AGOA EXTENSION ACT

On 2026-09-01, Representative Tom Cole (R-OK-4) delivered a floor speech titled "AGOA EXTENSION ACT" in the House.

AGOA EXTENSION ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 138 (Tuesday, September 1, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 138 (Tuesday, September 1, 2026)] [House] [Pages H5377-H5385] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] AGOA EXTENSION ACT Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendments to the bill (H.R. 6500) to extend duty-free treatment provided with respect to imports from certain countries in Africa under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, to extend customs user fees, and for other purposes. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the Senate amendments is as follows: Senate amendments: Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027''. SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. The table of contents for this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short Title. Sec. 2. Table of Contents. Sec. 3. References. DIVISION A--CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2027 DIVISION B--AUTHORIZING EXTENSIONS DIVISION C--SURFACE TRANSPORTATION EXTENSION ACT OF 2026 DIVISION D--DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS EXTENDERS SEC. 3. REFERENCES. Except as expressly provided otherwise, any reference to ``this Act'' contained in any division of this Act shall be treated as referring only to the provisions of that division. DIVISION A--CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2027 The following sums are hereby appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, and out of applicable corporate or other revenues, receipts, and funds, for the several departments, agencies, corporations, and other organizational units of Government for fiscal year 2027, and for other purposes, namely: Sec. 101. Such amounts as may be necessary, at a rate for operations as provided in the applicable appropriations Acts for fiscal year 2026 and under the authority and conditions provided in such Acts, for continuing projects or activities (including the costs of direct loans and loan guarantees) that are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Act, that were conducted in fiscal year 2026, and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available in the following appropriations Acts: (1) The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agency Appropriations Act, 2026 (division B of Public Law 119-37). (2) The Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 (division A of Public Law 119-74), except sections 521(c)(2) and 544. (3) The Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2026 (division A of Public Law 119-75). (4) The Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 (division B of Public Law 119-74). (5) The Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2026 (division E of Public Law 119-75), except the last proviso under the heading ``Election Assistance Commission--Election Security Grants'', and including section 143 of division A of Public Law 119-37. (6) The Homeland Security and Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026 (Public Law 119-86), except division B, and including sections 5013 through 5016 of division I of Public Law 119-75. (7) The Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 (division C of Public Law 119-74), except section 444. (8) The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 (division B of Public Law 119-75), except section 528. (9) The Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2026 (division C of Public Law 119-37). (10) The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 (division D of Public Law 119-37). (11) The National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2026 (division F of Public Law 119-75). (12) The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 (division D of Public Law 119-75), as amended by sections 153(b) and 156(a) of this Act. Sec. 102. (a) No appropriation or funds made available or authority granted pursuant to section 101 for the Department of Defense shall be used for: (1) the new production of items not funded for production in fiscal year 2026 or prior years; (2) the increase in production rates above those sustained with fiscal year 2026 funds; or (3) the initiation, resumption, or continuation of any project, activity, operation, or organization (defined as any project, subproject, activity, budget activity, program element, and subprogram within a program element, and for any investment items defined as a P-1 line item in a budget activity within an appropriation account and an R-1 line item that includes a program element and subprogram element within an appropriation account) for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were not available during fiscal year 2026. (b) No appropriation or funds made available or authority granted pursuant to section 101 for the Department of Defense shall be used to initiate multi-year procurements utilizing advance procurement funding for economic order quantity procurement unless specifically appropriated later. Sec. 103. Appropriations made by section 101 shall be available to the extent and in the manner that would be provided by the pertinent appropriations Act. Sec. 104. Except as otherwise provided in section 102, no appropriation or funds made available or authority granted pursuant to section 101 shall be used to initiate or resume any project or activity for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were not available during fiscal year 2026. Sec. 105. Appropriations made and authority granted pursuant to this Act shall cover all obligations or expenditures incurred for any project or activity during the period for which funds or authority for such project or activity are available under this Act. Sec. 106. Unless otherwise provided for in this Act or in the applicable appropriations Act for fiscal year 2027, appropriations and funds made available and authority granted pursuant to this Act shall be available until whichever of the following first occurs: (1) The enactment into law of an appropriation for any project or activity provided for in this Act. (2) The enactment into law of the applicable appropriations Act for fiscal year 2027 without any provision for such project or activity. (3) December 11, 2026. Sec. 107. Expenditures made pursuant to this Act shall be charged to the applicable appropriation, fund, or authorization whenever a bill in which such applicable appropriation, fund, or authorization is contained is enacted into law. Sec. 108. Appropriations made and funds made available by or authority granted pursuant to this Act may be used without regard to the time limitations for submission and approval of apportionments set forth in section 1513 of title 31, United States Code, but nothing in this Act may be construed to waive any other provision of law governing the apportionment of funds. Sec. 109. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, except section 106, for those programs that would otherwise have high initial rates of operation or complete distribution of appropriations at the beginning of fiscal year 2027 because of distributions of funding to States, foreign countries, grantees, or others, such high initial rates of operation or complete distribution shall not be made, and no grants shall be awarded for such programs funded by this Act that would impinge on final funding prerogatives. Sec. 110. This Act shall be implemented so that only the most limited funding action of that permitted in the Act shall be taken in order to provide for continuation of projects and activities. Sec. 111. (a) For entitlements and other mandatory payments whose budget authority was provided in appropriations Acts for fiscal year 2026, and for activities under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, activities shall be continued [[Page H5378]] at the rate to maintain program levels under current law, under the authority and conditions provided in the applicable appropriations Act for fiscal year 2026, to be continued through the date specified in section 106(3). (b) Notwithstanding section 106, obligations for mandatory payments due on or about the first day of any month that begins after October 2026 but not later than 30 days after the date specified in section 106(3) may continue to be made, and funds shall be available for such payments. Sec. 112. Amounts made available under section 101 for civilian personnel compensation and benefits in each department and agency may be apportioned up to the rate for operations necessary to avoid furloughs within such department or agency, consistent with the applicable appropriations Act for fiscal year 2026, except that such authority provided under this section shall not be used until after the department or agency has taken all necessary actions to reduce or defer non-personnel-related administrative expenses. Sec. 113. Funds appropriated by this Act may be obligated and expended notwithstanding section 10 of Public Law 91-672 (22 U.S.C. 2412), section 15 of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2680), section 313 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995 (22 U.S.C. 6212), and section 504(a)(1) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3094(a)(1)). Sec. 114. (a)(1) For each amount incorporated by reference in this Act that was previously designated by the Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, each provision of law designating each such amount as an emergency requirement pursuant to such section shall not apply. (2) Each amount incorporated by reference in this Act that was designated by the C

Referenced legislation: HCONRES71, SCONRES14, HR6500, HR9770