Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

Investments Heinrich championed fully fund SNAP & WIC, increase funding for the Southwest Border Commission, support Tribes & farmers, provide rental assistance, & more

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced the bipartisan Senate Appropriations Committee passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Related Agencies Bill. With Committee approval of this bill, Heinrich secured support for over $12.5 million for New Mexico, including over $7.73 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for eight local projects between this bill and its House-companion bill.

“This Appropriations bill isn’t perfect but after tough negotiations and bipartisan compromise, I was able to get the best deal for New Mexico and advocate for federal resources that deliver for working families,” said Heinrich, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “This legislation will provide rental assistance for working families, expand economic opportunities in Tribal and border communities, assist American farmers produce healthy food, and fully fund SNAP, WIC, and the School Lunch program to keep healthy food on the table and push back against Trump’s cuts to these vital nutrition programs. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will always fight for investments that put New Mexico families first, strengthen our middle class, and grow our economy.”

As Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee, Heinrich also announced the bipartisan Senate Appropriations Committee passage of the Legislative Branch FY26 Appropriations Bill.

Next, the two bills passed out of the Appropriations Committee will be considered by the full United States Senate.

Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Related Agencies Key Points and Highlights

Congressionally Directed Spending

Heinrich successfully included $3.63 million in investments for the following 6 local projects in the bill:

• $1,575,000 for HELP New Mexico, Inc. to renovate classroom spaces to expand early childhood services in Luna County.

• $750,000 for the Truchas Volunteer Fire Department to purchase and equip a new fire pump apparatus.

• $467,000 for the New Mexico State University to conduct research using low power electricity to manage weeds in perennial crops.

• $375,000 for the Village of Questa to purchase and fully equip a wildland fire engine.

• $275,000 for Conservation Legacy to renovate and repair a Zuni Pueblo building for the Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps’ permanent location and as a community resource.

• $193,000 for the Gila Regional Medical Center to upgrade and replace aging and failing hospital utility systems.

Heinrich and U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) successfully included $2.1 million for the following 2 projects:

• $1,100,000 for Rio Arriba County to purchase radios and repeater towers for Rio Arriba County Volunteer Fire Departments to facilitate communications when firefighters are on duty.

• $1,000,000 for the Pueblo of Isleta Department of Education to construct the Isleta Learning Center.

Heinrich also successfully worked with his colleagues in the N.M. Delegation to include $2 million for the following 2 projects in the House-companion bill:

• $1,000,000 for the Town of Mesilla to plan, design, and construct phase 3 of a town hall complex, which will include public safety facilities, a board room, and the historic Mesilla Museum.

• $1,000,000 for San Juan County to purchase a new ladder truck.

Nutrition Assistance

• WIC: The bill fully funds the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which serves nearly 7 million women and children nationwide, including nearly 45,000 in New Mexico — by providing $8.2 billion for the program, a $603 million increase over Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25). This increase will ensure that all eligible participants can continue to rely on the essential nutrition assistance and support provided by WIC. The bill also continues full funding for additional fruit and vegetable benefits.  

• SNAP: The bill fully funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to serve an estimated 42 million people per month, including nearly 500,000 New Mexicans — and does not include restrictive new policy riders. While fully funding SNAP is critically important, this does not reverse the cuts to SNAP included in Trump and Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill that will result in thousands of New Mexicans losing critical food assistance and put hundreds of millions of dollars worth of new unfunded mandates on the state of New Mexico.

• Child Nutrition: The bill fully funds Child Nutrition Programs — like the School Lunch program, school breakfast program, and Summer EBT program — to ensure schools can continue to serve healthy meals to all eligible children. In 2026, this funding will help serve an estimated 5 billion lunches and 2.7 billion breakfasts to kids across the country.

• Commodity Supplemental Food Program – The bill rejects the Trump Administration’s budget proposal to eliminate this program’s funding and provides $425 million so that the program can continue to provide supplemental food to low-income Senior citizens.

Rental Assistance: The bill provides $1.715 billion for rental assistance — an increase of $73 million over FY25 — to help ensure Americans living in rural areas have access to safe and affordable housing. The bill also includes $1 billion in Single Family Direct Loans to help more low-income families and first-time home buyers get mortgages. 

Economic Development: The bill includes a $2.5 million investment in the Southwest Border Commission (SBRC), a $500,000 increase over FY25, which supports economic and community development in southern New Mexico. Heinrich successfully secured the first-ever congressional investments to finally allow the SBRC to jump-start and expand its operations. The SBRC is one of eight authorized federal regional commissions and authorities.

Tribal Communities: The bill provides $235 million for the Food Distribution on Indian Reservation Program (FDPIR) and $3 million for a FDPIR pilot program that allows Tribes participating in FDPIR to purchase traditional food from small Tribal producers.

The bill also provides $700,000 for processing and federal inspection of Tribal bison, which will help support Tribal food sovereignty by enabling Tribes to include bison raised on their own lands to be included in federal nutrition programs like school meals.

Additionally, bill provides $5.1 million for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Office of Tribal Relations, which is responsible for government-to-government relations between USDA and Tribal governments.

Conservation and Wildlife: Heinrich successfully fought for the inclusion of a modified version of his USDA Staff and Field Offices Preservation amendment. This amendment would require the USDA to notify and seek approval from the Senate and House Appropriations Committee to close Natural Resources Conservation Service or Rural Development field offices or to permanently relocate any field-based employees of those agencies that would result in an office with 2 or fewer employees.

