Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. — April 29, 2026…Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) today voted in support of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill that advanced out of the House Appropriations Committee.

This bill allocates $26.27 billion in discretionary spending to fund the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and more.

Congressman Womack said, “This funding bill reins in regulatory overreach and ensures that our federal programs empower American producers and rural communities—all while maintaining the highest food and drug safety standards. Arkansas’s Third District is a national leader in poultry production and agricultural research, and this legislation provides resources to strengthen that leadership.”

During the full committee markup, Congressman Womack spoke against an amendment that would continue to prevent broiler chicken farmers from selling their surplus eggs into the breaker market for pasteurization and mixture into everyday grocery products. The amendment was not adopted.

Watch Congressman Womack’s remarks HERE.

More bill highlights:

Empowers American producers and rural communities by:

• Reining in Biden-era regulations aimed at dictating 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.
• Improving the tracking of foreign-owned U.S. agricultural land by countries such as China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.
• Funding agricultural research and rural development programs.
• Streamlining the pet food labeling regulatory environment by eliminating a burdensome patchwork of requirements, thereby increasing economic productivity and employment opportunities for AR-3 pet food producers.
• Supporting the FDA's work related to contaminated poppy seeds and directing the agency to carry out enforcement measures to ensure only safe poppy seeds are available for consumption. 

A summary of the bill is available HERE.

The bill text, before adoption of amendments, is available HERE.

Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) has represented Arkansas’s Third Congressional District since 2011. He is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

womack.house.gov

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