WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. Senate today voted 87-9 to approve three key appropriations bills for fiscal year 2026: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies (Ag); Military Construction-Veterans Affairs (MilCon-VA); and Legislative Branch (Leg. Branch).

Collectively, the appropriations bills provide federal funding to run the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and Congress itself, along with a host of federal agencies for the coming fiscal year, which starts October 1, 2025. The spending bills also include funds for the U.S. Department of Defense to advance military construction and quality of life projects for our troops and their families.

U.S. Senator Jack Reed, a leading member of the Appropriations Committee, helped advance these spending bills out of committee and successfully included $43,262,000 in earmarks for Rhode Island in the bills to finance key agriculture and military construction projects in Rhode Island.

“These appropriations bills make important investments in families, communities, veterans, and public safety. Senators from both parties came together to largely reject President Trump’s reckless cuts and took a much more targeted, balanced approach. This bipartisan compromise offers a way forward and provides necessary funding to keep our promises to veterans and provide critical health and nutrition assistance to those in need, including seniors and children,” said Senator Reed. “The federal funding in these bills is critical for Rhode Islanders. I’ll continue working to ensure Rhode Island gets the federal resources it needs to strengthen our economy and help move our country forward.”

Senator Reed successfully led efforts to include several earmarks in the bill to fund numerous infrastructure and community-driven projects across Rhode Island, including:

FY26 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies: $6,462,000

  • $4,000,000 for Flood Mitigation in the Pocasset River Watershed Floodplain
  • $1,000,000 for a new Public Safety Complex in Foster
  • $500,000 for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management to treat Invasive Plants in Worden Pond
  • $311,000 for a Fire Radio System in West Greenwich
  • $237,000 for the Glocester Police Department to construct a new Public Safety Communications Tower
  • $210,000 for a new Fire Rescue Boat for the Town of Tiverton
  • $204,000 for Emergency Communication Equipment Enhancements for the Town of Scituate

FY26 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies: $36,800,000

  • $36,800,000 for a Next Generation Torpedo Integration Lab at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC)

In addition to earmarks and overall funding, the bill rejects the Trump Administration’s efforts to gut the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and invests in the Congressional Budget Office and the Congressional Research Service as well in order to keep the federal government accountable to laws and facts. The bill also ensures improved security at the U.S. Capitol.

The legislation must now be reconciled with a different version approved by the U.S. House of Representatives. Both chambers must pass an identical versions before it can be sent to the president’s desk to be signed into law.