Bill · H.R. 7547· House(119-HR-7547)
DOD and USDA Interagency Research Act
- Introduced
- 2/12/2026
- Last activity
- 6/15/2026 — Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology.
- Sponsored by
- Mark Messmer
- Cosponsors
- - 0 - 2
- 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 mission requirements in agriculture and food defense, including national security and agricultural resilience. The Secretaries must establish a memorandum of understanding to coordinate these efforts and provide a framework for public-private partnerships. Research topics include biological sciences, supply chain security, and wildfire mitigation. The Act also establishes requirements for research security, annual reporting to Congress, and periodic GAO reviews.
Yes· 3 of 17
Does this put more money into scientific research?+6
The bill explicitly establishes frameworks for joint research and development between agencies.
Does this better protect air, water and wildlife?+5
The bill addresses the mitigation of chemical impacts (PFAS) on farmland and manages natural resources.
Would farmers be better off under this?+5
The bill focuses on agricultural resilience, food security, and new technologies that benefit agricultural economies.
The opposite
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?-2
By limiting the disclosure of certain agricultural data under FOIA, transparency is slightly reduced.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Agricultural Resilience and Security: The bill directs research into biological sciences to address natural disaster and weather resiliency, biosecurity, and invasive species management (Section 2(c)(1)(C)). It also focuses on management strategies for water, energy, soil, forests, and food to reduce scarcity risks (Section 2(c)(1)(D)).
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Mitigation of Environmental Impacts: The research includes efforts to mitigate the impacts on farmland contiguous to military bases caused by Department of Defense chemical releases, specifically PFAS (Section 2(c)(1)(C)(iv)).
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Support for Rural Economies: The Act identifies innovations that are beneficial to rural agricultural economies, such as precision agriculture technologies, drones, and remote sensing (Section 2(c)(1)(G)).
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Food Supply Stability: Research is aimed at agrifood supply chain security to minimize food disruptions and protect agriculture as critical national infrastructure (Section 2(c)(1)(F)).
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Disaster Preparedness: The bill calls for research into wildfire prediction, prevention, and mitigation to help manage impacts on agricultural productivity (Section 2(c)(1)(I)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Financial Burden on Grant Recipients: Under the public-private partnership framework, the Secretaries may require the recipient of any grant to provide an amount of non-Federal matching funds equal to the amount of the grant involved (Section 2(b)(3)(B)).
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Data Privacy Restrictions: While the bill aims to protect producer data from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, it also establishes that such data is not subject to disclosure under specific circumstances (Section 2(c)(4)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Environmental Protections+5Improves Rural Development+4Improves Disaster Relief And F E M A+3Improves Public Land Management+2
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Farmers+5Good For Rural Residents+4Good For Business Owners+3
- Education And Technology
- Increases Scientific Research Funding+6Improves Data Privacy+3
- Healthcare
- Increases Research Funding+5Improves Pandemic Preparedness+3
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Improves Cybersecurity Defense+4Improves International Alliances+2
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Economic Growth+3Increases Job Creation+2
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Privacy Rights+3Increases Federal Power+2Improves Government Transparency-2
- 6/15/2026
- Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology.
- 2/24/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 2/12/2026
- Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in House
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.
Donald DavisDemocrat · North Carolina
Chrissy HoulahanDemocrat · Pennsylvania