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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today attended the White House signing ceremony for a FY2026 appropriations package that includes a wide assortment of benefits for Mississippi, including a provision she fought for to help keep the doors open at the Franklin County Hospital.
Hyde-Smith serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee that crafted the five-bill package (HR.7148) that will ensure most federal programs and projects will be funded through September 30. With President Trump’s signing of the measure Tuesday, Congress has completed 11 of the 12 annual funding bills.
Hyde-Smith worked to include language in the FY2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS) Appropriations Bill to reinstate the Critical Access Hospital (CAH) designation for the Franklin County Hospital, which the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rescinded on January 15.
“There is still so much work to do to improve rural healthcare in Mississippi, but I’m very happy that we’ve acted to help the Franklin County Hospital and give it a stronger chance to be on a stronger financial footing. Without this, the hospital could have closed. CMS dropping the critical access status wasn’t warranted and we’ve come up with a sensible solution to ensure continued access to quality rural healthcare there and for other hospitals in that situation,” said Hyde-Smith, who serves on the Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee.
Resending the CAH designation for the hospital in Meadville meant that it would no longer be eligible for federal resources intended to help sustain the financial viability of rural hospitals and assure access to essential medical services.
Last October, Hyde-Smith introduced bipartisan legislation (S.3047) to protect the Franklin County Hospital and others in the same situation. Earlier this year, Hyde-Smith, U.S. Representative Michael Guest (R-Miss.), and others asked congressional and appropriations leadership to support the inclusion of the CAH language.
Overall, Hyde-Smith used her membership on the Appropriations Committee and six subcommittees to support projects and programs beneficial to Mississippi and the nation.
“I give Majority Leader John Thune and Appropriations Chair Susan Collins great credit for allowing Senators to take up and pass these funding bills. It’s a stark improvement from how the former Democratic leadership refused to bring appropriations bills to the floor,” Hyde-Smith said.
The following links contain further details of that work and its impact on Mississippi. The legislation signed by President Trump on Tuesday included:
- FY2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations (Hyde-Smith chairs the Senate THUD Appropriations Subcommittee.)
- FY2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill
- FY2026 Defense Appropriations Bill
- For more information on the FY2026 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill and the FY2026 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill, click here.
On January 23, President Trump signed HR.6938, a three-bill package that included the:
- FY2026 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill
- FY2026 Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill
- FY2026 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Bill
