Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026

It keeps most agencies operating through January 30, 2026, while providing full-year funding for agriculture, Congress, military construction, and veterans services. It also sustains benefits, blocks most temporary workforce cuts, and extends expiring farm and health authorities.

What the law does ​

• Continues most federal funding at 2025 rates through January 30, 2026, restricts new initiatives, preserves mandatory benefits, and generally prevents reductions in force.
• Funds agriculture research, farm support, conservation, rural housing and infrastructure, nutrition assistance, food safety, and Food and Drug Administration operations for fiscal year 2026.
• Funds Congress, Capitol security, legislative support agencies, military construction, military housing, and veterans’ health care, benefits, housing, research, facilities, and cemeteries.
• Extends most 2018 farm-law programs through at least September 30, 2026, while continuing selected grain, dairy, trade, research, and agricultural energy authorities.
• Temporarily extends community health, Medicare, Medicaid, telehealth, hospital-at-home, diabetes, surprise-billing, and other health programs, and renews over-the-counter drug user fees through 2030.
• Extends veterans’ mental health, homelessness, nursing-home, transportation, education, housing, and oversight authorities and revises the troubled-home-loan Partial Claim Program.
• Delays food traceability enforcement, narrows the federal hemp definition after one year, strengthens action against illegal vaping products, and rescinds $500 million in unused funds.
• Excludes the extension divisions from specified budget scorecards and resets statutory pay-as-you-go balances after the first session of the 119th Congress.

Who it affects ​

• Federal employees, agencies, contractors, states, grantees, and people relying on federally funded services.
• Farmers, ranchers, rural residents, food-assistance recipients, schools, agricultural businesses, and hemp and vaping-product sellers.
• Veterans, service members, military families, health-care providers, Medicare and Medicaid participants, and community health patients.
• Members and employees of Congress, legislative support agencies, and visitors and workers at Capitol facilities.

Breakdown ​

DIVISION A, CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026 ​

This title temporarily funds most federal programs through January 30, 2026, generally at fiscal year 2025 operating rates and under the same conditions. It limits new programs and spending commitments, continues mandatory benefits, provides targeted funding and flexibility for specified programs, and blocks most federal workforce reductions during the covered period. It also addresses pay, reimbursements, and other obligations arising from any fiscal year 2026 funding lapse.

Key takeaways

• Most federal programs may continue at fiscal year 2025 rates until regular funding is enacted, a program is omitted from final appropriations, or January 30, 2026, whichever occurs first.
• Agencies generally may not start programs that lacked fiscal year 2025 funding, and the Defense Department faces additional restrictions on new production, higher production rates, and multiyear procurement.
• Mandatory benefits and food assistance continue at levels required by current law, and agencies may increase personnel funding rates when necessary to avoid furloughs after reducing or delaying non-personnel administrative costs.
• The title prohibits most federal reductions in force through January 30, 2026, cancels covered workforce reductions initiated after October 1, 2025, and requires reinstatement and back pay for affected employees.
• Federal employees, states, and other federal grantees are entitled to specified pay or reimbursement for covered costs associated with a fiscal year 2026 funding lapse, subject to available appropriations.
• Targeted provisions support programs including disaster response, wildfire suppression, Indian Health Service facilities, Supreme Court security, federal defender services, small-business lending, selected defense projects, rental assistance, and Essential Air Service.

DIVISION B, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026 (part 1 of 2) ​

This part of the 2026 agriculture appropriations law funds USDA operations, agricultural research and regulation, farm lending and conservation, rural development, domestic nutrition programs, international food assistance, and the Food and Drug Administration. It also sets spending limits, program conditions, staffing requirements, transfer authorities, and congressional reporting rules for these activities.

Key takeaways

• The law provides funding for USDA administration, cybersecurity, civil rights, oversight, agricultural statistics, research, education, extension, animal and plant health, marketing, and food safety inspection.
• It supports farmers and ranchers through Farm Service Agency operations, farm ownership and operating loans, crop insurance, conservation programs, watershed projects, dairy indemnity payments, and targeted assistance for disadvantaged regions.
• It funds rural housing loans, rental assistance, housing vouchers, community facilities, business development, water and waste systems, electric and telecommunications infrastructure, telemedicine, distance learning, and rural broadband.
• It provides major funding for school meals, WIC, SNAP, commodity food assistance, and nutrition program administration, including reserves for higher-than-expected WIC and SNAP needs.
• It funds overseas agricultural operations, Food for Peace grants, and the McGovern-Dole international food and child nutrition program, while requiring a review of transferring Food for Peace administration to USDA.
• It funds FDA food, drug, biologic, medical device, veterinary medicine, tobacco, inspection, and research activities through appropriations and user fees, including dedicated funding for foreign seafood inspections and unannounced foreign drug inspections.