The bill rejects the Administration’s senseless proposal to eliminate all discretionary funding for Conservation Technical Assistance, which is the bedrock of Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) mission and a vital tool for farmers and ranchers. Instead, the bill provides $949 million, a $37.7 million increase over FY25, for conservation programs, including $52 million for NRCS Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations and$10 million for the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative.

The bill further provides $5 million to support non-lethal strategies to reduce wildlife-livestock conflict and includes direction to expand the Migratory Big Game and Working Lands for Wildlife Initiatives, a long-time Heinrich priority. Finally, the bill includes $22.5 million in funding for research and management of Chronic Wasting Disease, which funds the program created by Heinrich’s Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act, passed into law in 2023.

Agriculture Research: This bill fully funds agriculture research and provides a $81 million increase over FY25 for the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). Additionally, the bill continues to support Climate Hubs and the Long-term Agroecosystems Research (LTAR) Network, including the Climate Hub and LTAR collaboration between the New Mexico State University (NMSU) and the ARS Experimental Station in Las Cruces. This bill also includes funding for important research in Agrivoltaics being conducted by ARS in collaboration with NMSU.

Small Farms and Local Food Systems: The bill includes $6 million for the Office of Urban Agriculture, which is focused on providing technical assistance and risk management tools to urban and innovative forms of food production in New Mexico. Albuquerque is home to one of the USDA’s Urban Service Centers. The bill also includes $20 million for the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP), which supports the development, coordination, and expansion of direct producer-to-consumer marketing; local and regional food markets and enterprises; and value-added agricultural products.

Food Safety: The bill provides $1.226 billion for the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), an increase of $12 million over FY25. This funding will help ensure FSIS can continue its vital work protecting America’s food supply without being forced to reduce its staffing levels, which would jeopardize food safety and exacerbate supply chain delays. The bill includes $399 million for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, including $65 million for addressing the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza outbreak.

Promoting Competition: The bill provides nearly $33 million for enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act to promote competition and prevent unfair or deceptive practices and monopolies. The bill further provides an additional $2 million in funding for a pilot Bison Production and Marketing Grant Program within the Agriculture Marketing Service to expand markets for private and Tribal bison producers, following Heinrich’s creation of this program in the FY24 Agriculture Appropriations Bill.

International Food Aid: The bill provides $1.5 billion for the Food for Peace Program and $240 million for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. This funding is necessary to save lives around the world and reduce conflict.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA): The bill provides $7.015 billion in total funding for the FDA, which includes $3.535 billion in discretionary funding — a $10 million increase over FY25 — rejecting the president’s budget request, which sought to slash the FDA’s discretionary funding by over $400 million in FY26. The bill provides $2.4 billion for the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, $625 million for the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, and $77 million for the National Center for Toxicological Research. The bill also provides $689 million for the Center for Tobacco Products for activities — including inspections, investigations, and federal task force coordination — related to the presence of unauthorized, illicit e-cigarettes.

Additionally, Heinrich filed the following amendments to amend the Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill:

1. USDA Staff and Field Offices Preservation: This amendment would prohibit the closing of the Natural Resource Conservation, Farm Service Agency, and Rural Development field offices and relocation of staff. This amendment was adopted as part of the Manager’s Package.

2. Local Food and School Food Purchasing Assistance: This amendment would reestablish the Local Food for Schools and Child Care Cooperative Agreement (LFSCC) and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement program (LFPA), which were created in 2022 to supply local and regionally produced foods to schools, childcare facilities, and food banks with a priority for working with underserved producers and small farms. Unfortunately, this amendment was not adopted.

3. Funding All Obligated and Awarded Projects: This amendment would prevent the USDA Secretary from spending any appropriated funding until the Secretary unfreezes funding for all previous awards and contracts for farmers and organizations assisting farmers. Unfortunately, this amendment was not adopted.

4. Re-affirming science-based medical product approvals: This amendment re-affirms the FDA’s authority to approve drugs based solely on its safety and efficacy through scientific evaluation of the medical product and not on political bases. Unfortunately, this amendment was not adopted.

Legislative Branch Key Points and Highlights

As Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee, Heinrich successfully negotiated the bipartisan FY26 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill, which provides $7,125,000,000 to support essential legislative operations and oversight activities, including the U.S. Senate, Capitol Police, Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service, Congressional Budget Office, Architect of the Capitol, and other key legislative agencies. It preserves robust funding for the Government Accountability Office, which is crucial for protecting taxpayer dollars, promoting government efficiency, and providing rigorous, nonpartisan oversight that builds public trust.

Additionally, the bill strengthens Congress’s capacity to serve constituents, supports the recruitment and retention of Capitol Police officers, and invests in the nonpartisan institutions that deliver critical analysis, transparency, and accountability. Finally, in this polarized environment, the bill provides funding to bolster the safety of Senators, Representatives, staff, and visitors to the Capitol Complex.

“While the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill is the smallest in terms of overall funding, it is one of the most important, because it upholds Congress’s role as a coequal branch of government. At a time when maintaining checks and balances is more important than ever, this bill ensures that Congress can effectively serve the American people and hold the executive branch accountable,”said Heinrich, Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee.