[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 4121 Reported in House (RH)] <DOC> Union Calendar No. 138 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4121 [Report No. 119-172] Making appropriations for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 25, 2025 Mr. Harris of Maryland, from the Committee on Appropriations, reported the following bill; which was committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL Making appropriations for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the following sums are appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies programs for fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, and for other purposes, namely: TITLE I AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS Processing, Research, and Marketing Office of the Secretary (including transfers of funds) For necessary expenses of the Office of the Secretary, $43,856,000 of which not to exceed $5,551,000 shall be available for the immediate Office of the Secretary; not to exceed $1,700,000 shall be available for the Office of Homeland Security; not to exceed $5,190,000 shall be available for the Office of Tribal Relations; not to exceed $5,000,000 shall be available for the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement; not to exceed $17,915,000 shall be available for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration, of which $17,015,000 shall be available for Departmental Administration to provide for necessary expenses for management support services to offices of the Department and for general administration, security, repairs and alterations, and other miscellaneous supplies and expenses not otherwise provided for and necessary for the practical and efficient work of the Department: Provided, That funds made available by this Act to an agency in the Administration mission area for salaries and expenses are available to fund up to one administrative support staff for the Office; not to exceed $3,500,000 shall be available for the Office of Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations and Intergovernmental Affairs to carry out the programs funded by this Act, including programs involving intergovernmental affairs and liaison within the executive branch; and not to exceed $5,000,000 shall be available for the Office of Communications: Provided further, That the Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to transfer funds appropriated for any office of the Office of the Secretary to any other office of the Office of the Secretary: Provided further, That no appropriation for any office shall be increased or decreased by more than 5 percent: Provided further, That not to exceed $22,000 of the amount made available under this paragraph for the immediate Office of the Secretary shall be available for official reception and representation expenses, not otherwise provided for, as determined by the Secretary: Provided further, That the amount made available under this heading for Departmental Administration shall be reimbursed from applicable appropriations in this Act for travel expenses incident to the holding of hearings as required by 5 U.S.C. 551-558: Provided further, That funds made available under this heading for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations and Intergovernmental Affairs shall be transferred to agencies of the Department of Agriculture funded by this Act to maintain personnel at the agency level: Provided further, That no funds made available under this heading for the Office of Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations may be obligated after 30 days from the date of enactment of this Act, unless the Secretary has notified the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress on the allocation of these funds by USDA agency: Provided further, That during any 30 day notification period referenced in section 716 of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall take no action to begin implementation of the action that is subject to section 716 of this Act or make any public announcement of such action in any form. Executive Operations office of the chief economist For necessary expenses of the Office of the Chief Economist, $28,000,000, of which $11,225,000 shall be for grants or cooperative agreements for policy research under 7 U.S.C. 3155: Provided, That of the amounts made available under this heading, $500,000 shall be available to carry out section 224 of subtitle A of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6924), as amended by section 12504 of Public Law 115-334. office of hearings and appeals For necessary expenses of the Office of Hearings and Appeals, $12,703,000. office of budget and program analysis For necessary expenses of the Office of Budget and Program Analysis, $14,967,000. Office of the Chief Information Officer For necessary expenses of the Office of the Chief Information Officer, $85,000,000, of which not less than $60,032,000 is for cybersecurity requirements of the department. Office of the Chief Financial Officer For necessary expenses of the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, $5,867,000. