A Republican bill with 1 Republican cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The DOD and USDA Interagency Research Act directs the Secretaries of Defense and Agriculture to conduct joint research and development activities. This collaboration focuses on agriculture and food defense, including national security, agricultural resilience, and natural resource management. The bill establishes a framework for public-private partnerships and competitive, merit-reviewed processes. It covers various topics such as biological sciences, supply chain security, and wildfire mitigation. The act also outlines requirements for research security, risk management, and annual reporting to Congress.
Yes· 3 of 11
- Scored +5
Would farmers be better off under this?
The bill invests in technologies and research that enhance agricultural productivity and resilience.
- Scored +5
Would people in rural areas be better off under this?
The bill specifically highlights innovations designed to be beneficial to rural agricultural economies.
- Scored +5
Does this invest in rural communities?
The bill focuses on technological innovations that are beneficial to rural agricultural economies, such as precision agriculture and drones.
The opposite
- Scored -3
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?
The bill limits public access to certain Federal data and records by exempting them from the Freedom of Information Act.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Agricultural Resilience and Security: The collaboration aims to advance mission requirements in areas like food defense, agricultural resilience, and managing resources like water, energy, and soil to reduce scarcity risks (Section 2(a) and Section 2(c)(1)(D)).
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Economic and Technological Benefits for Rural Areas: The bill promotes innovations that are beneficial to rural agricultural economies, including technologies like precision agriculture, drones, and remote sensing (Section 2(c)(1)(G)).
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Protection of Farmland: Research into biological sciences includes efforts to mitigate the impacts of Department of Defense chemical releases on farmland contiguous to military bases (Section 2(c)(1)(C)(iv)).
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Disaster Preparedness: The act funds research into wildfire prediction, prevention, and mitigation to help with post-fire recovery and agricultural productivity (Section 2(c)(1)(I)).
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Workforce and Innovation Development: The bill supports research and workforce development to foster innovation within both the agricultural and defense sectors (Section 2(c)(6)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Financial Requirements for Partners: Under the public-private partnership framework, the Secretaries may require grant recipients to provide non-Federal matching funds equal to the amount of the grant (Section 2(b)(3)(B)).
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Data Privacy Limitations: While the bill protects certain Federal data and records from the Freedom of Information Act, it specifies that such data is not subject to disclosure under section 552 of title 5, United States Code (Section 2(c)(4)(A)).
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Judicial Constraints: The bill includes a provision where a court must defer to the Secretaries' reasonable interpretation of any ambiguous provision of the Act (Section 2(g)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would farmers be better off under this? — The bill invests in technologies and research that enhance agricultural productivity and resilience. Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — The bill specifically highlights innovations designed to be beneficial to rural agricultural economies. Would business owners be better off under this? — The bill creates opportunities for public-private partnerships and market-based adoption of new technologies.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this invest in rural communities? — The bill focuses on technological innovations that are beneficial to rural agricultural economies, such as precision agriculture and drones. Does this improve help for people hit by a disaster? — The bill funds research into wildfire prediction, prevention, and mitigation to improve resilience. Does this better protect air, water and wildlife? — The bill includes research into natural resource management and mitigating the impacts of chemical releases on farmland.
- Economy And Finance
- Is this likely to grow the economy? — The bill incentivizes private development and market adoption of new agricultural and defense technologies. Is this likely to create jobs? — The bill supports workforce development to foster innovation in the agricultural and defense sectors.
- Education And Technology
- Does this put more money into scientific research? — The bill directs the Secretaries to conduct and fund joint collaborative research and development activities.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The bill limits public access to certain Federal data and records by exempting them from the Freedom of Information Act.
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Does this better protect the country from computer attacks? — The bill establishes a risk management approach that includes cybersecurity for research activities.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Is this likely to lift people out of poverty? — The bill aims to increase agricultural resilience and reduce scarcity risks for food resources.
- 5/20/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Ted BuddRepublican · North Carolina