A substantive set of changes. v2 modifies several appropriation amounts across various USDA agencies, resulting in both increases and decreases in funding for specific offices and programs. Additionally, v2 introduces three new general provisions, including prohibitions on certain animal testing guidance and research, and a directive for expedited FDA review of critical cancer drugs.
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agency Appropriations Act, 2027
- Sponsor
- Rep. Harris, Andy [R-MD-1]
- Committees
- Appropriations Committee
- Last action
- Jun 8, 2026
Bottom line
This omnibus appropriations bill funds critical federal programs for agriculture, rural development, and food/drug regulation for FY2027, while also embedding significant policy directives and legislative amendments.
What it actually does
This bill makes appropriations for the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2027. It allocates funding across various agricultural programs, rural development initiatives, domestic food programs, foreign assistance, and regulatory bodies. Additionally, the bill includes numerous general provisions that enact specific policy changes, impose restrictions on agency actions, and amend existing laws, covering a wide range of issues from food safety and labeling to rural infrastructure and environmental regulations.
Proponents argue
Proponents argue that the bill ensures the continued operation of vital government functions, supports the agricultural sector, strengthens rural communities through various development programs, and protects public health through food and drug safety initiatives. They would highlight targeted investments in research, food assistance, and infrastructure, as well as necessary updates to regulatory frameworks and the inclusion of provisions addressing specific stakeholder concerns.
Opponents contend
Opponents might contend that the bill includes contentious policy riders unrelated to appropriations, overspends in certain areas while underfunding others, or imposes undue restrictions on federal agencies. Concerns could be raised regarding specific regulatory rollbacks, the use of an appropriations vehicle for substantive legislative changes, or the overall fiscal impact on the national debt.
The bill is extensive and contains numerous detailed provisions and complex legislative language, requiring significant time for thorough review. This depth of content may pose challenges for comprehensive public and legislative scrutiny within typical legislative timelines for omnibus bills.
Title I, Office of the Secretary
Office of the Secretary Appropriations
This provision appropriates $55,261,000 for the Office of the Secretary, allocating specific amounts to various sub-offices like the immediate Office of the Secretary, Office of Homeland Security, Office of Tribal Relations, and Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration. It authorizes the Secretary to transfer funds between these offices, with a 5 percent limit on increases or decreases, and includes funds for official reception and representation expenses.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that this funding is essential for the effective leadership and administrative oversight of the Department of Agriculture, ensuring that critical functions are managed efficiently and that the Secretary has the flexibility to allocate resources where most needed.
Critics contend
Critics may argue that the allocation to specific offices or the transfer authority could lead to misprioritization or lack of transparency in how funds are ultimately used, potentially diverting resources from direct program delivery.
Tradeoffs
The provision balances the need for administrative flexibility within the Secretary's office with congressional oversight over specific funding allocations.
Title I, Agricultural Research Service, Salaries and Expenses
Agricultural Research Service Funding and Authorities
This section appropriates $1,795,813,000 for the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) for salaries and expenses. It includes funds for land acquisition, operation and maintenance of aircraft, and construction/alteration of buildings, with specific cost limits for individual projects. It also allows ARS to enter into lease agreements for research facilities built by non-Federal entities and to receive funds from external sources for research projects.
Title I, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Salaries and Expenses
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Funding and Emergency Authority
This provision appropriates $1,157,850,000 for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). It includes funds for disease eradication programs, aircraft operations, and allows the Secretary to transfer emergency funds from other Department appropriations to address contagious diseases or pests in animals or plants. It also authorizes APHIS to collect fees for technical assistance, goods, or services provided to external entities.
Title I, Food Safety and Inspection Service
Food Safety and Inspection Service Funding and Humane Slaughter Enforcement
This section appropriates $1,226,000,000 for the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to carry out federal meat, poultry, and egg inspection acts. It mandates no fewer than 148 full-time equivalent positions for inspections and enforcement related to the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act and allows for fees collected for laboratory accreditation to be credited to the account.
