WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) released the following statement after vital priorities for Tennessee were included in the Senate-passed Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Act and FY 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. These appropriations bills must now be agreed upon in the House of Representatives.

“Tennessee is home to both critical military bases and installations and a thriving agriculture industry. The appropriations bills passed by the Senate last night deliver key investments to modernize Fort Campbell, strengthen the Tennessee National Guard, and ensure our servicemembers have the tools they need to protect our national security,” said Senator Blackburn. “At the same time, this legislation supports the groundbreaking research taking place at Tennessee’s world-class universities to help drive innovation and support our agricultural industry.” 

2026 MILCON-VA APPROPRIATIONS BILL

Below is a list of wins for Tennessee included in the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs funding bill.

Fort Campbell modernization projects:

• Funding to support the design of a new modernized hangar to support operations.
  
  
• New Air Traffic Control Tower:

o    Replaces the current 49-year-old tower, the oldest on any power projection platform.

o    The current tower is in desperate need of modern safety standards.

o    The current tower has inadequate height, space, and visibility for modern operations.

Army National Guard projects:

• Funding to support a new Milan Volunteer Training Site Air Force Reserve Range to serve units across West Tennessee.

• Planning and design for moving the Tennessee National Guard from Berry Field to Smyrna Airport: 

o    The Tennessee National Guard’s lease at Berry Field expires in 2045 and will not be renewed.

o    Without moving operations to Smyrna Airport, all personnel positions, federal missions, and equipment risk relocation to other states.

o    An expanded National Guard Training Site at Smyrna is the ideal location to relocate the Army and Air National Guard missions for continued state and federal response capabilities, being only 12 miles away from the existing Berry Field.

o    Of the 1,700 full-time and drill status Guardsman currently serving at Berry Field, 73% of them live within 50 miles of Smyrna. The move would also retain the $145 million per year in local economic impact to Middle Tennessee.

Funds Department of Veterans Affairs medical and prosthetics research conducted at institutions like Vanderbilt University.

2026 AGRICULTURE-FDA APPROPRIATIONS BILL

The 2026 Agriculture-FDA appropriations bill includes funding to support University of Tennessee (UT) System research projects, including:

• Enabling the UT Institute of Agriculture to compete for Agricultural Research Service (ARS) funding to support its Precision Poultry Farming research; and

• $6 million for capacity-building grants for Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture (NLGCA), supporting institutions like UT Martin that educate a significant share of the nation's agriculture and natural resources workforce