific Child Nutrition Act provision, $22,378,000, available until spent, must fund studies and evaluations, and $5,000,000, available until spent, must fund a farm-to-school grant provision, under which no single farm-to-school grant recipient could get more than $500,000 in fiscal year 2027. A further $5,000,000 must fund competitive grants to state agencies, which they would pass on to local school districts and schools, to buy equipment worth more than $1,000 that serves healthier meals, improves food safety, or helps start, maintain, or expand a school breakfast program. Another $4,470,000 must fund food-safety education, including activities supporting safe distribution of USDA-donated foods. The bill would also extend, by one year through 2028, whatever provision or program is set out in section 26(d) of the National School Lunch Act, and would update two fiscal-year cross-references in section 9(h) of that Act from fiscal year 2026 to fiscal year 2027, continuing for another year whatever rule those subsections govern.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) would get $8,000,000,000, available through September 30, 2028. At least $90,000,000 must fund breastfeeding peer counselors and related activities, exceeding the program's usual cap on that spending. The Secretary must set the cash-value fruit-and-vegetable voucher at 267 percent of its fiscal year 2020 level for children and 428 percent of its fiscal year 2020 level for women. None of the funds could buy infant formula except under the law's cost-containment and competitive-bidding rules. State agencies must let WIC participants use fresh, frozen, canned, and dried fruits and vegetables across Food Packages III through VIII. None of the funds could cover activities not fully reimbursed by other federal agencies unless the law allows it. Once a federally mandated vendor moratorium ends, the Secretary could waive a specific vendor regulation at a state agency's request.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would get $101,241,955,000, of which $3,000,000,000, available through September 30, 2029, would sit in reserve for program operations as needed. The funds would be spent under the Food and Nutrition Act's normal rules. Of the total, $998,000 could fund nutrition-education services for states and tribes running the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, $3,000,000, available through September 30, 2028, would fund tribal-organization demonstration projects under a 2018 farm-bill provision, and $4,000,000 would fund a further 2018 farm-bill provision. The program would remain subject to existing work-registration and workfare requirements. Employment and Training funds, along with funds tied to two specific Food and Nutrition Act sections, would stay available through September 30, 2028. None of the funds could be used in violation of the federal immigration sponsor-liability law. Funds could pay for contracts and staff to conduct studies, evaluations, or program-integrity work authorized by the Food and Nutrition Act.
The Commodity Assistance Program would get $546,070,000, available through September 30, 2028, including $460,000,000 for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, $75,000,000 under the Emergency Food Assistance Act, $1,070,000 for assistance to nuclear-affected islands, and $10,000,000 for the Farmers' Market Nutrition Program. None of this money could reimburse the Commodity Credit Corporation for commodities it donates to these programs. Funds supporting the Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program would stay available through September 30, 2028. Up to 20 percent of a related Food and Nutrition Act provision's funds could cover the cost of distributing commodities.
Nutrition Programs Administration would get $135,234,000 to run the Food and Nutrition Service's administrative work, of which $2,000,000 must fund a specific purpose under existing law.
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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, $800,000: 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; $37,900,930,000 to remain available through September 30, 2028, 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, $18,004,000 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, $22,378,000 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 2027 shall not exceed $500,000: Provided further, That of the total amount available, $5,000,000 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, $4,470,000 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 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 2027 and inserting 2010 through 2028 : 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 2026 and inserting For fiscal year 2027 : 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 2026 and inserting For fiscal year 2027 . 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 ), $8,000,000,000, to remain available through September 30, 2028: 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: Provided further, That the Secretary shall use funds made available under this heading to provide a cash-value voucher for women and children participants that is set at an amount equal to 267 percent of the amount provided for such voucher in fiscal year 2020 for children participants, and 428 percent of the amount provided for such voucher in such fiscal year for women participants: 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 the Secretary shall require State agencies to authorize fresh, frozen, canned, and dried fruit and vegetables for Food Packages III, IV, V, VI, VII, and VIII under the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children established under section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 ( 42 U.S.C. 1786 ): 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. ), $101,241,955,000, of which $3,000,000,000, to remain available through September 30, 2029, 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, 2028, 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, 2028: Provided further, That funds made available under this heading for section 4(b) and section 27(a) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 shall remain available through September 30, 2028: 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, $546,070,000, to remain available through September 30, 2028, 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), $75,000,000 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 2027 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, 2028: 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. NUTRITION PROGRAMS ADMINISTRATION For necessary administrative expenses of the Food and Nutrition Service for carrying out any domestic nutrition assistance program, $135,234,000: 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
This title would fund USDA's international trade and food-aid work.
The Office of the Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs would get $614,000. The Office of Codex Alimentarius would get $4,922,000, including up to $100,000 for official reception and representation expenses.
