The House of Representatives passed by a vote of 218-206 the fiscal year (FY) 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs (VA), and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 (H.R. 3944). Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) joined their Republican counterparts to pass the measure. The bill would fund VA medical care at $134.4 billion, which includes the VA’s direct medical care program, community care program, and the medical and prosthetic research program, among other programs. Within the total, the bill would fund the VA’s medical and prosthetic research program at $943 million, flat compared to FY 2025 enacted levels and the FY 2026 budget request [refer to Washington Highlights, June 13]. Similar to the FY 2025 House-passed bill, the measure includes a provision that would eliminate animal research using nonhuman primates, canines, and felines by 2026.
With attention now turned to the Senate’s version of the spending bill, the Senate Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee held a June 24 hearing on the FY 2026 VA budget request, during which they received testimony from VA Secretary Doug Collins (PDF). Subcommittee Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Ranking Member Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) both expressed concerns about the timeliness and completeness of the administration’s budget submission, noting that the committee had not yet received the department’s detailed budget justification materials. Subcommittee members also raised concerns about the administration’s proposed staffing reductions, continued implementation of the PACT Act (P.L. 117-168, PDF), proposed cuts to VA direct care services, and continued rollout of the department’s electronic health record program.