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights For necessary expenses of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, $900,000: Provided, That funds made available by this Act to an agency in the Civil Rights mission area for salaries and expenses are available to fund up to one administrative support staff for the Office. Office of Civil Rights For necessary expenses of the Office of Civil Rights, $24,500,000. Agriculture Buildings and Facilities (including transfers of funds) For payment of space rental and related costs pursuant to Public Law 92-313, including authorities pursuant to the 1984 delegation of authority from the Administrator of General Services to the Department of Agriculture under 40 U.S.C. 121, for programs and activities of the Department which are included in this Act, and for alterations and other actions needed for the Department and its agencies to consolidate unneeded space into configurations suitable for release to the Administrator of General Services, and for the operation, maintenance, improvement, and repair of Agriculture buildings and facilities, and for related costs, $10,603,000, to remain available until expended. Hazardous Materials Management (including transfers of funds) For necessary expenses of the Department of Agriculture, to comply with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.) and the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.), $1,000,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That appropriations and funds available herein to the Department for Hazardous Materials Management may be transferred to any agency of the Department for its use in meeting all requirements pursuant to the above Acts on Federal and non-Federal lands. Office of Safety, Security, and Protection For necessary expenses of the Office of Safety, Security, and Protection, $18,300,000. Office of Inspector General For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General, including employment pursuant to the Inspector General Act of 1978 (Public Law 95-452; 5 U.S.C. App.), $94,561,000, including such sums as may be necessary for contracting and other arrangements with public agencies and private persons pursuant to section 6(a)(9) of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (Public Law 95-452; 5 U.S.C. App.), and including not to exceed $125,000 for certain confidential operational expenses, including the payment of informants, to be expended under the direction of the Inspector General pursuant to the Inspector General Act of 1978 (Public Law 95-452; 5 U.S.C. App.) and section 1337 of the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981 (Public Law 97-98). Office of the General Counsel For necessary expenses of the Office of the General Counsel, $55,537,000. Office of Ethics For necessary expenses of the Office of Ethics, $4,136,000. Office of the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics For necessary expenses of the Office of the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics, $2,384,000: Provided, That funds made available by this Act to an agency in the Research, Education, and Economics mission area for salaries and expenses are available to fund up to one administrative support staff for the Office: Provided further, That of the amounts made available under this heading, $1,000,000 shall be made available for the Office of the Chief Scientist. Economic Research Service For necessary expenses of the Economic Research Service, $85,612,000. National Agricultural Statistics Service For necessary expenses of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, $180,000,000, of which up to $46,000,000 shall be available until expended for the Census of Agriculture: Provided, That amounts made available for the Census of Agriculture may be used to conduct Current Industrial Report surveys subject to 7 U.S.C. 2204g(d) and (f): Provided further, That the Secretary shall notify the Committees on Appropriations of the House and Senate in writing 30 days prior to discontinuing data collection programs and reports. Agricultural Research Service salaries and expenses For necessary expenses of the Agricultural Research Service and for acquisition of lands by donation, exchange, or purchase at a nominal cost not to exceed $100,000 and with prior notification and approval of the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress, and for land exchanges where the lands exchanged shall be of equal value or shall be equalized by a payment of money to the grantor which shall not exceed 25 percent of the total value of the land or interests transferred out of Federal ownership, $1,790,550,000, which shall be for the purposes, and in the amounts, specified in the table titled ``Agricultural Research Service Salaries and Expenses'' in the report accompanying this Act: Provided, That appropriations hereunder shall be available for the operation and maintenance of aircraft and the purchase of not to exceed one for replacement only: Provided further, That appropriations hereunder shall be available pursuant to 7 U.S.C. 2250 for the construction, alteration, and repair of buildings and improvements, but unless otherwise provided, the cost of constructing any one building shall not exceed $500,000, except for headhouses or greenhouses which shall each be limited to $1,800,000, except for 10 buildings to be constructed or improved at a cost not to exceed $1,100,000 each, and except for four buildings to be constructed at a cost not to exceed $5,000,000 each, and the cost of altering any one building during the fiscal year shall not exceed 10 percent of the current replacement value of the building or $500,000, whichever is greater: Provided further, That appropriations hereunder shall be available for entering into lease agreements at any Agricultural Research Service location for the construction of a research facility by a non-Federal entity for use by the Agricultural Research Service and a condition of the lease shall be that any facility shall be owned, operated, and maintained by the non-Federal entity and shall be removed upon the expiration or termination of the lease agreement: Provided further, That the limitations on alterations contained in this Act shall not apply to modernization or replacement of existing facilities at Beltsville, Maryland: Provided further, That appropriations hereunder shall be available for granting easements at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center: Provided further, That the foregoing limitations shall not apply to replacement of buildings needed to carry out the Act of April 24, 1948 (21 U.S.C. 113a): Provided further, That appropriations hereunder shall be available for granting easements at any Agricultural Research Service location for the construction of a research facility by a non-Federal entity for use by, and acceptable to, the Agricultural