Díaz-Balart Delivers for Florida Farmers, Growers, and Ranchers with House Passage of the FY27 Agricultural Funding Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26), Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee and Dean of the Florida Delegation, issued the following statement after the House passage of the Fiscal Year 2027 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.

Vice Chair Díaz-Balart said, "I am pleased to have voted in support of this legislation which puts farmers, ranchers, and rural communities first. Supporting our agricultural communities is essential, as they are the backbone of our state's economy. This legislation ensures the safety of our food and medical products and reinforces key programs that protect consumers. It advances responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, while bolstering national security through stronger safeguards on foreign agricultural interests, and prioritizing research and inspection efforts that keep our agricultural sector competitive and resilient.

I commend full Committee Chairman Tom Cole and Subcommittee Chairman Andy Harris for advancing this second funding bill through House passage, and I look forward to continuing to support additional legislation that prioritizes our country and the American people while reining in wasteful spending."

Fiscal Year 2027 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act Key Takeaways

The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act provides a total discretionary allocation of $26.27 billion, which is $380 million (1.4%) below the Fiscal Year 2026 enacted level.

The act prioritizes agencies and programs that protect our nation's food and drug supply; support America's farmers, ranchers, and rural communities; and ensure low-income Americans have access to nutrition programs. The legislation is fiscally responsible and refocuses programs on their core mission while putting the health, safety, and prosperity of American producers and consumers first.

Champions U.S. farmers, agriculture, and rural communities by:

• Supporting Florida's citrus industry and providing over $72 million for citrus health response, including over $11 million to combat citrus greening disease.
• Directing the FDA to review current nutrition label rules so consumers receive accurate information for their diet-related health decisions.
• Continuing critical investments in agriculture research, rural development loan programs, and animal and plant health programs.
• Providing funds to ensure the safety of food, drugs, and medical devices.
• Ensuring low-income Americans have access to nutrition programs.
• Reining in harmful regulations proposed during the Biden Administration that dictate how poultry and livestock producers raise and market their animals.
• Increasing resources for the Food Safety and Inspection Service to fund frontline meat and poultry inspectors and bolster support for state inspection programs.
• Delivering $1.16 billion for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which is a priority to protect American agriculture from foreign pests and diseases.
• Maintaining "Buy American" provisions that maximize the federal government's use of services, goods, products, and materials produced and offered in the United States.

Bolsters U.S. national security and border protections by:

• Addressing foreign ownership of U.S. agricultural land by improving the tracking system of foreign-owned land and adding the Secretary of Agriculture to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review agricultural transactions, including purchases made by China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.
• Directing USDA to provide transparency into research funding involving foreign governments, including China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.
• Increasing inspection of foreign drug manufacturing facilities in China and India
• Providing funding for land-grant universities to conduct agricultural research to ensure American producers are better equipped to compete with China.

A summary of the bill is available here.

Bill text is available here.

A table of included Community Project Funding requests is available here.

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