Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026

Bill Number: H.R. 4121
Origin Chamber: House
Congress: 119th Congress, Session 1
Policy Area: Economics and Public Finance
Status: Introduced
Latest Action: 2025-06-25: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 138.
Last Updated: 2026-07-11T17:23:21Z

AI-Generated Summary

Summary of H.R. 4121: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026

Purpose

This bill provides funding for programs under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), rural development initiatives, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026. It supports agricultural research, food safety, rural infrastructure, nutrition assistance, and international food aid, while imposing restrictions on fund use and rescinding certain prior appropriations.

Key Provisions

The bill is structured into seven titles, allocating billions in discretionary and mandatory funding through appropriations, loans, grants, and fee collections. Highlights include:

Title I: Agricultural Programs ($3.5+ billion total)
Funds offices like the Secretary of Agriculture ($43.9 million) and Chief Economist ($28 million).
Supports research via Agricultural Research Service ($1.79 billion for salaries/expenses; $21 million for buildings) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture ($1.06 billion for research/education).
Allocates for pest/disease control through Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service ($1.15 billion, including $250,000 contingency fund) and marketing/inspection via Agricultural Marketing Service ($190.3 million).
Provides $1.22 billion for Food Safety and Inspection Service to enforce meat, poultry, and egg inspection laws.

Title II: Farm Production and Conservation Programs ($5.5+ billion in loans/operations)
Funds Farm Service Agency ($1.1 billion salaries/expenses; $3.5 billion guaranteed farm ownership loans).
Supports conservation via Natural Resources Conservation Service ($850 million operations; $35 million watershed prevention).
Authorizes Federal Crop Insurance Corporation and Commodity Credit Corporation reimbursements for losses.

Title III: Rural Development Programs ($40+ billion in loans/grants)
Allocates $305 million for Rural Development salaries/expenses, including $50 million for IT.
Provides housing assistance via Rural Housing Service ($25 billion section 502 guaranteed loans; $1.72 billion rental assistance).
Funds community facilities ($1.65 billion loans; $481 million costs/grants) and business programs ($2 billion guaranteed loans; $57.2 million costs/grants).
Supports utilities like water/waste disposal ($910 million loans; $346 million costs) and electrification/telecom ($7.96 billion loans; $90.8 million broadband pilot).

Title IV: Domestic Food Programs ($162+ billion)
Funds Child Nutrition Programs ($35.8 billion, including school lunches/breakfasts) and WIC ($7.7 billion).
Provides $118.1 billion for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), with $3 billion reserve.
Allocates $516.1 million for commodity assistance and $135.3 million for nutrition administration.

Title V: Foreign Assistance and Related Programs ($1.35+ billion)
Supports Foreign Agricultural Service ($227.3 million) and food aid via Food for Peace Title II ($900 million) and McGovern-Dole program ($220.3 million).
Funds export credit guarantees ($6.1 million administrative expenses).

Title VI: Related Agencies and FDA ($7.0+ billion)
Provides $6.68 billion for FDA salaries/expenses (including user fees for drugs/devices/tobacco) and $1 million for buildings.
Allocates $335 million for Commodity Futures Trading Commission and $106.5 million limit for Farm Credit Administration.

Title VII: General Provisions
Includes restrictions (e.g., no funds for certain regulations, DEI initiatives, or horse meat inspections), rescissions ($278 million total from prior balances), and flexibilities (e.g., vehicle purchases, IT approvals).
Mandates notifications for reprogramming funds over $500,000 and prohibits actions like closing Farm Service Agency offices without approval.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

Amendments and Extensions: Extends programs like SNAP work requirements, WIC food packages (e.g., peanut inclusion for infants), and hemp definitions (clarifying exclusions for synthetic cannabinoids). Amends school lunch pricing for 2026-2027 and extends grazinglands research protections to 2026.
Rescissions: Cancels $100 million from WIC, $100 million from conservation operations, $78 million from Working Capital Fund, and $100 million from Inflation Reduction Act conservation funds.
Prohibitions and Waivers: Bars funds for enforcing certain FDA rules (e.g., tobacco manufacturing practices, sodium reduction guidelines) until assessments; prohibits horse inspections for slaughter; restricts SNAP variety requirements and energy efficiency standards for rural housing.
New Authorities: Allows USDA to charge fees for off-shift/holiday inspections; deems certain animal feed ingredients "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS); expands "natural" claims for pet food with preemption of stricter state rules.

Potential Impacts

Government Agencies: Enhances USDA/FDA operational capacity (e.g., $60 million cybersecurity; $15 million foreign inspections) but limits flexibility via reprogramming rules and rescissions, potentially straining budgets for conservation and nutrition.
Citizens: Boosts access to affordable housing/loans in rural areas, nutrition aid (e.g., $118 billion SNAP serves ~40 million people), and school meals; supports farmers via $5+ billion in crop insurance/loans but may increase costs for inspections.
International Relations: $1.12 billion in food aid strengthens U.S. ties with developing nations; export programs aid trade, but audit requirements for imports (e.g., disease oversight) could affect relations with exporters like China.

Main Stakeholders Affected

Farmers and Producers: Benefit from research ($1.8 billion), pest control ($1.15 billion), crop insurance, and loans ($7+ billion total).
Rural Communities and Residents: Gain from housing ($27+ billion loans/grants), utilities ($8+ billion), and business development ($2+ billion), targeting persistent poverty areas (10% allocation minimum).
Low-Income Households: Impacted by nutrition programs (SNAP, WIC, child nutrition serving millions) and rural vouchers ($48 million).
Food Industry and Consumers: FDA funding ($6.7 billion) ensures safety/oversight; prohibitions ease burdens on producers (e.g., no new traceability rules until 2028).
International Recipients: Food aid programs support ~100 million people abroad via grants/loans.
Tribal and Underserved Groups: Targeted funding (e.g., $8 million tribal colleges; Native American relending) and equity in extension grants.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

Legal: Riders prohibit enforcement of specific rules (e.g., FDA traceability, poultry contracting), potentially leading to lawsuits over regulatory delays; hemp amendments clarify federal definitions, reducing state-federal conflicts. Preemption of state pet food rules may face commerce clause challenges.
Constitutional: Restrictions on DEI/critical race theory (Sec. 755) and speech classification (Sec. 774) invoke First Amendment concerns; religious belief protections (Sec. 780) align with free exercise but could conflict with anti-discrimination laws.
Political: Emphasizes fiscal restraint via rescissions ($278 million) and anti-regulatory stance (e.g., no new user fees, Sec. 728); prioritizes rural/agricultural interests, influencing midterm debates on farm bills and FDA oversight. Requires congressional notifications, enhancing oversight but slowing agency actions.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Harris, Andy [R-MD-1]

Recent Actions

2025-06-25: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 138.
2025-06-25: The House Committee on Appropriations reported an original measure, H. Rept. 119-172, by Mr. Harris (MD).
2025-06-25: The House Committee on Appropriations reported an original measure, H. Rept. 119-172, by Mr. Harris (MD).

Bill Versions

Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 — issued 2025-06-25 — PDF (138 pages)