Press Releases

Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) released the following statement following passage of H.R. 5371, the Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026. The legislation passed the House by a vote of 222-209.

“After forty-three days we can finally end this unnecessary government shutdown,” said Chairman LaMalfa. “Partisan politics by Senate Democrats prolonged this lapse in funding and caused real hardship for Americans. Because of these political games, millions of Americans across rural America and the West experienced a lapse in SNAP benefits, critical disaster payments and agricultural loans were stalled, hazardous forest fuels work and prescribed burns were delayed, and our National Parks went unmanaged and unstaffed. I appreciate our Congressional Leadership for getting the government back to work where it should’ve been all along. Now we can refocus on the priorities that have languished over the last six weeks.” 

Background:
H.R. 5371, the Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026 reopens the federal government and extends funding through January 30, 2026. The measure also includes three full-year appropriations bills covering Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Rural Development, and the Food and Drug Administration, and the Legislative Branch.

H.R. 5371 ensures critical operations—such as veterans’ services, agricultural programs, SNAP benefits, and essential federal oversight—continue without interruption while Congress completes work on the remaining Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bills through regular order.

This legislation also: 

• Waives the pay cap limitation for wildland fire personnel through January 30th.
• Provides an increase of $500,000 to the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) for the suppression of grasshoppers to prevent crop losses.
• Includes a $250,000 funding increase for smoke exposure research.
• Includes $15M for the IR-4 program, which supports research into safe and effective specialty risk management tools to reduce pest and disease outbreaks.
• Extends Farm Bill provisions for one full calendar year, and includes a full year extension of the Grain Standards Act, to ensure continuity of critical farm safety net programs that help our farmers, ranchers, and dairy producers manage risk and grow the food we all eat.
• Closes the hemp loophole that has resulted in the proliferation of unregulated intoxicating, synthetic hemp products, including Delta-8 and hemp flower, being sold online and in gas stations across the country.
• Provides full funding of $107.4B for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and $8.2B to the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) beneficiary payments.
• Reimburses states for certain expenses and benefits incurred during the shutdown that would otherwise have been covered by Federal funding.