The Foreign Agricultural Service's Salaries and Expenses account would get $230,000,000, including up to $250,000 for overseas representation allowances, of which no more than 6 percent could stay available through September 30, 2028, for overseas operations, including paying locally employed staff. The Service could use advances of funds or reimburse this appropriation for work done for other federal agencies and public or private organizations under agricultural food-production assistance agreements. Of the total, $5,000,000, available until spent, would fund the Cochran Fellowship Program, $4,000,000, available until spent, would fund the Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship program, and up to $2,000,000, available until spent, could offset international currency-exchange-rate swings.
Food for Peace Title II Grants would get $900,000,000, available until spent, to cover current and unrecovered prior costs for commodities and related expenses shipped abroad under Title II of the Food for Peace Act.
The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program would get $240,000,000, available until spent. The Commodity Credit Corporation could provide services and facilities to help run the program, reimbursed from this money. Of the total, at least $24,000,000 but no more than 10 percent must stay available until spent to buy agricultural commodities for the program.
The Commodity Credit Corporation Export (Loans) Credit Guarantee Program Account would get $6,063,000 to cover administrative overhead for CCC's GSM 102 and GSM 103 export-guarantee programs, paid over to the Foreign Agricultural Service's Salaries and Expenses account.
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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, $614,000: 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 ), $230,000,000, of which no more than 6 percent shall remain available until September 30, 2028, 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 ): 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. 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 and expenses supplied in connection with dispositions abroad under title II of said Act, $900,000,000, 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 Agencies and Food and Drug Administration
This title would fund the Food and Drug Administration and two independent financial regulators tied to agriculture.
The FDA's Salaries and Expenses account would get $7,109,336,000 in total, made up partly of user fees that stay available until spent: $1,639,642,000 in prescription-drug user fees, $560,251,000 in medical-device user fees, $704,432,000 in human generic-drug user fees, $61,985,000 in biosimilar user fees, $36,374,000 in animal-drug user fees, $28,559,000 in generic new-animal-drug user fees, and $712,000,000 in tobacco-product user fees. Any prescription-drug, medical-device, human generic-drug, biosimilar, animal-drug, or generic new-animal-drug user fees (not tobacco-product fees) collected above their fiscal year 2027 caps would also be appropriated and stay available until spent, and fees of those same six types assessed for fiscal year 2027 (even if collected earlier) would count against those caps; the Secretary could accept fiscal year 2028 fee payments early, in fiscal year 2027, without counting them against the 2027 caps. None of this money could be used to create a new user-fee program under general fee-collection law. Of the total, $1,279,088,000 would go to the Human Foods Program and related field activities (at least $15,000,000 of which must fund foreign seafood-manufacturer inspections and import exams); $2,536,961,000 to the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and related field activities (at least $10,000,000, available until spent, for pilots expanding unannounced foreign inspections); $576,096,000 to the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research; $268,032,000 to the Center for Veterinary Medicine; $985,566,000 to the Center for Devices and Radiological Health; $69,453,000 to the National Center for Toxicological Research; $687,120,000 to the Center for Tobacco Products; $257,928,000 to rent and related activities (of which $44,400,000 is for White Oak Consolidation, not counting payments to the General Services Administration); $154,335,000 to General Services Administration rent payments; and $294,757,000 to other activities, including the Commissioner's office, the Chief Scientist, the Chief Medical Officer, and shared central services. Up to $25,000 could go to official reception and representation expenses. Any transfer under a specific Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act provision could come only from the non-user-fee 'other activities' money and could not exceed $2,000,000. Of that same non-user-fee 'other activities' money, $1,500,000 would be transferred to the HHS Office of Inspector General to help oversee FDA programs and operations, on top of its other FDA-oversight funding. Money could move between the ten listed activities only with the prior approval of Congress's Appropriations Committees. Several additional fee types (mammography, export certification, priority review, food and feed recall, reinspection, voluntary qualified importer program, outsourcing facility, drug-wholesaler and third-party-logistics licensing and inspection, third-party auditor, medical countermeasure priority review voucher, and over-the-counter monograph drug fees) would also be credited to this account and stay available until spent. FDA's Buildings and Facilities account would get $1,000,000, available until spent.
Among the independent agencies funded here, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission would get $355,000,000, including up to $3,000 for reception and representation expenses and up to $25,000 for hosting meetings with foreign regulators, of which at least $80,000,000 would stay available through September 30, 2029, and at least $5,773,000 must fund its Office of Inspector General. Despite a general federal limit on multi-year lease obligations, this money could cover current-year payments on leases signed before enactment, and any lease obligations that should have been recorded against now-closed accounts would be moved into a dedicated no-year Treasury account created to record and pay them off.
