The House of Representatives passed the FY 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs (VA), and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 3944) by a vote of 218–206.

The bill provides $131.4 billion for VA medical care, covering direct care, community care, and related health programs. Within this total, the VA’s Medical and Prosthetic Research Program is funded at $943 million, level with FY 2025 and aligned with the administration’s FY 2026 request.

As with last year’s House bill, the measure includes language to phase out VA animal research using nonhuman primates, canines, and felines by 2026.

Attention now turns to the Senate’s version of the spending bill, which has already advanced out of committee and passed the Senate floor in early August. A conference will reconcile differences between the two versions ahead of the September 30 funding deadline.