H.R. 3944 · Where this bill is now
Became law through another bill
Its text was included in H.R. 5371, Public Law 119-37 (per the Congressional Research Service). This bill number itself: House and Senate working out differences.
See H.R. 5371 on Congress.gov ↗
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryFunds military, veterans, agriculture, and Congress
This bill provides money for fiscal year 2026 to several federal departments and agencies. It covers military construction and family housing for the Department of Defense, programs run by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and the operations of the Senate and agencies that support Congress. The bill also sets rules for how these funds can be used.
How it affects you
If you're a veteran, active-duty service member, or their family, you'll see funding go to VA programs and military housing. If you work in agriculture or food safety, funding supports the USDA and FDA. If you work for the Senate or congressional support agencies, this bill funds your department. Most other Americans don't feel direct effects from this type of appropriations bill, though it supports services and agencies that operate across the country.
Read the official summary (Passed Senate, Aug 1, 2025)
Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2026
This bill provides FY2026 appropriations to several federal departments and agencies for activities and programs related to military construction, veterans, agriculture, and the legislative branch.
Specifically, the bill includes 3 of the 12 regular FY2026 appropriations bills:
• the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026;
• the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026; and
• the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2026.
The departments, agencies, and activities funded in the bill include
• Department of Defense military construction and family housing activities,
• the Department of Veterans Affairs,
• the Department of Agriculture,
• the Food and Drug Administration,
• the Senate,
• various agencies that support Congress, and
• several related and independent agencies.
(Pursuant to the longstanding practice of each chamber of Congress determining its own requirements, funds for the House of Representatives are not included in the Senate bill.)
The bill also sets forth requirements and restrictions for using funds provided by this and other appropriations acts.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 3944
AN ACT
Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026
Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2026
Sponsor: Rep. John R. Carter (R-TX-31) · Introduced Jun 12, 2025 · Economics and Public Finance · 5 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Sep 18, 2025: “Message on House action received in Senate and at desk: House requests a conference.”
How Congress voted
Official roll callsSenate · On Passage of the Bill · Aug 1, 2025
Passage of the Bill Bill Passed 87–9
| Party | Yes | No | Didn’t vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 37 | 6 | 2 |
| Independents | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Republicans | 49 | 2 | 2 |
8 members voted against most of their party: 6 Democrats voted No and 2 Republicans voted No.
Source: senate.gov · roll call 480
Congress votes on whole bills and amendments, not on single sections.
Numbers that changed
Dollar amounts, dates and percentages, taken word for word from the text- Sec. 119 · Amount · Committee version → Senate changes$20,000→$35,000…flag officer quarters: Provided, That not more than $35,000 per unit may be spent annually for the…
- Sec. 124 · Amount · Committee version → Senate changes$40,000,000→$15,500,000…Construction, Army, $45,000,000; Military Construction, Army National Guard, $15,500,000; Military Construction, Air National Guard, $11,000,000; and…
- Sec. 208 · Fiscal year · Committee version → Senate changesfiscal year 2025→fiscal year 2026…earnings accumulated in such an insurance program during fiscal year 2026 that are available for dividends in that program…
- Sec. 208 · Fiscal year · Committee version → Senate changesfiscal year 2025→fiscal year 2026…Secretary shall determine the cost of administration for fiscal year 2026 which is properly allocable to the provision of…
- Sec. 210 · Amount · Committee version → Senate changes$134,343,000→$134,342,000…will recover actual costs but not to exceed $134,342,000 for the Office of Resolution Management, $7,607,000 for…
- Sec. 210 · Amount · Committee version → Senate changes$7,686,000→$7,586,000…the Office of Employment Discrimination Complaint Adjudication, and $7,586,000 for the Alternative Dispute Resolution function within the…
- Sec. 232 · Date · Committee version → Senate changesJanuary 1, 2026→January 1, 2027…beginning on October 1, 2018, and ending on January 1, 2027, none of the funds made available to…
- Sec. 253 · Date · Committee version → Senate changesOctober 1, 2018→October 1, 2017…7364(b) of title 38, United States Code, between October 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018 for purposes of carrying…
- Sec. 253 · Date · Committee version → Senate changesSeptember 30, 2019→September 30, 2018…United States Code, between October 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018 for purposes of carrying out an order placed…
- Sec. 407 · Time period · Committee version → Senate changes30 days→45 days…or Committees of Congress for no less than 45 days.…
| Section | Where | Before | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sec. 119Amount | …flag officer quarters: Provided, That not more than $35,000 per unit may be spent annually for the…Committee version → Senate changes | $20,000 | $35,000 |
| Sec. 124Amount | …Construction, Army, $45,000,000; Military Construction, Army National Guard, $15,500,000; Military Construction, Air National Guard, $11,000,000; and…Committee version → Senate changes | $40,000,000 | $15,500,000 |
| Sec. 208Fiscal year | …earnings accumulated in such an insurance program during fiscal year 2026 that are available for dividends in that program…Committee version → Senate changes | fiscal year 2025 | fiscal year 2026 |
| Sec. 208Fiscal year | …Secretary shall determine the cost of administration for fiscal year 2026 which is properly allocable to the provision of…Committee version → Senate changes | fiscal year 2025 | fiscal year 2026 |
| Sec. 210Amount | …will recover actual costs but not to exceed $134,342,000 for the Office of Resolution Management, $7,607,000 for…Committee version → Senate changes | $134,343,000 | $134,342,000 |
| Sec. 210Amount | …the Office of Employment Discrimination Complaint Adjudication, and $7,586,000 for the Alternative Dispute Resolution function within the…Committee version → Senate changes | $7,686,000 | $7,586,000 |
| Sec. 232Date | …beginning on October 1, 2018, and ending on January 1, 2027, none of the funds made available to…Committee version → Senate changes | January 1, 2026 | January 1, 2027 |
| Sec. 253Date | …7364(b) of title 38, United States Code, between October 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018 for purposes of carrying…Committee version → Senate changes | October 1, 2018 | October 1, 2017 |
| Sec. 253Date | …United States Code, between October 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018 for purposes of carrying out an order placed…Committee version → Senate changes | September 30, 2019 | September 30, 2018 |
| Sec. 407Time period | …or Committees of Congress for no less than 45 days.…Committee version → Senate changes | 30 days | 45 days |
Listed only when one value replaced another and the surrounding words stayed the same. Open a section to read the full wording.
Sections
Opens on the most recent version where something changedDivision A — Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 · 1
Division A — Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 · Title I — DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE · 2
Division A — Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 · Title II · 10
- Sec. 208Untitled sectionChanged
- Sec. 210Untitled sectionChanged
- Sec. 219Untitled sectionChanged
- Sec. 230Untitled sectionChanged
- Sec. 232Untitled sectionChanged
- Sec. 236Untitled sectionChanged
- Sec. 242Untitled sectionChanged
- Sec. 246Untitled sectionChanged
- Sec. 248Untitled sectionChanged
- Sec. 253Untitled sectionChanged
Division A — Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 · Title IV · 2
Division B — Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 · Title VII — GENERAL PROVISIONS · 1
5 more sections may have moved or been renamed, but the match wasn’t strong enough to confirm. They are not counted above.