FY 2026 THUD Funding Bill Includes Díaz-Balart Provision Blocking State Sponsors of Terrorism from Accessing U.S. Facilities, Among Other Triumphs

WASHINGTON, D.C.-House Appropriations Vice Chair Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26) issued the following statement after the House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations bill:

"The FY 2026 THUD bill prioritizes national security, economic competitiveness, and transportation safety - on our railways, roads, and airways - while protecting our most vulnerable populations, including veterans, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and low-income families. It achieves these goals responsibly, with a 4.7% cut in overall spending from FY 2025 enacted levels, saving a total of $7.3 billion by targeting inefficiencies and waste."

Díaz-Balart successfully included language to block state sponsors of terrorism, such as Cuba, Iran, Syria, and North Korea, from accessing U.S. government facilities.

"I am proud that once again, my language prohibiting state sponsors of terrorism from visiting U.S. facilities has been included in the FY 2026 THUD funding bill. I thank Chairman Steve Womack for prioritizing this national security concern."

Last year, media reports of Cuban regime operatives being invited by the Federal Aviation Administration to visit sensitive U.S. governmental facilities, like the Air Traffic Control Towers, raised a series of alarms in Congress among the South Florida Congressional Delegation, including Reps. Carlos A. Giménez (FL-28) and María Elvira Salazar (FL-27). As a result, this language has been included once again in this funding bill.

Additional triumphs include:

• $9 million - Collier County's Veterans Community Center
• $7.2 million - Everglades City Community Center
• $2 million - Collier County'sFeasibility Analysis for I-75and Everglades Boulevard Interchange
• $6 million - I-75 Access Improvements (NW 170th St and NW 154th St NW Miami-Dade)
• $973,000 - Town of Miami Lakes Big Cypress Drainage Improvements
• $4.9 million - City of Hialeah Southeast Hialeah Stormwater Improvements
• Bans new commercial flights to the anti-American Cuban regime
• Language relating to Major Sporting Events ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
• Increases FAA funding by over $2.3 billion to modernize outdated telecommunications infrastructure and improve safety at airports across the country, including at Miami International Airport.
• Fully funds Air Traffic Control Operations and allows the FAA to hire 2,500 Air Traffic Controllers to replace the retiring workforce.
• Reinforcing President Trump's executive orders on eliminating DEI initiatives, regulatory streamlining, American security, and innovation.
• Rebuilding America with $3.8 billion above FY25 for highways, rail, airports, and maritime infrastructure.
• Redirects over $4 billion from programs funded through IIJAto real infrastructure: air traffic control, highways, maritime, and rail.
• Protects housing assistance for over 2 million vulnerable households while promoting self-sufficiency and accountability at HUD.
• Bolsters U.S. national security by strengthening defense readiness capabilities by funding the U.S. Merchant Marines, shipyards, the strategic sealift programs, including the Cable Security Program, the Maritime Security Program, and the Tanker Security Program.

###