WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) applauded Senate passage of legislation to fund a number of major priorities, including the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Fiscal Year 2026.

“Especially after Congress failed to pass a full-year FY25 funding bill last year, I am encouraged to see the Senate move to pass legislation to fund key parts of the government for Fiscal Year 2026 and deliver federal dollars for important community projects across Virginia,” said Sen. Warner. “As the president continues to try to encroach on Congress’ power of the purse, I will continue working with my colleagues to fund our nation’s most critical priorities as the Constitution intended.”

“I’m glad to have helped pass three funding bills to deliver for our veterans, bring over $900 million in federal funding to Virginia for military construction projects like on-base child care centers, expand broadband access, support rural businesses, and more,” said Sen. Kaine. “These bills were crafted through a strong bipartisan process – just like federal budgets should be. As we continue to consider additional government funding bills, I’m going to keep doing all that I can to ensure that Congress’ constitutional duty to allocate funding is not trampled upon by the Trump administration.”

As part of the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations process, members of Congress are able to work with the communities they represent to request funding for local community projects, otherwise known as congressionally directed spending, in a manner that promotes transparency and accountability. This process allows Congress to dedicate federal funding for specific projects in Virginia. This package contains $24.95 million for 11 specific projects in Virginia.

Through strong advocacy, the senators secured funding in the relevant spending bills for the following Virginia projects: 

1. For projects in Northern Virginia,?click here.
2. For projects in Central Virginia, click here.
3. For projects in Southwest and Southside Virginia,?click here.
4. For projects in Hampton Roads,?click here. 

In addition to community-specific projects, this $167.5 billion legislation includes funding for the following Warner and Kaine priorities: 

Funding critical military construction projects: Includes more than $912 million in funding for 14 military construction projects across the Commonwealth, including:

1. $12.36 million for the completion of a child development center at JEB Little Creek-Ft. Story
2. $63.56 million for a water treatment plant at MCB Quantico
3. $11.7 million for the completion of a child development center at Norfolk Naval Shipyard
4. $93.3 million for electrical distribution system upgrades at Norfolk Naval Shipyard
5. $20.43 million for MQ-25 aircraft laydown facilities at Norfolk Naval Shipyard
6. $380 million for a privatized unaccompanied housing investment at Norfolk Naval Shipyard
7. $188.57 million for dry dock modernization in Portsmouth, Va.
8. $71.75 million for a weapons magazines facility in Yorktown, Va.
9. $34 million for an operations facility at the Pentagon
10. $15.5 million for the completion of an aircraft maintenance hangar for the Virginia National Guard in Sandston, Va.

Building on protections for toxic-exposed veterans: Provides $52.7 billion in funding for the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund to cover the costs of health care related to toxic exposures and expanded eligibility in the PACT Act, legislation that both senators supported to expand health care and benefits for toxic-exposed veterans.

Delivering for rural veterans: Provides $342 million to support improved access to care for veterans in rural communities, including through expanded access to transportation and telehealth.

Delivering for women veterans: Provides $1.4 billion for gender-specific health care services, programmatic initiatives, and improvements to health care facilities to support women veterans. 

Delivering for homeless veterans: Provides $3.5 billion to support critical services and housing assistance for veterans – and veteran families – experiencing housing insecurity. 

Delivering for struggling veterans: Provides $18.9 billion – including $698 million for suicide prevention outreach – to help connect veterans with mental health services.

Delivering for military families: Provides $21.7 million to expand the Child Care Pilot Program and eliminate barriers for veterans who need child care in order to attend medical appointments.

Delivering hard-earned benefits: Provides $4.1 billion to administer benefits – including disability compensation benefits – to nearly 7 million veterans and their survivors.

Honoring fallen veterans: Continues unwavering support for Arlington National Cemetery and its future as an active cemetery by providing $118.8 million for operational costs.

Supporting vulnerable women, children and infants: The bill rejects President Trump’s request to reduce funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and instead fully funds the program at $8.2 billion, an increase of over $600 million from fiscal year 2025. WIC serves 7 million women and kids nationwide and approximately 100,000 in Virginia.

Boosting agricultural research: Provides $3.6 billion for critical agricultural research programs, including $1.9 billion for the Agricultural Research Service and $1.7 billion for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to ensure the U.S. maintains its competitive advantage in agricultural production and innovation.

Supporting access to nutritious foods: Provides $500,000 for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI), a public-private partnership that provides technical assistance and financing to support existing grocery stores, food hubs, agriculture producers, farmers, mobile markets, and other food retailers. Also provides $80 million in funding to help administer the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), a federal program that helps supplement the diets of low-income Americans, including elderly people, by providing them with emergency food assistance at no cost. Through TEFAP, the USDA purchases a variety of nutritious, high-quality USDA Foods, and makes those foods available to state distributing agencies.

Expanding broadband: Provides $96 million for rural broadband grants and loans.

Supporting small businesses in rural communities: Provides $1.8 billion in grants and loans for rural businesses and industry programs that promote small business growth in rural communities.

Strengthening rural infrastructure: Provides $1.3 billion for programs that support rural water and waste infrastructure improvements.

Improving rural housing access: Provides $3.7 billion to support rural development programs, including $1.7 billion for affordable housing rental assistance for low-income families and seniors.

Enforcing tobacco safety laws: Provides $2 million to support an interagency task force dedicated to preventing the sale of illegal tobacco products.

Keeping our government accountable: Provides $811.9 million for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to support the agency’s essential oversight and auditing responsibilities.

###