House Agriculture Appropriations Bill Sets USDA, FDA Funding for FY2027

What This Bill Does

H.R. 8646 is the House Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations bill for fiscal year 2027. It provides funding for the Department of Agriculture’s headquarters offices, research agencies, statistics programs, civil rights and ethics offices, building maintenance, hazardous materials cleanup, and other USDA operations, with specific dollar amounts for each account. The bill also includes money for the Office of the Chief Economist, the National Agricultural Statistics Service, the Agricultural Research Service, and cybersecurity within USDA. Because this is an appropriations measure, it mainly affects farmers, rural communities, USDA employees, researchers, and the public that relies on food, farm, and regulatory programs funded through these accounts.

• $1,795,813,000 for Agricultural Research Service salaries and expenses.
• $187,500,000 for the National Agricultural Statistics Service, including up to $48,500,000 for the Census of Agriculture.
• At least $60,032,000 of USDA IT funding is reserved for cybersecurity.
• $20,000,000 for Agriculture Buildings and Facilities, including repairs and space consolidation.
• $1,000,000 for hazardous materials management under CERCLA and the Solid Waste Disposal Act.

Who This Bill Affects

For the general public, this bill mainly affects the federal programs that support food and agriculture research, USDA administration, farm statistics, and agency operations. If enacted, it would set specific FY2027 funding levels such as $1.795813 billion for Agricultural Research Service salaries and expenses, $187.5 million for the National Agricultural Statistics Service, and $134.913 million for USDA’s chief information office, including cybersecurity. It also helps determine whether USDA can maintain buildings, data collection, and cleanup activities that support farmers, rural communities, and consumers.

Who Supports & Opposes This

Key Implications

• ““$55,261,000 of which not to exceed $6,000,000 shall be available for the immediate Office of the Secretary””

  This sets a hard cap on how much of the Secretary’s office funding can go to the immediate office, limiting how much can be concentrated in top-level leadership expenses. It also shows the bill’s detailed control over internal USDA spending.

• ““not less than $60,032,000 is for cybersecurity requirements of the department””

  USDA must devote a minimum share of its IT budget to cybersecurity. For the public, that means a stronger emphasis on protecting farm, employee, and program data from cyberattacks.

• ““up to $48,500,000 shall be available until expended for the Census of Agriculture””

  The Census of Agriculture can be funded across multiple years rather than expiring at the end of the fiscal year. That supports a major national data collection effort used by policymakers, researchers, and farmers.

• ““no appropriation for any office shall be increased or decreased by more than 5 percent””

  This limits how much the Secretary can shift money among offices, preserving congressional control over the department’s internal balance. It reduces the chance that one office is dramatically expanded or cut through transfers.

• ““the cost of constructing any one building shall not exceed $500,000””

  The bill places cost ceilings on most Agricultural Research Service construction projects, with higher limits for greenhouses and certain specified buildings. That affects how many facilities can be built or upgraded within the appropriation.

Latest Status

June 3, 2026

Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 1333 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 8646, H.R. 7726, H.R. 7892 and H.R. 8872. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 8646 under a structured rule and H.R. 7726, H.R. 7892, and H.R. 8872 under a closed rule, with one hour of general debate on each bill. The resolution provides for one motion to recommit on each bill.