Title II, Farm Service Agency, Salaries and Expenses
Farm Service Agency Funding and County Office Protections
This provision appropriates $1,105,526,000 for the Farm Service Agency (FSA), with at least $15,000,000 specifically for hiring new employees in county offices and for farm loan officers, available until September 30, 2028. It prohibits the closure of FSA county offices and the permanent relocation of county-based employees that would result in an office with two or fewer employees without prior congressional notification and approval.
Title II, Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund Program Account
Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund Loan Authorizations
This section authorizes significant gross obligations for direct and guaranteed loans through the Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund, including $4,663,756,000 for guaranteed farm ownership loans, $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, among others. It also provides specific cost appropriations for certain direct and guaranteed loans and allows for transfers of funds among these programs with prior notification to Congress.
Title II, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Conservation Operations
Conservation Operations Funding and Urban Agriculture Program
This provision appropriates $800,000,000 for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for conservation operations, including soil and water conservation, plant materials centers, and soil mapping. It allocates $2,000,000 for the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Program, requiring a fifty percent cost-share for grants under this program.
Title III, Rural Housing Service, Rural Housing Insurance Fund Program Account
Rural Housing Programs and Rental Assistance
This section authorizes significant loan obligations for various rural housing programs, including $1,000,000,000 for section 502 direct loans and $25,000,000,000 for section 502 unsubsidized guaranteed loans. It also appropriates $1,795,000,000 for rental assistance agreements, allowing for renewals of up to 20 years for maturing properties and providing incentives for nonprofit organizations to acquire and preserve RHS multifamily housing.
Title III, Rural Utilities Service, Rural Water and Waste Disposal Program Account
Rural Water and Waste Disposal Programs and Grants
This provision authorizes $1,015,000,000 for direct loans and $50,000,000 for guaranteed loans for rural water and waste disposal programs. It appropriates $385,343,050 for direct loans, loan guarantees, and grants, including specific allocations for distressed communities, tribal communities, technical assistance, and solid waste management. It also includes a 'Buy American' requirement for iron and steel products in construction projects.
Title III, Rural Utilities Service, Distance Learning, Telemedicine, and Broadband Program
Broadband and Telemedicine Program Funding
This section appropriates $33,160,198 for grants for telemedicine and distance learning services in rural areas. It also allocates $40,000,000 for a broadband loan and grant pilot program, with requirements that at least 90 percent of households served must be in rural areas without sufficient broadband access (defined as 25/3 Mbps) and projects should aim for 100/20 Mbps. It includes $15,000,000 for the Community Connect Grant Program.
Title IV, Food and Nutrition Service, Child Nutrition Programs
Child Nutrition Programs Appropriations and Policy Amendments
This provision appropriates $37,900,930,000 for child nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch Act and Child Nutrition Act. It allocates funds for studies, evaluations, farm to school grants, and food safety education. It also amends existing law to extend certain provisions for fiscal years 2027 and 2028 and modifies requirements for paid lunches for school years 2026-2027 and 2027-2028.
Title IV, Food and Nutrition Service, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
WIC Program Funding and Cash-Value Voucher Increase
This section appropriates $8,000,000,000 for the WIC program, available through September 30, 2028. It mandates not less than $90,000,000 for breastfeeding peer counselors and requires the Secretary to provide a cash-value voucher for women and children participants at significantly increased amounts compared to fiscal year 2020 levels. It also requires State agencies to authorize fresh, frozen, canned, and dried fruits and vegetables for specific food packages.
Title IV, Food and Nutrition Service, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
SNAP Program Appropriations and Reserve Funds
This section appropriates $101,241,955,000 for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), with $3,000,000,000 placed in reserve for program operations through September 30, 2029. It allocates funds for nutrition education, tribal demonstration projects, and program integrity activities, and specifies that the appropriation is subject to work registration or workfare requirements as required by law.