The Farm Credit Administration's administrative expenses, drawn from assessments on farm-credit institutions (including the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation), would be capped at $106,500,000 for the year; this cap would not apply to receivership expenses, and the agency could exceed it by up to 10 percent after notifying Congress. The agency could also exempt, at its discretion, certain guaranteed or insured export loans from a specific limitation in the Farm Credit Act.
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VI RELATED AGENCIES 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 ; $7,109,336,000: Provided, That of the amount provided under this heading, $1,639,642,000 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; $560,251,000 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; $704,432,000 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; $61,985,000 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; $36,374,000 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; $28,559,000 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 2027 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 2027, including any such fees collected prior to fiscal year 2027 but credited for fiscal year 2027, shall be subject to the fiscal year 2027 limitations: Provided further, That the Secretary may accept payment during fiscal year 2027 of user fees specified under this heading and authorized for fiscal year 2028, prior to the due date for such fees, and that amounts of such fees assessed for fiscal year 2028 for which the Secretary accepts payment in fiscal year 2027 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) $1,279,088,000 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) $2,536,961,000 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) $576,096,000 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) $268,032,000 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) $985,566,000 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) $69,453,000 shall be for the National Center for Toxicological Research; (7) $687,120,000 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) $257,928,000 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) $154,335,000 shall be for payments to the General Services Administration for rent; and (10) $294,757,000 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 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, $1,000,000, to remain available until expended. INDEPENDENT AGENCIES Commodity Futures Trading Commission (INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS) For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act ( 7 U.S.C. 1 et seq. ), including the purchase and hire of passenger motor vehicles, and the rental of space (to include multiple year leases), in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, $355,000,000, including not to exceed $3,000 for official reception and representation expenses, and not to exceed $25,000 for the expenses for consultations and meetings hosted by the Commission with foreign governmental and other regulatory officials, of which not less than $80,000,000 shall remain available until September 30, 2029, and of which not less than $5,773,000 shall be for expenses of the Office of the Inspector General: Provided, That notwithstanding the limitations in 31 U.S.C. 1553 , amounts provided under this heading are available for the liquidation of obligations equal to current year payments on leases entered into prior to the date of enactment of this Act: Provided further, That for the purpose of recording and liquidating any lease obligations that should have been recorded and liquidated against accounts closed pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 1552 , and consistent with the preceding proviso, such amounts shall be transferred to and recorded in a no-year account in the Treasury, which has been established for the sole purpose of recording adjustments for and liquidating such unpaid obligations. 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
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VII GENERAL PROVISIONS (INCLUDING RESCISSIONS AND TRANSFERS OF FUNDS) 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 2027 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 . 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. 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. 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, 2028, for information technology expenses. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 $1,717,000,000 (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—$41,862,000: Provided, That, of the total funds made available in the matter preceding this proviso that remain unobligated on October 1, 2027, such unobligated balances shall carryover into fiscal year 2028 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. 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 2027 appropriations Act. 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, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, or the Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (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, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, or the Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (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, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, or the Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission 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, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, or the Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission 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. 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. 718. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, 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, non-Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or non-Farm Credit Administration employee. 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. 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. 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, the Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, 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 such obligation plan shall serve as the baseline for reprogramming notifications for the purposes of section 716 of this Act. 722. 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. 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. 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 for loans and loan guarantees authorized by Sections 4 and 306 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 ( 7 U.S.C. 936 ) that do not require budget authority and for which the program level has been authorized under this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture may increase the program level for such loans and loan guarantees by not more than 50 percent: Provided further, 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. 