The Senate, on Aug. 1, passed by a vote of 87-9 the fiscal year (FY) 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs (VA), and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 (H.R. 3944). The bill would provide $114.9 billion in discretionary funding for the VA’s medical care programs, approximately $2 billion above the FY 2025 enacted level and $16 billion below the FY 2026 House-passed bill. The VA’s medical care accounts include the direct care and community care programs. The bill would provide $943 million in discretionary funding for the VA’s medical and prosthetic research program, equal to the FY 2025 enacted level and House-passed bill. Similar to previous VA spending bills and the FY 2025 House-passed bill, the Senate bill includes language that would prohibit animal research using nonhuman primates, canines, and felines [refer to Washington Highlights, June 27].
- Washington Highlights