Research Service and a condition of the easements shall be that upon completion the facility shall be accepted by the Secretary, subject to the availability of funds herein, if the Secretary finds that acceptance of the facility is in the interest of the United States: Provided further, That funds may be received from any State, other political subdivision, organization, or individual for the purpose of establishing or operating any research facility or research project of the Agricultural Research Service, as authorized by law. buildings and facilities For the acquisition of land, construction, repair, improvement, extension, alteration, and purchase of fixed equipment or facilities as necessary to carry out the agricultural research programs of the Department of Agriculture, where not otherwise provided, $21,000,000, to remain available until expended, for the purposes, and in the amounts, specified for this account in the table titled ``Community Project Funding'' in the report accompanying this Act. National Institute of Food and Agriculture research and education activities For payments to agricultural experiment stations, for cooperative forestry and other research, for facilities, and for other expenses, $1,058,000,000, which shall be for the purposes, and in the amounts, specified in the table titled ``National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Research and Education Activities'' in the report accompanying this Act: Provided, That funds for research grants for 1994 institutions, education grants for 1890 institutions, Hispanic serving institutions education grants, capacity building for non-land- grant colleges of agriculture, the agriculture and food research initiative, veterinary medicine loan repayment, multicultural scholars, graduate fellowship and institution challenge grants, grants management systems, tribal colleges education equity grants, and scholarships at 1890 institutions shall remain available until expended: Provided further, That each institution eligible to receive funds under the Evans-Allen program receives no less than $1,000,000: Provided further, That funds for education grants for Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions be made available to individual eligible institutions or consortia of eligible institutions with funds awarded equally to each of the States of Alaska and Hawaii: Provided further, That funds for providing grants for food and agricultural sciences for Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving institutions and for Insular Areas shall remain available until September 30, 2027: Provided further, That funds for education grants for 1890 institutions shall be made available to institutions eligible to receive funds under 7 U.S.C. 3221 and 3222: Provided further, That not more than 5 percent of the amounts made available by this or any other Act to carry out the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative under 7 U.S.C. 3157 may be retained by the Secretary of Agriculture to pay administrative costs incurred by the Secretary in carrying out that authority. native american institutions endowment fund For the Native American Institutions Endowment Fund authorized by Public Law 103-382 (7 U.S.C. 301 note), $11,880,000, to remain available until expended. extension activities For payments to States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, Micronesia, the Northern Marianas, and American Samoa, $556,000,000, which shall be for the purposes, and in the amounts, specified in the table titled ``National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Extension Activities'' in the report accompanying this Act: Provided, That funds for extension services at 1994 institutions and for facility improvements at 1890 institutions shall remain available until expended: Provided further, That institutions eligible to receive funds under 7 U.S.C. 3221 for cooperative extension receive no less than $1,000,000: Provided further, That funds for cooperative extension under sections 3(b) and (c) of the Smith-Lever Act (7 U.S.C. 343(b) and (c)) and section 208(c) of Public Law 93-471 shall be available for retirement and employees' compensation costs for extension agents. integrated activities For the integrated research, education, and extension grants programs, including necessary administrative expenses, $40,100,000, which shall be for the purposes, and in the amounts, specified in the table titled ``National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Integrated Activities'' in the report accompanying this Act: Provided, That funds for the Food and Agriculture Defense Initiative shall remain available until September 30, 2027: Provided further, That notwithstanding any other provision of law, indirect costs shall not be charged against any Extension Implementation Program Area grant awarded under the Crop Protection/Pest Management Program (7 U.S.C. 7626). Office of the Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs For necessary expenses of the Office of the Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, $1,617,000: Provided, That funds made available by this Act to an agency in the Marketing and Regulatory Programs mission area for salaries and expenses are available to fund up to one administrative support staff for the Office. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service salaries and expenses (including transfers of funds) For necessary expenses of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, including up to $30,000 for representation allowances and for expenses pursuant to the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4085), $1,146,000,000, which shall be for the purposes, and in the amounts, specified in the table titled ``Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Salaries and Expenses'' in the report accompanying this Act; of which $250,000, to remain available until expended, shall be available for the control of outbreaks of insects, plant diseases, animal disea