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. 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 ). 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 . 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. 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 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. 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. 736. For school years 2026–2027 and 2027–2028, 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 ). 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. 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) ). 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) ). 740. 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 . 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 Secretary, 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. 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. ). 743. For school year 2027–2028, only a school food authority that had a negative balance in the nonprofit school food service account as of June 30, 2026, 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) ). 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. 745. For fiscal year 2027, 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. 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. 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. 748. Section 7502 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 ( Public Law 110–246 ; 122 Stat. 2019) is amended by striking or otherwise be conveyed or transferred in whole or in part, for the period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and ending on September 30, 2026 and inserting beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act . 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. (RESCISSION OF FUNDS) 750. Of the unobligated balances made available by section 22006 of Public Law 117– 169, $95,000,000 are hereby permanently cancelled: Provided, That no amounts shall be cancelled 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. 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. 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. 753. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall— (1) amend the covered Food Packages to require the inclusion of peanut-containing foods for the purposes of early introduction of potentially allergenic foods; and (2) ensure that all such peanut-containing foods eligible are safe for consumption by infants. (b) The Secretary of Agriculture shall carry out subsection (a) in a manner consistent with the recommendations for early introduction of peanut-containing foods included in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030, published under section 301 of the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1990 ( 7 U.S.C. 5341 ). (c) In this section, the term “covered Food Packages” means Food Packages I and II under section 246.10 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations, as amended by the rule entitled “Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): Revisions to the WIC Food Packages” published by the Department of Agriculture in the Federal Register on April 18, 2024 (89 Fed. Reg. 28488). 754. Section 9(a)(2) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1758(a)(2) ) is amended — (1) in subparagraph (A), in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking Act— and inserting Act and breakfasts served by schools participating in the school breakfast program under section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 ( 42 U.S.C. 1773 )— ; (2) in subparagraph (C), by inserting or the school breakfast program under section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 ( 42 U.S.C. 1773 ) after Act ; and (3) in subparagraph (D), by striking section 210.10 and inserting sections 210.10 and 220.8 . 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 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. 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). 757. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used by the Secretary of Agriculture, the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, the Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or the Chairman of the Farm Credit Administration to fly or display a flag over a facility of the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or the Farm Credit Administration other than the flag of the United States; the flag of a State, territory, the District of Columbia; the flag of an Indian Tribal Government; the official flag of a U.S. Department or agency; or the Prisoners of War/Missing in Action flag. 758. None of the funds made available by this or any other Act thereafter may be used to write, prepare, or publish a proposed rule, final rule, or an interim final rule in furtherance of, or otherwise to implement or enforce the final rule entitled Transparency in Poultry Grower Contracting and Tournaments , published by the Department of Agriculture in the Federal Register on November 28, 2023 (88 Fed. Reg. 83210 et seq.), the final rule entitled Inclusive Competition and Market Integrity Under the Packers and Stockyards Act , published by the Department of Agriculture in the Federal Register on March 6, 2024 (89 Fed. Reg. 16092 et seq.), the final rule entitled Poultry Grower Payment Systems and Capital Improvement Systems , published by the Department of Agriculture in the Federal Register on January 16, 2025 (90 Fed. Reg. 5146 et seq.), the proposed rule entitled Fair and Competitive Livestock and Poultry Markets , published by the Department of Agriculture in the Federal Register on June 28, 2024 (89 Fed. Reg. 53886 et seq.), or any subsequent substantially similar rulemaking effort, except that funds may be used to, and the Secretary of Agriculture shall, withdraw or rescind any such proposed rules, advanced notices of proposed rulemaking, and any such rules that may have been finalized, and discontinue and provide notice of closure to affected parties of any investigations or enforcement activities pending under said rules. 759. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used by the Department of Agriculture to implement or enforce the reduced maximum allowable loan limit of 60 percent established in Field Office Handbook-1-3550 for loans issued made on or after February 10, 2026 (PN655); Provided, That the maximum allowable loan limit of 80 percent established in prior Field Office Handbooks shall remain in effect unless the Department of Agriculture issues a proposed rule, with notice and comment, that establishes a reduced maximum allowable loan limit, and is subsequently finalized. 760. 