Title VI, Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, Salaries and Expenses
FDA Funding and User Fee Allocations
This provision appropriates $7,109,336,000 for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with significant portions derived from various user fees (prescription drug, medical device, generic drug, biosimilar, animal drug, tobacco product). It allocates specific amounts to different FDA centers (e.g., Human Foods, Drug Evaluation, Biologics, Veterinary Medicine, Devices, Tobacco Products) and includes mandates for foreign inspections and a transfer of $1,500,000 to the HHS Office of Inspector General for FDA oversight.
Sec. 731, Title VII
Rural Water and Waste Disposal 'Buy American' Requirement
This section mandates that all iron and steel products used in projects funded by rural water, wastewater, waste disposal, and solid waste management programs must be produced in the United States. It defines 'iron and steel products' broadly and includes waiver provisions if applying the requirement is inconsistent with public interest, if domestic products are unavailable or of unsatisfactory quality, or if it increases project costs by more than 25 percent. Waiver requests are subject to public input.
Sec. 758, Title VII
Prohibition on Enforcement of USDA Packers and Stockyards Act Rules
This section prohibits the use of funds to write, prepare, publish, implement, or enforce several specific final and proposed rules related to the Packers and Stockyards Act, including those concerning 'Transparency in Poultry Grower Contracting and Tournaments,' 'Inclusive Competition and Market Integrity,' and 'Poultry Grower Payment Systems and Capital Improvement Systems.' It further directs the Secretary of Agriculture to withdraw or rescind any such rules and discontinue related investigations or enforcement activities.
Sec. 760, Title VII
Labeling Requirement for Engineered Animals
This section mandates that the acceptable market name of any engineered animal approved prior to February 19, 2019 (the effective date of the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard) must include the words 'genetically engineered' prior to its existing acceptable market name.
Sec. 764, Title VII
Protection Against Discrimination Based on Religious Beliefs Regarding Marriage
This section prohibits federal funds from being used to take discriminatory action against any 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. Discriminatory action is broadly defined to include altering tax treatment, denying grants, contracts, or benefits, or denying access to federal property or facilities.
Sec. 766, Title VII
FDA Enforcement of E-cigarettes and Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS)
This section mandates that not less than $200,000,000 of FDA's tobacco product user fees be used for enforcement activities related to e-cigarettes, vapes, and other ENDS. It specifically allocates $20,000,000 for a Federal multi-agency ENDS Enforcement Task Force and directs the FDA Commissioner to update enforcement priorities to include flavored disposable ENDS products and define 'disposable ENDS product.' It also requires semi-annual reports to Congress on enforcement progress.
Sec. 770, Title VII
Delay and Flexibility for FDA Food Traceability Rule
This section prohibits the FDA from administering or enforcing its food traceability rule (published November 21, 2022) or any related rule until July 20, 2028. It directs the FDA to identify flexibilities for lot-level tracking, clarify 'transformation event' circumstances, ensure open quarterly industry engagements with public results, and establish an expert panel to assess traceback investigation processes and provide feedback on data intake exercises.
Sec. 772, Title VII
PURR Act of 2026 (Animal Food Regulation)
This section enacts the 'PURR Act of 2026,' which significantly amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act regarding animal food. It defines various terms related to animal food, establishes federal preemption over state labeling/advertising laws for animal food, deems certain ingredients in the AAFCO Official Publication as safe food additives, and sets timelines for FDA review of animal food ingredient submissions. It also specifies rules for pet food labeling (e.g., 'sometimes present' ingredients, order of listing) and marketing claims ('natural,' hairball control, tartar control, urinary tract health) without premarket approval, provided they are truthful and substantiated. The Act directs the Secretary to issue guidance on several topics and delegates primary responsibility for animal food regulation to the Director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine.
