U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) has secured Senate Appropriations Committee approval for an appropriations bill she led, focusing on transportation, housing, and urban development. The FY2026 THUD Appropriations Bill, crafted by the subcommittee chaired by Hyde-Smith, received a bipartisan 27-1 vote and is now set for full Senate consideration.
Hyde-Smith stated, “We’ve worked to achieve a strong bipartisan product that maximizes finite resources to carry out a broad range of programs and activities, ranging from highway safety to homelessness prevention to community development.”
The bill aims to address air traffic safety issues following incidents like the January mid-air collision over the Potomac River. It includes funding requests from the Trump administration for $4 billion towards modernizing the air traffic system and hiring additional personnel.
Programs such as the Community Development Block Grant program are supported in this bill, promoting economic development at state and local levels. The bill also allocates funds for HUD Self-Sufficiency Programs aimed at improving financial literacy and job training access.
For Mississippi, Hyde-Smith emphasized support for various projects across the state. She remarked, “I worked to ensure this bill would support surface, air, port, and rail transportation projects across Mississippi.”
Mississippi stands to benefit from funding through programs like BUILD and others aimed at infrastructure improvements. Specific allocations include $2.5 million for Brookhaven Lincoln County Airport Fixed Base Operator Facility and $5 million for Gulf Coast Center for Nonviolence’s Family Justice Center Expansion in Biloxi.
The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved six of twelve annual appropriations bills so far. Senate Majority Leader Thune plans to bring these bills before the full Senate soon.