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. 761. Section 522(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act ( 7 U.S.C. 1522(c) ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (20) Frost or Cold Weather Insurance (A) In General The Corporation shall carry out research and development, or offer to enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more qualified persons to carry out research and development, regarding an index-based policy to insure crops (including table grapes, wine grapes, juice grapes, tomatoes, peppers, sugarcane, strawberries, melons, citrus, peaches, blueberries, and any other crop) on a nationally-available basis against losses due to a frost or cold weather event. (B) Research and Development Research and development under subparagraph (A) shall— (i) evaluate the effectiveness of risk management tools, such as the use of an index, with respect to low frequency and catastrophic loss weather events; and (ii) result in a policy that provides protection for at least 1 of the following: (I) Production loss. (II) Revenue loss. (C) Report Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this paragraph, the Corporation shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that describes— (i) the results of the research and development carried out under this paragraph; and (ii) any recommendations with respect to those results. . 762. No funds shall be made available for enforcement of section 118.4(e) of title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor regulation with respect to surplus broiler hatching eggs that are intended to be sold to an egg breaker for purposes of processing such eggs as liquid egg products subject to regulation under the Egg Products Inspection Act ( 21 U.S.C. 1031 et seq. ). 763. 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. 764. (a) In general Notwithstanding section 7 of title 1, United States Code, section 1738C of title 28, United States Code, or any other provision of law, none of the funds provided by this Act, or previous appropriations Acts, shall be used in whole or in part to take any discriminatory action against a person, wholly or partially, on the basis that such person speaks, or acts, in accordance with a sincerely held religious belief, or moral conviction, that marriage is, or should be recognized as, a union of one man and one woman. (b) Discriminatory action defined As used in subsection (a), a discriminatory action means any action taken by the Federal Government to— (1) alter in any way the Federal tax treatment of, or cause any tax, penalty, or payment to be assessed against, or deny, delay, or revoke an exemption from taxation under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 of, any person referred to in subsection (a); (2) disallow a deduction for Federal tax purposes of any charitable contribution made to or by such person; (3) withhold, reduce the amount or funding for, exclude, terminate, or otherwise make unavailable or deny, any Federal grant, contract, subcontract, cooperative agreement, guarantee, loan, scholarship, license, certification, accreditation, employment, or other similar position or status from or to such person; (4) withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise make unavailable or deny, any entitlement or benefit under a Federal benefit program, including admission to, equal treatment in, or eligibility for a degree from an educational program, from or to such person; or (5) withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise make unavailable or deny access or an entitlement to Federal property, facilities, educational institutions, speech fora (including traditional, limited, and nonpublic fora), or charitable fundraising campaigns from or to such person. (c) Accreditation; Licensure; Certification The 10 Federal Government shall consider accredited, licensed, or 11 certified for purposes of Federal law any person that 12 would be accredited, licensed, or certified, respectively, for 13 such purposes but for a determination against such person 14 wholly or partially on the basis that the person speaks, 15 or acts, in accordance with a sincerely held religious belief 16 or moral conviction described in subsection (a). (RESCISSION OF FUNDS) 765. 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. ), $40,000,000 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. 766. (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 ), not limited to activities under section 801(a) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act ( 21 U.S.C. 381(a) ): Provided, That not less than $20,000,000 of such amount shall be used to fund the activities of the Federal multi-agency ENDS Enforcement Task Force led by the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and the FDA, including partner agency activities, 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, other foreign countries, and domestic manufacturers conducting the “final assembly” of illegal products: Provided further, That the Commissioner is directed to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security and other partner agencies to ensure that such task force is adequately resourced for (1) increased criminal and civil litigation and law enforcement activities by FDA, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security, and (2) additional targeted inspections by FDA and Customs and Border Patrol at high-risk ports of entry into the United States. (b) Not later than November 12, 2026, 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 detailed report on funding and activities planned for enforcement activities within 60 days of enactment of this Act, and shall continue to 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 preventing all mis-declared ENDS products from entering the U.S. (including those that are properly declared and those that are improperly mis-declared at ports of entry) and in removing all illegal ENDS products from the market inside the U.S., including information specific to refusals, seizures, and disposition of illicit products; state support for enforcement efforts, including standardized reporting and communication channels; and educating retailers on which products may be legally marketed in the U.S. 767. (a) Section 260 of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 ( 7 U.S.C. 1636i ) is amended by striking 2026 and inserting 2027 . (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 2026 and inserting 2027 . 768. 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 new guidelines or regulations applicable to food manufacturers for population-wide sodium reduction actions until the publication of the 2025-26 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), What We Eat in America Survey, which will begin to reflect the impact on population intake of Phase I reduction. 