[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