WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee who also leads the Appropriations subcommittee that funds the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and military construction projects, secured investments for Arkansas priorities in legislation reopening the federal government and fully funding a handful of departments and agencies in Fiscal Year 2026.

The bill, which provides full-year funding for the Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and VA, was signed into law by President Trump and includes Boozman-backed allocations for the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center (DBNRCC) in Stuttgart as well as the Mississippi County town of Etowah’s volunteer fire department to support replacement of a fire truck.

“Delivering for Arkansas starts with supporting our agriculture industry and rural communities. I am proud this legislation includes significant investments I advocated that further Natural State-based ag research and education at the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in addition to important funding to bolster firefighting and prevention in Etowah. They represent a continued focus on ensuring our farmers can compete in the global market and the rural communities they live and work in maintain vital resources and services,” Boozman said.

The $9,650,000 in funding procured for the DBNRRC will support storm damage repairs and facility improvements as well as new equipment and infrastructure. The town of Etowah will purchase a new firetruck for its volunteer fire department with the $413,000 provided in the bill.

The FY26 agriculture funding bill also:

• Helps ensure producers’ access to credit, providing sufficient funding to meet demand for the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) direct and guaranteed operating and ownership loans.
• Continues the prohibition on FSA county office closures.
• Empowers the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to protect the nation’s livestock against diseases, including new world screwworm, avian influenza and chronic wasting disease (CWD), while supporting continued CWD research at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service.
• Sustains funding levels for agricultural research and education through our land-grant system, as well as increases investment in the National Agricultural Law Center (NALC) housed at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
• Closes the intoxicating hemp-products loophole while preserving the markets for non-intoxicating CBD and industrial hemp products.
• Provides adequate funding for SNAP, WIC and school meal programs.

The Boozman-authored FY26 MilCon-VA appropriations bill supports the Arkansas National Guard and secures $93 million in funding for Red River Army Depot projects. The package also includes the extension of farm programs and authorities not covered in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that were set to expire at the end of the year, in addition to an extension of federal grain inspection activities.

Click here for more on the bill’s VA and military construction investments.