Secures funding to improve national security and support veterans, farmers, and ranchers

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Senate overwhelmingly passed three bipartisan Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 appropriations bills to provide funding for several agencies and programs pertaining to military construction, veterans’ affairs, agriculture, rural development, food and drug oversight, technology infrastructure, physical and cyber security, and the legislative branch.

“As us North Dakotans know, our state contributes a great deal to feeding, fueling, and protecting the nation and our bill that we passed tonight really reflects that critical role,” said U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Veterans’ Affairs (SVAC) Committee. “It also includes my bipartisan language that ensures North Dakota is not neglected when we pursue suicide prevention grants for our veterans. Boy, I applaud Senate Appropriators for clearing these measures out of committee with strong, bipartisan support and to Majority Leader John Thune for keeping his promise to move through regular order. This has to be replicated for the rest of the appropriations process to ensure we have a transparent process that engages all the members of Congress and restores confidence in the Congress among the people of our country.”

Military Construction, Veterans Affairs:

The bill provides funding for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) military construction program, retains provisions preventing the realignment or closure of Guantanamo Bay, and includes a provision prohibiting the VA from purchasing technology equipment from any Chinese manufacturer on a list maintained by DOD, the U.S. Department of Treasury, the U.S. Department of Commerce, or the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

It would improve U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical care, upgrade the VA information technology systems, support veterans’ electronic health records, and improve access to mandatory benefits for veterans. The bill also includes report language for Ketogenic Nutrition Programs as well as identifying unidentified remains of veterans interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

The legislation secures additional funding to design an Armory for the National Guard in Jamestown. It also provides $702.8 million for the Supportive Services for Veterans Families (SSVF) program, which serves every county in North Dakota through the Williston, Minot, Devils Lake, Grand Forks, Fargo, Jamestown, Bismarck, and Dickinson regional Community Action Agencies.

As a member of SVAC, Cramer has fought to ensure veterans receive timely access to high quality mental health care, no matter where they live. In April, Cramer and U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) introduced the bipartisan Every State Counts for Veterans Mental Health Act to provide priority consideration of SSG Fox SPGP applications to entities in states, like North Dakota, which have not previously received a grant. The FY26 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations title reflects Cramer’s work to ensure North Dakota veterans receive suicide prevention support if they need it by including language improving access to suicide prevention services.

Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration:

The agriculture section secures food supply chains, provides funding for programs to support producers and rural communities, facilitates agricultural research, and offers nutrition assistance at home and abroad.

Specifically, the legislation funds essential programs producers rely on to protect crops and livestock from diseases and pests, facilitates domestic and international marketing of agricultural products, and supports frontline personnel for state meat and poultry inspection programs. Notably, it also provides resources to help ranchers comply with electronic identification (EID) tag requirements. It allocates $10.5 billion for farm loans, provides $1.6 billion for the Farm Service Agency (FSA), and prohibits closures of FSA county offices.

It includes $3.6 billion for agricultural research programs, securing U.S. dominance in agricultural innovation. The Agricultural Research Service, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative ensure American farmers and ranchers are able to harness cutting-edge technologies allowing them to do more with less. To build on the Trump administration’s National Farm Security Action Plan, the bill supports efforts to protect the U.S. agricultural economy and maintain U.S. global leadership in animal health, biodefense, and biosecurity. It also directs USDA to provide transparency into research funding spent collaborating with adversarial countries like China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.

Further, the legislation maintains the Secretary of Agriculture’s position on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to protect food supply chains from adversaries.

To support rural communities, this bill provides $1.7 billion for rural development programs, $1.7 billion for rental assistance, $26 billion for housing loans, $1.3 billion for water and waste grants and loans, and $1.8 billion to support small businesses. It also delivers a major broadband package with $96 million in immediate grants and more than $550 million in low-cost telecom loan authority—including $40.6 million for the Distance Learning, Telemedicine, and Broadband Program to connect rural schools, clinics, and libraries; $35 million to continue the ReConnect pilot for 100/20 Mbps networks in unserved areas; and $20 million for the Community Connect Grant Program reaching the most remote households. Additionally, it provides $350 million in cost-of-money direct telecom loans, $200 million in guaranteed telecom loans, and $8 billion in rural electric loan authority to help cooperatives modernize the grid and expand fiber.

The legislation funds food assistance programs for seniors, mothers, and children through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

Legislative Branch:

The measure provides $865 million for the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP)—$653 million for personnel and $201 million for equipment and operations—with authority to reimburse up to $10 million for mutual-aid support. It includes $545 million for the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) to maintain and modernize the Capitol complex, with a ban on bonuses for contractors who miss deadlines or exceed budgets. The Library of Congress receives $592 million, including $136 million for the Congressional Research Service and $66 million for the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled.

It also provides $71 million to the Congressional Budget Office to enhance budget transparency, $812 million to the Government Accountability Office for oversight, and $8 million to the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights. It also retains provisions to prohibit USCP and AOC from purchasing drones manufactured in China as well as prohibit the acquisition of telecommunications equipment from Huawei or ZTE Corporation.