Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026

Key Points

• The bill provides over $241 billion for veterans' compensation and pensions, ensuring that those who served continue to receive their disability and retirement payments. It also sets aside $52 billion specifically for the 'Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund' to help veterans who were sickened by burn pits or other environmental hazards during their service.
• The Department of Veterans Affairs would receive billions for medical care, including $1.4 billion for women’s health programs and $697 million for suicide prevention. A special rule in the bill also prevents the government from interfering with veterans who use state-approved medical marijuana programs or denying them services because of it.
• For families and children, the plan includes $118 billion for the SNAP program (food stamps) and $8.2 billion for WIC to help low-income mothers and children buy healthy food. It also continues funding for free and reduced-price school lunches and breakfasts for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years.
• Military families would see improvements to their living conditions, with hundreds of millions of dollars dedicated to building and maintaining family housing for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The bill also funds major construction projects at military bases across the country and provides $481 million for NATO security projects.
• Rural communities are supported through loans and grants for clean water, electricity, and high-speed internet. This includes $25 billion for guaranteed rural housing loans and $35 million for a pilot program to expand broadband access to the most remote areas that currently lack reliable internet service.

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