769. 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. 770. No funds appropriated by this Act may be used to administer or enforce the final rule on “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) continue identifying flexibilities for satisfying the rule’s lot-level tracking requirement that leverage existing traceability systems, including allowing covered entities to maintain and transmit traceability records that reflect a reasonable range of all possible traceability lot codes included in a shipment, when maintaining records for each individual traceability lot is not practicable such that complying would constitute a case-level tracking requirement, which is prohibited under section 204(d)(1)(L)(iii) of the Food Safety Modernization Act; (2) clarify the circumstances under which activities conducted in warehouse and distribution environments constitute a transformation event under the rule; (3) ensure each quarterly engagement with industry between enactment and July 20, 2028 be open to all covered entities outside of member-only organizations and include a hypothetical data intake exercise, the results of which should be made publicly available within 75 days; and (4) establish a panel of experts to assess the agency’s foodborne illness traceback investigation process, for both foreign and domestic food suppliers, and to provide feedback for the data intake exercise. This panel shall include diverse stakeholders, such as growers, distributors, retailers, state and local officials, and public health officials. The FDA shall publish the panel outcomes and recommendations no later than one year from the date of enactment of this Act. 771. In addition to amounts otherwise made available, there is hereby appropriated $1,000,000, 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. 772. (a) Chapter IV of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act ( 21 U.S.C. 341 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following: 425. Animal Food (a) DEFINITIONS In this section: (1) The term ‘animal food’ means food for animals other than man and includes pet food, animal feed, and raw materials and ingredients. (reference 21 CFR 507.3). (2) The term ‘animal food ingredient submission’ means an ingredient for submission to the Food and Drug Administration that is a petition under section 409 for any food additive, a petition under section 721 for a color additive, or a GRAS ingredient notification under subpart E of part 570 of subchapter E of chapter I of title 21, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations). (3) The term ‘commercial feed’ means animal food manufactured and distributed for consumption by animals, other than companion animals. (4) The term ‘companion animal’ means a domesticated canine or feline. (5) The terms ‘generally recognized as safe’ and ‘GRAS’ mean generally recognized as safe under section 201(s). (6) The term ‘pet food’ means any animal food manufactured and distributed for consumption by companion animals, including treats, nutritional supplements, and pet food ingredients. (7) The term ‘specialty pet’ means any animal normally maintained in a household, such as, but not limited to, rodents, ornamental birds, ornamental fish, reptiles, and amphibians, ferrets, hedgehogs, marsupials, and rabbits not raised for food or fur. (8) The term ‘specialty pet food’ means any commercial feed prepared and distributed for consumption by specialty pets. (b) PREEMPTION (1) In General No State or a political subdivision of a State may directly or indirectly establish, maintain, implement, or enforce any law, regulation, or other requirement relating to the labels, labeling, or advertising of animal food that differs from or extends beyond those established by the Food and Drug Administration. (2) Rule of Construction Nothing in (b) (1) shall be construed to restrict, prevent, or otherwise prohibit State post-market food safety oversight activities, including but not limited to any such activities relating to implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act ( Public Law 111–353 ), outbreak investigations, surveillance sampling, the ability of states to regulate the names and definitions of commercial feed ingredients (excluding ingredients for use in pet food) not defined by the Food and Drug Administration, or investigations of consumer complaints. (c) SAFE FOOD ADDITIVES AND GRAS INGREDIENTS (1) Ingredients Deemed Safe Food Additives Ingredients that are intended for use in animal food and are not specifically authorized for such use by the Food and Drug Administration as a food additive, a color additive, or otherwise as of the date of enactment of the PURR Act of 2026, are deemed to be safe food additives and acceptable for use in animal food if— (A) such ingredients are included in the Official Common or Usual Names and Definitions of Feed Ingredients section of chapter 6 of the 2024 edition of the ‘AAFCO Official Publication’ as accepted for use in specified species, or where species is not identified; and (B) there is no finding by the Food and Drug Administration that such ingredients are not safe food additives. (2) GRAS Ingredients; Voluntary Notification An animal food manufacturer is not required to notify the Food and Drug Administration of GRAS ingredients used in animal food, but may voluntarily notify the Food and Drug Administration of such GRAS ingredients that have not previously been recognized by the Food and Drug Administration as GRAS for use in animal food. (d) TIMELY REVIEW Not later than 180 days after receipt of an animal food ingredient submission, the Secretary shall review such submission and issue an action letter that— (1) approves such submission or, in the case of a GRAS ingredient notification, does not object to use; or (2) sets forth— (A) the specific deficiencies in such sub- mission; and (B) where appropriate, the actions necessary— (i) for such submission to be approved; or (ii) in the case of a GRAS ingredient notification, to resolve any concerns of the Secretary. (e) PET FOOD AND SPECIALTY PET INGREDIENTS SOMETIMES PRESENT (1) In General Pet food and specialty pet food shall not be treated as misbranded by reason of stating in the ingredient list on the product label that an ingredient of a type described in paragraph (2) is sometimes, but not always, present in the pet food or specialty pet food. (2) Types of Ingredients Paragraph (1) applies with respect to the following types of ingredients: (A) Fat or oil ingredients. (B) Flavor ingredients. (C) Grain ingredients (including grain protein ingredients). (3) Language to be Used For an ingredient in pet food or specialty pet food to be labeled as sometimes present for purposes of paragraph (1), such ingredient shall be identified by— (A) words such as ‘or’, ‘and/or’, or ‘contains one or more of the following:’; or (B) other words indicating that the ingredient may not be present. (f) ORDER OF INGREDIENT LISTING (1) In General Pet food and specialty pet food shall be treated as misbranded unless the ingredients required to be declared on the label are listed by common or usual name in descending order of predominance by weight. (2) Exception If an ingredient in pet food or specialty pet food is present in amounts of 2 percent or less by weight, then instead of identifying the ingredient in the order required by paragraph (1), the ingredient may be placed at the end of the ingredient list following an appropriate quantifying statement, such as ‘Contains _ percent or less of _’or ‘Less than _ percent of _’, with the blank percentage filled in with a threshold level of 2 percent, or, if desired, 1.5 percent, 1.0 percent, or 0.5 percent, as applicable. (g) MARKETING CLAIMS Animal food shall not be treated as misbranded by reason of the following claims on labels and labeling and in advertising for animal food, without premarket approval of such claims by the Food and Drug Administration, if truthful, nonmisleading, and adequately substantiated with scientifically validated protocols endorsed by FDA guidance where available: (1) Pet food claims regarding hairball control. (2) Pet food claims regarding tartar control, plaque removal, and bad breath odor. (3) Claims regarding the ability of pet food to support general urinary tract health. (4) ‘Natural’ claims for animal food if all of the following circumstances are met: (A) Subject to subparagraph (C), the term ‘natural’ refers to a food or ingredient derived solely from plant, animal, or mined sources— (i) in its unprocessed state; or (ii) having been subject to physical processing, heat processing, rendering, purification, extraction, hydrolysis, enzymolysis, or fermentation, but not having been produced by or subject to a chemically synthetic process and not containing any additives or processing aids that are chemically synthetic except in amounts as might occur unavoidably in good manufacturing practices. (B) The term ‘natural’ is only used to reference the product as a whole when all of the ingredients and components of ingredients meet the description in subparagraph (A). (C) If the food or ingredient contains chemically synthesized vitamins, minerals, or other trace nutrients used as ingredients in animal food, a disclaimer— (i) discloses the addition of such vitamins, minerals, and other trace nutrients by name or category; (ii) is juxtaposed with the term ‘natural’; and (iii) appears with the largest or most prominent use of the term ‘natural’ on each panel of the label on which the term appears, in the same style and color print and at least one-half the size of the term natural. (D) A disclaimer under subparagraph (C) is not required when the term ‘natural’ is used in reference to one ingredient and is not referring to the whole product. (h) GUIDANCE ON CERTAIN TOPICS (1) In General The Secretary shall issue guidance addressing each of the following topics: (A) Methods for substantiating nutritional adequacy of pet foods. (B) Pet food metabolizable energy protocols. (C) Affidavits for pet food testing protocol completion. (D) Data to support a calorie content claim for pet foods. (E) Analytical variations (AVs) for animal food. (F) Recommendations for use of menadione sodium bisulfite complex (MSBC) in animal feed. (2) Initial Guidance (A) Timing Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of the PURR Act of 2026, the Secretary shall issue initial guidance under this subsection. (B) Basis The initial guidance under subparagraph (A) shall be based on the guidance contained in the 2024 edition of ‘AAFCO Official Publication’. . (b) Title X of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act ( 21 U.S.C. 391 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following: 1016. Responsibilities for Animal Food Regulation (a) DELEGATION OF RESPONSIBILITY The Secretary shall delegate to the Director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine responsibility for carrying out section 425 and, as appropriate, other responsibilities and authorities of the Food and Drug Administration with respect to animal food. (b) DUTIES The responsibilities of the Director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine shall include— (1) conducting and coordinating science-based reviews of animal food ingredient submissions; (2) submitting an annual report to the Congress on performance metrics, including performance on— (A) the review of submissions and issuance of action letters under section 425(d); (B) the issuance of initial guidance under section 425(h) and any subsequent revisions to such guidance; and (C) the proposal and finalization of initial regulations under subsection (c) and (d) of the PURR Act of 2026 and any subsequent revisions to such regulations; (3) educating pet owners, veterinarians, and the companion animal industry about pet food; (4) communicating and educating consumers on the safety of pet food; and (5) carrying out research to support and improve policies and regulatory decisions regarding animal food. (c) DEFINITIONS In this section, the terms ‘animal food’, ‘companion animal’, ‘pet food’, ‘specialty pet’ and ‘animal food ingredient submission’, have the meanings given to those terms in section 425. . (c) In General The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, shall— (1) not later than two years after the date of enactment of this Act, issue proposed regulations to implement the amendments made by this Act; and (2) not later than three years after the date of enactment of this Act, finalize such regulations. (d) Contents The initial regulations promulgated to implement the amendments made by this Act shall include: (1) for commercial feed, Regulation 1 through Regulation 10 of the “Model Regulations Under the Model Bill” in chapter 4 of the 2024 edition of the “AAFCO Official Publication”; and (2) PF 1 through PF 12 of the “Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food Under the Model Bill” in chapter 4 of the 2024 edition of the “AAFCO Official Publication”. 773. There is appropriated $1,500,000 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 ). 