Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2026
This bill—the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2026—authorizes and appropriates funds for the Department of Defense’s military construction programs and the Department of Veterans Affairs for fiscal year 2026, plus related agencies. Division A covers DoD military construction, housing, and related programs (Army, Navy/Marine Corps, Air Force, Defense-Wide, National Guard and Reserve components, NATO security investment, and base-closure activities), along with numerous administrative provisions and funding flexibility tools (e.g., transfers and reprogramming authority). Division B provides the budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs, including the Veterans Benefits Administration, the Veterans Health Administration, and associated programs (readjustment benefits, insurance, loan programs, National Cemetery Administration, and VA information technology and administration). Key themes include: substantial DoD construction and housing funding with long availability windows; oversight and restrictions on land purchases, base closures, overseas activities, and use of materials (e.g., steel); and a large, multi-year funding package for VA benefits, health care, and administrative operations, with policy priorities such as prioritizing treatment for veterans with service-connected disabilities and maintaining access to care through both VA and non-VA providers.
Key Points
- 1DoD military construction and related housing funding: The act appropriates detailed amounts for each military service and Defense-Wide construction accounts (Army, Navy/Marine Corps, Air Force, Defense-Wide) plus National Guard and Reserve components, with funds available through 2030 (or longer for some accounts) and explicit provisions for design/architect services and host nation support. It also funds related programs like the NATO Security Investment Program and the Department of Defense Base Closure Account.
- 2Unfunded priority list funding and transfer authorities: The bill includes a funding add-on for additional “unfunded priority list” construction needs (section 124) and expands transfer/merger authority to move funds between DoD construction accounts (sections 117-118) and between DoD housing accounts, with notification requirements to Congress.
- 3Oversight and cost-control restrictions: The act imposes multiple limits and conditions—no new US base construction without prior appropriations authorization (Sec. 104), land/easement purchases restricted (Sec. 105), limits on architect/engineer contracts for certain overseas projects unless awarded to US firms (Sec. 111), and prohibition on planning/construction at Arlington National Cemetery (Sec. 123). It also requires specific reporting on planned exercises (Sec. 113) and on Fort Leonard Wood facilities (Sec. 130).
- 4VA funding and policy priorities: The VA title funds the Veterans Benefits Administration, Readjustment Benefits, life insurance and loan programs, and the Veterans Health Administration with substantial totals (e.g., hundreds of billions across programs). Notable policy directions include establishing priority for medical treatment for veterans with service-connected disabilities and/or low income, enabling VA to dispense privately prescribed medications under certain conditions, ensuring prosthetics for female veterans, and prioritizing basic medical benefits for enrollment groups 1–6. The bill also funds medical care in non-VA facilities (Medical Community Care) and imposes administrative/collection activities through Medical Support and Compliance.
- 5Major VA healthcare and IT/administrative funding: VA health programs (Medical Services, Medical Community Care, Medical Facilities, Medical Research) receive large, multi-year appropriations with specific availability windows (e.g., October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027, with some funds extending to 2028 or 2030). There is also a substantial Information Technology Systems appropriation to modernize and maintain VA IT, with prescribed pay and maintenance splits and expiration dates.