(WASHINGTON D.C.) — Senator Mitch McConnell announced Tuesday he has secured $541 million in federal funding for Kentucky priorities through fiscal year 2026 appropriations legislation that passed the Senate and now heads to President Trump’s desk.
As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, McConnell shaped the Commerce-Justice-Science, Interior-Environment, and Energy-Water funding bills to include dozens of Kentucky-specific projects.
Major Investments
The largest allocations include $70 million for the University of Louisville’s Center for Bioscience—the biggest-ever earmark through the National Institutes of Standards and Technology construction account. The facility will support the university’s expanding Military Health and Biology research program.
The University of Kentucky will receive $35 million for its Healthy Kentucky Research Building #2, focusing on the state’s most pressing health disparities, particularly cancer.
“This federal funding is an important investment in research infrastructure,” McConnell said. “By empowering scientists to tackle some of our most pressing health challenges, this funding represents a commitment to innovation and a healthier future for Kentucky.”
Environmental cleanup at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant received $340 million for decommissioning and remediation, plus $41 million for a new administrative facility that will support future advanced manufacturing and AI technologies.
Law Enforcement and Infrastructure
The package includes $2.5 million for cybercrime training equipment at a new facility in Madisonville, which will become the Commonwealth’s largest police training academy, and $352,000 for emergency operations equipment in Warren County.
Water infrastructure projects total more than $21 million, including full funding to complete the Rough River Dam Safety Modification Project and modernization of treatment plants in Edmonson, Martin, and Clinton counties.
Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area will receive $7.45 million for capital improvements, while the Green River National Wildlife Refuge gets $1 million for visitor center upgrades to meet ADA standards.
Statewide Benefits
Beyond direct allocations, the legislation includes $166.975 million for the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund and $134 million for the AMLER economic development program, which will deliver $29.5 million to Kentucky. The program, created by McConnell in 2015, has provided over $250 million to the state for economic development in formerly mined areas.
Additional funding supports law enforcement through $964 million in Byrne Justice Assistance Grants, $466 million for Economic Development Administration initiatives, and $200 million for the Appalachian Regional Commission.