774. (a) In general (1) Liability of persons A person shall not be subject to civil or criminal liability arising from the nature, age, packaging, or condition of an apparently fit pet-related product that the person donates in good faith to a State or unit of local government or a nonprofit organization for ultimate distribution to qualified animals. (2) Liability of nonprofit organizations A nonprofit organization shall not be subject to civil or criminal liability arising from the nature, age, packaging, or condition of an apparently fit pet-related product that the nonprofit organization received as a donation from a person in good faith for ultimate distribution to qualified animals. (3) Liability of state and local governments A State or unit of local government shall not be subject to liability arising from the nature, age, packaging, or condition of an apparently fit pet-related product that the State or unit of local government received as a donation from a person in good faith for ultimate distribution to qualified animals. (4) Waiver not applicable to gross negligence or intentional misconduct Paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) shall not apply to an injury to, or death of, an ultimate user or recipient of the apparently fit pet-related product that results from an act or omission of the person, nonprofit organization, or State or unit of local government, as applicable, constituting gross negligence or intentional misconduct. (b) Partial compliance If a person donates in good faith pet food or pet supplies that do not meet all quality and labeling standards imposed by Federal, State, and local laws and regulations, such person shall not be subject to civil or criminal liability in accordance with this section if the State or unit of local government or nonprofit organization to which the food or supplies are donated— (1) is informed by such person of the distressed or defective condition of the food or supplies; (2) agrees to recondition such food or supplies to comply with such quality and labeling standards prior to distribution of such food or supplies; and (3) is knowledgeable of such quality and labeling standards to properly recondition such food or supplies. (c) Construction Nothing in this section shall be construed to— (1) create any liability; or (2) supersede State or local health regulations. (d) Definitions In this section: (1) Apparently fit pet-related product The term “apparently fit pet-related product” means any pet food or pet supply that meets all quality and labeling standards imposed by Federal, State, and local laws and regulations even though the product may not be readily marketable due to appearance, age, freshness, grade, size, surplus, or other conditions. (2) Child nutrition act of 1966 terms The terms “donate”, “gross negligence”, “intentional misconduct”, “nonprofit organization”, and “person” have the meanings given such terms in section 22(b) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 ( 42 U.S.C. 1791(b) ). (3) Emotional support animal The term “emotional support animal” means an animal that— (A) is covered by the exclusion specified in section 5.303 of title 24, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulation); and (B) is not a service animal. (4) Pet The term “pet” means a domesticated animal, such as a dog, cat, bird, rodent, fish, turtle, or other animal that is kept for pleasure rather than for commercial purposes. (5) Pet food The term “pet food” means any raw, cooked, processed, or prepared edible substance, ice, beverage, or ingredient used or intended for use in whole or in part for consumption by a qualified animal. (6) Pet supply The term “pet supply” means tangible personal property used for qualified animals, including pet carriers, crates, kennels, houses, cages, clothing, bedding, toys, collars, leashes, leads, tie-outs, feeders, bowls, dishes, pet gates, or pet doors. (7) Qualified animal The term “qualified animal” means a pet, an emotional support animal, or a service animal. (8) Service animal The term “service animal” has the meaning given the term in section 36.104 of title 28, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulation). 775. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to impose any cost sharing or matching requirements for any awards or subawards under the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program ( 7 U.S.C. 1621 note) for fiscal year 2027. 776. 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, including cost analysis, how many research scientists will likely not be willing to relocate, and which research projects will be terminated or adversely impacted by the relocation, and approval of the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress. 777. In addition to funds made available by this or any other Act, there is hereby appropriated $2,500,000 for the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program as authorized by 7 U.S.C. 3007(a) . 778. Section 3(1) of the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 ( 7 U.S.C. 1621 note) is amended by striking dried fruits, and inserting dried fruits, millet, . 779. Public Law 87–590 (76 Stat. 389; 123 Stat. 1320) is amended— (1) in the first section— (A) in subsection (c), in the second sentence, by striking or in the case of the Arkansas Valley Conduit, payment in an amount equal to 35 percent of the cost of the conduit that is comprised of revenue generated by payments pursuant to a repayment contract and revenue that may be derived from contracts for the use of Fryingpan-Arkansas project excess capacity or exchange contracts using Fryingpan-Arkansas project facilities, ; and (B) by adding at the end the following: (d) Arkansas valley conduit (1) Repayment contract To provide domestic water supplies to communities and households that do not have reliable access to domestic water supplies, the contract for the Arkansas Valley Conduit shall provide for payment in an amount equal to 35 percent of the cost of the conduit, notwithstanding the reclamation laws or any other provision of this Act. The contract payments shall consist of— (A) funding provided during construction from any entity other than the Secretary; and (B) based on a demonstration of financial hardship, as determined by the Secretary, repayment of the balance not covered under subparagraph (A) for a period of not more than 75 years with simple interest at a rate that is equal to 50 percent of the interest rate determined by the Secretary of the Treasury under section 2(c), including revenue derived from contracts for the use of excess capacity or exchange contracts using Fryingpan-Arkansas project facilities. (2) Operations and maintenance The contract for the Arkansas Valley Conduit shall provide for the assumption by the contracting parties of the care, operation, maintenance, and replacement of the conduit. ; and (2) in section 2(b)(3)(A), by striking this section and inserting subsection (d) of the first section . Spending Reduction Account 780. $0. This Act may be cited as the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agency Appropriations Act, 2027 . May 1, 2026 Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
Short title:
This closing provision states that the Act may be cited as the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agency Appropriations Act, 2027.