Senator Marshall Releases Statement on Passage of Minibus & Continuing Resolution to Fund the Government 

Washington – On Monday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), issued the following statement after the Senate voted 60-40 on a Continuing Resolution (CR) that will fund the government through January 2026. Attached to the CR was a package of appropriation bills, including: Military Construction/Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and the Legislative Branch.

“After 41 days of Senate Democrats holding the government hostage for political leverage, I’m glad they finally came to their senses and voted to reopen it,” said Senator Marshall. “Alongside passing a clean CR, we advanced three appropriations bills that deliver real wins for Kansas agriculture, our military, and our veteran communities. Now that the political games are over, I look forward to getting back to work and continuing to deliver on the America First agenda.”

The appropriations bills also include several key provisions Senator Marshall fought to secure:

Military Construction-Veteran Affairs

• $19.7 billion for the Department of War military construction program. This includes the following projects in Kansas:
  • Fort Leavenworth: $8.2 million for Fire Station Enhancements
  • Fort Leavenworth: $900K for fitness center design plan
  • Fort Riley: $5.5 million for Access Control Facility Improvements
  • Fort Riley: $26 million for new Air Traffic Control Tower
  • Fort Riley: $2.6 million for staging area design
• Housing and Quality of Life: $1.9 billion for construction and operation and maintenance of military family housing; $1.3 billion for design, renovation, and construction of barracks, dorms, and other unaccompanied housing; and $1.3 billion for projects that improve quality of life for servicemembers, including hospitals, schools, child development centers, fitness centers, dining facilities and mess halls. 

Agriculture

• Fully funds the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility to support the protection of the U.S. agricultural economy and maintain our position as a global leader in animal health, biodefense, and biosecurity. 
• $1 million to continue the Cattle Contract Library Pilot Program and maintain funding for enforcement activities related to the Packers and Stockyards Act. 
• Includes a $15 million increase for the State Meat and Poultry Inspection and Cooperative Interstate Shipment Programs, as requested by the Administration. 
• Provides additional resources to improve the tracking system of foreign-owned land and maintains the Secretary of Agriculture’s position on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. to protect our farmlands from being bought by our adversaries.
• $1.7 billion for affordable housing rental assistance for low-income families and seniors in rural communities.
• $1 billion for Single-Family Housing direct loans and $25 billion in for the guaranteed Single-Family Housing loans.
• $1.4 billion to prioritize revitalization of aging water and wastewater infrastructure through grants and loans.
• $1.8 billion in grants and loans for rural business and industry programs to promote economic growth.
• International Food Assistance: $1.2 billion for Food for Peace Title II Grants and $240 million for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education program to strengthen export markets and provide emergency food assistance.
• New World Screwworm Report: Not later than 30 days after enactment of this act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the New World Screwworm domestic readiness and response initiative of APHIS, with a particular focus on:
  • (1) domestic readiness, including the construction of a domestic production facility in the event of a threat of a domestic outbreak; and exploring partnerships with States and industry with respect to that construction and other domestic preparedness efforts;
  • (2) sterile fly production technology and other eradication tools and technologies; and
  • (3) the benefits of and barriers, including timelines and costs, to enhanced domestic, as compared to international, sterile fly production.

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Contact: Payton Fuller