DIVISION B, AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026 (part 2 of 2) ​

This title sets government-wide spending rules and policy conditions for the Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, Farm Credit Administration, and related programs for fiscal year 2026. It controls fund transfers, information technology purchases, staffing changes, travel, reporting, and congressional notification while directing funding for selected rural, food, agriculture, and animal programs. It also limits or delays several agency regulations, changes federal hemp rules, strengthens enforcement against illegal vaping products, and rescinds specified unused funds.

Key takeaways

• USDA and related agencies must obtain congressional approval or provide advance notice for many fund transfers, reorganizations, office relocations, major spending changes, award terminations, and other departures from approved plans.
• The title directs or adds funding for rural housing preservation, rural energy assistance, wetlands, pet shelter grants, cotton classing, Tribal bison processing, invasive catfish processing, rural partnerships, and other targeted programs.
• It rescinds $500 million in unused prior-year funding from conservation, agricultural research, rural broadband, USDA’s Working Capital Fund, and the Treasury Forfeiture Fund.
• The FDA must delay food traceability enforcement until July 20, 2028, expand enforcement against illegal electronic nicotine products, and pause certain actions involving sodium reduction, low-risk ready-to-eat foods, produce safety, and electronic prescribing information.
• Effective one year after enactment, the title narrows the federal definition of hemp by excluding certain synthetic, intoxicating, high-THC, intermediate, and consumer cannabinoid products, while separately defining industrial hemp and hemp-derived cannabinoid products.
• The title sets conditions for nutrition and food programs, including domestic iron and steel requirements for certain rural water projects, a ban on Chinese poultry and seafood in specified child nutrition programs, school meal flexibility, WIC milk allowances, and a study of Buy American rules for SNAP and WIC.

DIVISION C, LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026 ​

This division funds Congress and its support agencies for fiscal year 2026, including the House, Senate, Capitol Police, Architect of the Capitol, Library of Congress, Government Publishing Office, Government Accountability Office, and Congressional Budget Office. It also sets rules for congressional office spending, security, cybersecurity, technology purchases, employee protections, and management of Capitol facilities. It strengthens notice and legal remedies when federal authorities seek Senate electronic data.

Key takeaways

• The division provides operating funds for congressional offices, committees, staff, interns, legislative support agencies, Capitol security, and Capitol facilities.
• Unused Senate office funds and House member office allowances must generally be returned to the Treasury for deficit reduction or, if there is no deficit, debt reduction.
• It provides additional funding for House and Senate member security, including residential and state-office security, and authorizes specified security improvements at House members’ residences.
• It restricts purchases of certain Chinese or foreign-adversary technology, including specified information technology, telecommunications and surveillance equipment, and generally prohibits Chinese-affiliated drones for Capitol security operations.
• It bars a fiscal year 2026 cost-of-living pay adjustment for Members of Congress and extends workplace protections for expressing breast milk to congressional staff.
• Providers and Senate officials generally must notify a Senate office when legal process seeks its electronic data, with limited court-approved delays for criminal investigations targeting a Senator and civil remedies for violations.

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

This division funds military construction and housing, veterans’ benefits and health care, veterans’ facilities, military and veterans’ cemeteries, and related agencies for fiscal year 2026, with some advance funding for 2027. It also sets spending limits, transfer rules, reporting requirements, contracting restrictions, and oversight conditions for the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs.

Key takeaways

• The division provides billions of dollars for construction and renovation across the active-duty military services, National Guard, reserves, defense-wide agencies, NATO facilities, base closure work, and military housing.
• It funds veterans’ disability compensation, pensions, education and rehabilitation benefits, insurance, housing loans, health care, community care, medical research, facilities, information technology, and cemetery services.
• It provides $52.676 billion for health care, benefits, and research related to veterans’ exposure to environmental hazards.
• It provides $3.4 billion for the veterans’ electronic health record system, while withholding 30 percent until the Department of Veterans Affairs submits required cost, deployment, staffing, performance, and safety information.
• It directs funding to specified priorities including women veterans’ care, suicide prevention, caregivers, homelessness programs, rural health, telehealth, opioid treatment, toxic-exposure research, child development center design, barracks design, and demolition work.
• It imposes congressional notice and approval requirements on many funding transfers, construction changes, contract cancellations, facility realignments, and other major actions, while protecting Veterans Crisis Line staffing and barring the closure or realignment of Naval Station Guantánamo Bay.

DIVISION E, EXTENSION OF AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS ​

This division generally keeps programs and authorities from the 2018 farm law operating through at least September 30, 2026, while preserving any later expiration dates already set by other laws. It also extends grain standards and several specific agriculture, trade, research, energy, dairy, and reporting provisions, subject to funding limits and listed exceptions.

