ICYMI: Shaheen Highlights Key Investments Secured in Fiscal Year 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill
**Shaheen secured more than $14.7 million for critical projects across New Hampshire**
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies (Ag-FDA) Subcommittee and a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, participated in a full committee markup of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Ag-FDA Appropriations bill. In a unanimous vote, the Committee approved the bipartisan legislation, which would provide $27.1 billion in discretionary funding, including more than $14.7 million for critical projects across the Granite State, helping invest in a wide range of programs benefitting New Hampshire and the country.
“As Ranking Member of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Subcommittee, I’m proud to deliver this bipartisan bill that will help address the high costs that so many Americans are facing and invest in rural communities across the nation,” said Ranking Member Senator Shaheen. “The resources we secured will help support our efforts to tackle housing, food and energy costs, ensure New Hampshire’s farmers have the support they need, invest in the outdoor recreation economy, protect public health and more. I’m proud to have shaped this legislation in a way that benefits the Granite State and all of America.”
Summary of Shaheen priorities included in the Agriculture Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2026:
Defending Access to Food Assistance
Senator Shaheen has long fought to protect access to food assistance programs that help families put food on the table. In the FY26 Ag-FDA bill, Shaheen helped secure $8.2 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) to help low-income families receive healthy, nutritious food products like milk, fruits and vegetables, whole grains and more. Shaheen also helped fund the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) which provides food boxes for low-income older adults across the country.
Shaheen, who is also the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, successfully fought for the inclusion of funding to fulfill America’s commitment to international food aid programs. Specifically, the bill provides $1.5 billion for Food for Peace and $240 million for McGovern-Dole Food for Education—a bipartisan defense of these programs that address world hunger, save lives and create additional markets for American farmers.
Investing in America’s Rural Communities
In the FY26 Ag-FDA bill, Senator Shaheen built on her work to support rural communities across the nation, including to address the affordable housing crisis. The bill fully funds the Rental Assistance program so that participating families can remain housed, provides funding to preserve the existing affordable housing portfolio and makes $1 billion in financing available for very low-income homebuyers, many of whom are first-time homeowners.
Shaheen has continually fought for federal funding to help ensure Granite State communities have the resources needed to tackle the housing affordability crisis. In the FY24 Ag-FDA bill, Shaheen worked to include key provisions from her Strategy and Investment in Rural Housing Preservation Act. Those provisions were continued in the FY26 Ag-FDA bill. Shaheen’s standalone legislation would ensure that hundreds of thousands of low-income tenants in rural areas are able to maintain access to safe and affordable housing.
Shaheen has also led legislative action in the Senate to support energy efficiency projects and initiatives. Shaheen secured $4 million for a new Energy Circuit Rider Pilot program in the FY26 Ag-FDA bill to help ensure communities in rural America can take advantage of cost savings from energy efficiency and clean energy projects. The provision is based on legislation Shaheen recently reintroduced, the Energy Circuit Riders Act, to establish a new grant program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development to help eligible entities hire local, on-the-ground experts that travel to rural communities and provide technical assistance on projects that help spur economic development and reduce energy costs that help ease rural property tax rates. This pilot is modeled after a successful program in New Hampshire through Clean Energy NH.
Protecting Public Health
The FY26 Ag-FDA Appropriations bill also provides vital funding for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to stay ahead of the curve on approving medical products, regulating the food supply and more. Shaheen worked in a bipartisan way to defend the FDA’s budget, providing more than $7 billion in funding for the agency. Shaheen secured the following funding to protect the public health of Americans:
- $5 million and report language at the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research to develop and validate new surrogate endpoints, including C-peptide, that could help improve health outcomes and reduce disease burden for patients with Type 1 diabetes.
- Gives the FDA the authority to seize and destroy illegal tobacco products at ports of entry, requires the Center for Tobacco Products to spend $200 million of their $712 million on enforcement activities and provides $2 million for the Coordination of the Interagency Tobacco Task Force.
- Report language encouraging the FDA to prioritize the approval of biosimilar products.
- Report language directing the FDA to provide a report on the challenges it faces preventing counterfeit drugs from reaching the market, including recommendations for how to address the problem.
Supporting Farmers with Vital Tools and Groundbreaking Research
Shaheen built on her longstanding work to support New Hampshire’s small and diversified farmers by defending the conservation tools used by the state’s agricultural producers to help protect and sustain their land’s natural resources. The FY26 Ag-FDA bill defends the Conservation Technical Assistance program, funding conservation activities at $949 million. The bill also maintains critical funding for Farm Service Agency staffing in county offices in the Granite State and makes $10.5 billion in farm loans available to help producers access capital across the country.
Shaheen was also able to successfully include $2 million for New England Protected Agriculture research at the Agricultural Research Service. The University of New Hampshire is well-positioned to help lead this effort. This research will help improve cultivation practices and help farmers extend the growing season for fruit and vegetable crops.
Supporting New Hampshire’s Outdoor Economy
Shaheen also secured continued funding for the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Program (SNOTEL), including an additional $2 million to continue the ongoing study regarding potential Northeast expansion of this program. Senator Shaheen secured the initial $1 million for this study in FY23 government funding legislation. Shaheen recently introduced the bipartisan Snow Survey Northeast Expansion Act with Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) to establish a SNOTEL network across the Northeast to track mountain snow accumulation and precipitation rates.
Senator Shaheen also included the following Congressionally Directed Spending projects for New Hampshire, totaling more than $14.7 million.
|
Recipient |
Project |
Account |
Funding ($) |
|
University System of New Hampshire |
Center for Excellence in Education and Discovery for Plant Science (CEED Plant Science) |
Research Facilities Act Program |
$1,925,000 |
|
Belmont Police Department |
Drive to Safety |
Rural Community Facilities Program |
$73,000 |
|
Chesley Memorial Library |
Chesley Memorial Library Energy Efficiency and Emergency Power Project |
Rural Community Facilities Program |
$95,000 |
|
Cottage Hospital |
Cottage Hospital Asbestos Abatement |
Rural Community Facilities Program |
$1,725,000 |
|
Croydon School District |
Croydon Schoolhouse Renovation and Expansion |
Rural Community Facilities Program |
$1,176,000 |
|
Families Flourish Northeast Inc |
Interrupting Intergenerational Addiction |
Rural Community Facilities Program |
$1,000,000 |
|
Franklin Pierce University |
Renovation and Upgrade to Health Sciences Facilities at Franklin Pierce University, Rindge Campus |
Rural Community Facilities Program |
$1,000,000 |
|
Maplewood Station |
Maplewood Station Community Center |
Rural Community Facilities Program |
$750,000 |
|
The Walpole Foundation |
Walpole Village School |
Rural Community Facilities Program |
$830,000 |
|
Town of Bethlehem |
Bethlehem’s Transfer Station Project |
Rural Community Facilities Program |
$750,000 |
|
Town of Deerfield |
George B. White Solar Project |
Rural Community Facilities Program |
$248,000 |
|
Town of Gorham |
Replacement of Rescue Truck |
Rural Community Facilities Program |
$301,000 |
|
Town of Hampton |
Hampton Public Safety Pier |
Rural Community Facilities Program |
$125,000 |
|
Town of Hancock |
Hancock Fire Station Renovation Project |
Rural Community Facilities Program |
$600,000 |
|
Town of Unity |
Unity Fire Station and Emergency Community Shelter |
Rural Community Facilities Program |
$2,100,000 |
|
Town of Walpole |
Walpole NH Police Station |
Rural Community Facilities Program |
$2,058,000 |
|
TOTAL: |
$14,756,000 |
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