Sec. 774, Title VII
Pet-Related Product Donation Act
This section establishes the 'Pet-Related Product Donation Act,' which limits civil or criminal liability for persons, nonprofit organizations, or state/local governments that donate or receive 'apparently fit pet-related products' in good faith for distribution to 'qualified animals.' It defines 'apparently fit' products as meeting quality and labeling standards but not readily marketable due to appearance, age, or surplus. The liability waiver does not apply to gross negligence or intentional misconduct and includes provisions for partial compliance if the recipient agrees to recondition defective products.
This section places significant restrictions on transfers of funds to the USDA Working Capital Fund, requiring prior approval from Congress. It also includes specific protections for the National Finance Center (NFC), mandating that its IT Services Division personnel and data center management responsibilities remain within the NFC and under its control, and prohibits changes to the NFC without prior congressional approval.
Sec. 702, Title VII
Why it matters:While standard for appropriations bills to include such administrative controls, the detailed protections for the National Finance Center suggest a specific legislative intent to prevent executive branch reorganization or outsourcing efforts that might affect the NFC's operations or workforce. This level of detail often arises from past disputes or concerns about agency autonomy.
Case for: Proponents argue that these provisions ensure congressional oversight over significant administrative changes and protect the stability and functions of critical shared services like the National Finance Center, which provides payroll and financial management for numerous federal agencies, preventing disruptions and ensuring accountability.
Case against: Critics might argue that such detailed legislative directives on administrative functions can limit the executive branch's flexibility to modernize operations, achieve efficiencies, or respond to evolving technological needs, potentially leading to bureaucratic inertia.
Estimated impact: This provision has a significant impact on the administrative and IT operations of the entire Department of Agriculture, affecting potentially billions in IT spending and thousands of federal employees.
This section establishes strict notification and approval requirements for agencies funded by this Act regarding reprogramming, fund transfers, or reimbursements that exceed certain thresholds ($500,000 or 10 percent). It applies to actions that create new programs, eliminate programs, increase funds for denied activities, relocate employees, reorganize offices, or contract out functions. It also requires notification for any new program or activity not carried out in the previous fiscal year.
Sec. 716, Title VII
Why it matters:This is standard legislative practice to ensure that agencies adhere to congressional intent in their spending and operations, preventing significant deviations from appropriated purposes without explicit legislative approval. It's a check on executive branch discretion.
Case for: Proponents argue that these reprogramming rules are essential for maintaining congressional control over the power of the purse, ensuring accountability, and preventing agencies from unilaterally reallocating funds or changing program priorities in ways not intended by Congress.
Case against: Critics might argue that such stringent reprogramming requirements can create bureaucratic inefficiencies, slow down agency responses to evolving needs or emergencies, and limit executive branch flexibility in managing resources effectively.
Estimated impact: This provision impacts the operational flexibility and resource allocation decisions for all agencies funded by this Act, affecting billions of dollars in appropriations.
This section prohibits the use of funds to notify a sponsor or acknowledge receipt of a submission for an exemption for investigational use of a drug or biological product in research where a human embryo is intentionally created or modified to include a heritable genetic modification. Any such submission is deemed not received, and the exemption cannot go into effect.
Sec. 734, Title VII
Why it matters:This is a policy rider addressing a sensitive ethical and scientific issue. Placing it in an appropriations bill ensures its enactment by attaching it to a must-pass funding vehicle, potentially bypassing more extensive debate that might occur in a standalone legislative process.
Case for: Proponents argue that this provision reflects ethical concerns about germline gene editing and the creation of genetically modified human embryos, asserting that federal funds should not support research that crosses these ethical boundaries.
Case against: Opponents might argue that this provision stifles scientific research, potentially hindering advancements in understanding and treating genetic diseases, and that such ethical decisions should be made through a dedicated, deliberative policy process rather than an appropriations rider.
Estimated impact: This provision prevents specific types of human embryo research involving heritable genetic modifications from proceeding under FDA investigational exemptions, impacting a niche but highly significant area of biomedical science.