Key takeaways

• Key authorities under the United States Grain Standards Act are extended into 2026, including several provisions through January 30, 2026.
• Most authorities and mandatory program funding under the 2018 farm law continue until at least September 30, 2026, or until a later date already set by law.
• Programs funded through discretionary appropriations may continue only if Congress provides the necessary funding.
• The dairy forward pricing program is extended through 2029, and permanent price-support laws remain suspended for specified 2026 crops and for milk through December 31, 2026.
• The division extends the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust, a grazinglands research laboratory provision, and specified agricultural energy provisions through 2026.
• Certain mandatory funding and program limits for commodity, conservation, rural development, research, energy, horticulture, and marketing programs are excluded from the general extension, and the division applies as though enacted on September 30, 2025.

DIVISION F, HEALTH EXTENDERS ​

This division temporarily extends funding and authorities for public health, Medicare, Medicaid, human services, and implementation of protections against surprise medical bills, generally through January 30, 2026. It also updates Medicare payment and budget provisions and reauthorizes the Food and Drug Administration’s over-the-counter drug user-fee program through fiscal year 2030. The division further changes how certain nonprescription drugs are evaluated and improves the process for moving prescription drugs to nonprescription status.

Key takeaways

• Funding is extended for community health centers, the National Health Service Corps, teaching health centers, special diabetes programs, health security programs, and several health information and education programs.
• Medicare extensions cover certain rural and low-volume hospital payments, hospital-at-home care, ambulance add-on payments, telehealth flexibilities, hospice surveys, laboratory payment policies, low-income outreach, and coverage of authorized oral antiviral drugs.
• The division delays scheduled Medicaid disproportionate share hospital payment reductions until January 31, 2026, and provides Tennessee with a $17,748,493 allotment for the preceding portion of fiscal year 2026.
• The FDA may continue collecting over-the-counter monograph drug user fees through fiscal year 2030, subject to revised fee calculations, payment schedules, performance reporting, and public disclosure requirements.
• The FDA must consider real-world evidence and alternatives to animal testing for topical nonprescription drug ingredients and provide clearer guidance for applications seeking to move drugs from prescription to nonprescription status.
• Funding for implementing the No Surprises Act remains available through January 30, 2026, with an additional $14 million provided for that period.

DIVISION G, DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS EXTENDERS ​

This division generally extends Department of Veterans Affairs health care, benefits, housing, oversight, transportation, and property authorities through fiscal year 2026. It also funds selected veteran housing and homelessness programs, revises the VA Partial Claim Program for troubled home loans, and requires ongoing Government Accountability Office reviews of that program. With the exception of the Partial Claim Program changes, the extensions apply retroactively as though enacted on September 30, 2025.

Key takeaways

• VA authority to collect certain hospital and nursing home copayments and its duty to provide nursing home care to certain veterans with service-connected disabilities continue through September 30, 2026.
• Veterans’ mental health and homelessness initiatives are extended, including the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, rural mental health funding, treatment for seriously mentally ill and homeless veterans, and grants serving homeless veterans with special needs.
• Fiscal year 2026 funding includes $660 million for supportive services that help very low-income veteran families remain in permanent housing.
• Several benefits and administrative authorities continue into 2026, including toxic-exposure briefings, restoration of education benefits after school closures or disapprovals, the VA regional office in the Philippines, transportation to VA facilities, Inspector General subpoena authority, and specified housing and property programs.
• The VA Partial Claim Program is revised to clarify payment, loan servicing, default, foreclosure, borrower liability, and administrative guidance rules, including increasing one deadline from 120 to 180 days.
• The Government Accountability Office must report annually on the Partial Claim Program and assess its benefits, challenges, borrower outcomes, taxpayer costs, and performance compared with other VA and federal housing-loss mitigation options.

DIVISION H, MISCELLANEOUS ​

This title exempts the budgetary effects of Divisions E through H from specified federal and Senate PAYGO scorecards and certain other budget estimates. It also resets the statutory PAYGO scorecard balances to zero after the first session of the 119th Congress for the annual PAYGO report and any determination of whether automatic spending cuts are required.

Key takeaways

• The budgetary effects of Divisions E through H will not be recorded on statutory federal PAYGO scorecards.
• Those budgetary effects also will not be recorded on Senate PAYGO scorecards.
• The divisions’ budgetary effects will be excluded from specified spending-limit estimates, appropriations allocations, and classifications as spending in an appropriations law.
• After the first session of the 119th Congress adjourns, the statutory PAYGO scorecard balances will be set to zero for the annual report and for deciding whether automatic spending cuts are necessary.