H.R.3944 - Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2026 119th Congress (2025-2026) Section Summary:

Rural Utilities Service rural water and waste disposal program account (including transfers of funds) For gross obligations for the principal amount of direct and guaranteed loans as authorized by section 306 and described in section 381E(d)(2) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act, as follows: $1,015,000,000 for direct loans; and $50,000,000 for guaranteed loans. For the cost of direct loans, loan guarantees and grants, including the cost of modifying loans, as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, for rural water, waste water, waste disposal, and solid waste management programs authorized by sections 306, 306A, 306C, 306D, 306E, and 310B and described in sections 306C(a)(2), 306D, 306E, and 381E(d)(2) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act, $443,776,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That $51,476,000 of the amount appropriated under this heading shall be available for direct loans, of which no less than $3,876,000 shall be available for water and waste direct one percent loans for distressed communities as the Secretary deems appropriate: Provided further, That $1,000,000 shall be available for the rural utilities program described in section 306(a)(2)(B) of such Act: Provided further, That $5,000,000 of the amount appropriated under this heading shall be available for the rural utilities program described in section 306E of such Act: Provided further, That $10,000,000 of the amount appropriated under this heading shall be for grants authorized by section 306A(i)(2) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act in addition to funding authorized by section 306A(i)(1) of such Act: Provided further, That $65,000,000 of the amount appropriated under this heading shall be for loans and grants including water and waste disposal systems grants authorized by section 306C(a)(2)(B) and section 306D of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act, and Federally Recognized Native American Tribes authorized by 306C(a)(1) of such Act, and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (of the State of Hawaii): Provided further, That funding provided for section 306D of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act may be provided to a consortium formed pursuant to section 325 of Public Law 105–83: Provided further, That not more than 2 percent of the funding provided for section 306D of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act may be used by the State of Alaska for training and technical assistance programs and not more than 2 percent of the funding provided for section 306D of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act may be used by a consortium formed pursuant to section 325 of Public Law 105–83 for training and technical assistance programs: Provided further, That $35,000,000 of the amount appropriated under this heading shall be for technical assistance grants for rural water and waste systems pursuant to section 306(a)(14) of such Act, unless the Secretary makes a determination of extreme need, of which $9,000,000 shall be made available for a grant to a qualified nonprofit multi-State regional technical assistance organization, with experience in working with small communities on water and waste water problems, the principal purpose of such grant shall be to assist rural communities with populations of 3,300 or less, in improving the planning, financing, development, operation, and management of water and waste water systems, and of which not less than $800,000 shall be for a qualified national Native American organization to provide technical assistance for rural water systems for tribal communities: Provided further, That $23,900,000 of the amount appropriated under this heading shall be for contracting with qualified national organizations for a circuit rider program to provide technical assistance for rural water systems: Provided further, That $4,000,000 of the amounts made available under this heading shall be for solid waste management grants: Provided further, That $240,400,000 of the amounts made available under this heading shall be for grants pursuant to section 306(a)(2)(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act: Provided further, That $8,000,000 of the amount appropriated under this heading shall be transferred to, and merged with, the Rural Utilities Service, High Energy Cost Grants Account to provide grants authorized under section 19 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 918a): Provided further, That if any funds made available for the direct loan subsidy costs under this heading remain unobligated after July 31, 2026, such unobligated balances may be used for grant programs funded under this heading: Provided further, That any unobligated balances from prior year appropriations under this heading for the cost of direct loans, loan guarantees and grants, including amounts deobligated or cancelled, may be made available to cover the subsidy costs for direct loans, loan guarantees and or grants under this heading in this fiscal year: Provided further, That no amounts may be made available pursuant to the two preceding provisos from amounts that were designated by the Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to a concurrent resolution on the budget or the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985: Provided further, That sections 381E–H and 381N of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act are not applicable to the funds made available under this heading. rural electrification and telecommunications loans program account (including transfer of funds) The principal amount of loans and loan guarantees as authorized by sections 4, 305, 306, 313A, and 317 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 904, 935, 936, 940c–1, and 940g) shall be made as follows: guaranteed rural electric loans made pursuant to section 306 of that Act, $2,667,000,000; cost of money direct loans made pursuant to sections 4, notwithstanding the one-eighth of one percent in 4(c)(2), and 317, notwithstanding 317(c), of that Act, $4,333,000,000; guaranteed underwriting loans pursuant to section 313A of that Act, $900,000,000; for cost-of-money rural telecommunications loans made pursuant to section 305(d)(2) of that Act, $350,000,000; and for guaranteed rural telecommunications loans made pursuant to section 306 of that Act, $200,000,000: Provided, That up to $2,000,000,000 shall be used for the construction, acquisition, design, engineering or improvement of fossil-fueled electric generating plants (whether new or existing) that utilize carbon subsurface utilization and storage systems. For the cost of direct loans as authorized by section 305(d)(2) of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 935(d)(2)), including the cost of modifying loans, as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, cost of money rural telecommunications loans, $3,570,000. In addition, $4,200,000 to remain available until expended, to carry out section 6407 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8107a): Provided, That the energy efficiency measures supported by the funding in this paragraph shall contribute in a demonstrable way to the reduction of greenhouse gases. In addition, for administrative expenses necessary to carry out the direct and guaranteed loan programs, $33,270,000, which shall be paid to the appropriation for “Rural Development, Salaries and Expenses”. distance learning, telemedicine, and broadband program For grants for telemedicine and distance learning services in rural areas, as authorized by 7 U.S.C. 950aaa et seq., $40,610,000, to remain available until expended, of which $610,000 shall be for the purposes, and in the amounts, specified for this account in the table titled “Congressionally Directed Spending” in the report accompanying this Act: Provided, That $3,000,000 shall be made available for grants authorized by section 379G of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act: Provided further, That funding provided under this heading for grants under section 379G of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act may only be provided to entities that meet all of the eligibility criteria for a consortium as established by this section. For the cost to continue a broadband loan and grant pilot program established by section 779 of division A of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public Law 115–141) under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, as amended (7 U.S.C. 901 et seq.), $35,000,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That the Secretary may award grants described in section 601(a) of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, as amended (7 U.S.C. 950bb(a)) for the purposes of carrying out such pilot program: Provided further, That the cost of direct loans shall be defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974: Provided further, That at least 90 percent of the households to be served by a project receiving a loan or grant under the pilot program shall be in a rural area without sufficient access to broadband: Provided further, That for purposes of such pilot program, a rural area without sufficient access to broadband shall be defined as twenty-five megabits per second downstream and three megabits per second upstream: Provided further, That to the extent possible, projects receiving funds provided under the pilot program must build out service to at least one hundred megabits per second downstream, and twenty megabits per second upstream: Provided further, That an entity to which a loan or grant is made under the pilot program shall not use the loan or grant to overbuild or duplicate broadband service in a service area by any entity that has received a broadband loan from the Rural Utilities Service unless such service is not provided sufficient access to broadband at the minimum service threshold: Provided further, That not more than four percent of the funds made available in this paragraph can be used for administrative costs to carry out the pilot program and up to three percent of funds made available in this paragraph may be available for technical assistance and pre-development planning activities to support the most rural communities: Provided further, That the Rural Utilities Service is directed to expedite program delivery methods that would implement this paragraph: Provided further, That for purposes of this paragraph, the Secretary shall adhere to the notice, reporting and service area assessment requirements set forth in section 701 of the Rural Electrification Act (7 U.S.C. 950cc). In addition, $20,000,000, to remain available until expended, for the Community Connect Grant Program authorized by 7 U.S.C. 950bb–3. TITLE IV DOMESTIC FOOD PROGRAMS