# Plain Language Summary: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026

This bill is Congress's annual spending plan for several important government agencies that affect food, farming, and rural America. Specifically, it decides how much money the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the FDA (which oversees food and drug safety), and related agencies will have to spend during the 2026 fiscal year. Think of it as a budget that determines what these agencies can actually do—from inspecting food to helping farmers to researching agricultural improvements.

The bill covers funding for programs that most Americans interact with or depend on in some way. This includes the food safety inspections that keep contaminated products off store shelves, the USDA programs that help rural communities build infrastructure and create jobs, food assistance programs like SNAP (formerly food stamps), agricultural research that develops better crops and farming methods, and the FDA's work approving new drugs and monitoring their safety. The specific dollar amounts allocated to each program determine how many inspectors can be hired, how many farmers can receive loans or grants, and how quickly new medicines can be reviewed.

Without this appropriations bill, these agencies wouldn't have the legal authority to spend money on their operations, which would essentially shut down or severely limit their activities. The bill reflects Congress's priorities about which programs deserve more funding and which might receive less. For example, if Congress increases funding for food safety inspections, that means more FDA staff checking food facilities. If funding for rural development programs increases, more money becomes available for small towns to improve water systems or broadband access. Conversely, if funding is cut, these services become more limited.

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

Harris, Andy

Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026This bill provides FY2026 appropriations for the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration, and related agencies.The bill provides appropriations to USDA for agricultural programs, including<ul><li>the Office of the Secretary,</li><li>Executive Operations,</li><li>the Economic Research Service,</li><li>the National Agricultural Statistics Service,</li><li>the Agricultural Research Service,</li><li>the National Institute of Food and Agriculture,</li><li>the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service,</li><li>the Agricultural Marketing Service, and</li><li>the Food Safety and Inspection Service.</li></ul>The bill also provides appropriations to USDA for farm production and conservation programs, including<ul><li>the Farm Production and Conservation Business Center,</li><li>the Farm Service Agency,</li><li>the Risk Management Agency, and</li><li>the Natural Resources Conservation Service.</li></ul>The bill provides appropriations to the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Fund and the Commodity Credit Corporation Fund.For USDA rural development programs, the bill includes appropriations for<ul><li>Salaries and Expenses,</li><li>the Rural Housing Service,</li><li>the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, and</li><li>the Rural Utilities Service.</li></ul>The bill provides appropriations to the Food and Nutrition Service for<ul><li>Child Nutrition Programs;</li><li>the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC);</li><li>the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP);</li><li>the Commodity Assistance Program; and</li><li>Nutrition Programs Administration.</li></ul>The bill provides appropriations to the Foreign Agricultural Service for (1) Food for Peace Title II Grants, and (2) McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program Grants.The bill also provides appropriations for<ul><li>the Food and Drug Administration,</li><li>the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and</li><li>the Farm Credit Administration.</li></ul>Additionally, the bill sets forth requirements and restrictions for using funds provided by this and other appropriations acts.