U.S. Senate · Mississippi
Delivering for Mississippi.
From the Yazoo Backwater to rural broadband, military bases, and the farm economy, Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith has used her seat on Appropriations to move real projects and real dollars back home.
Secured for at least 362 Mississippi projects, FY2022–FY2026
Co-sponsored measures signed into law since she entered the Senate
USDA purchases of Mississippi catfish and Gulf shrimp after her advocacy
Highlights from the record
Appropriations she requested and got approved, and laws she co-sponsored that were signed.
Flood control
Yazoo Backwater pumps are moving
After years of delay, the Army Corps signed a Record of Decision in January 2025 for the Yazoo Backwater water management plan. The Mississippi Levee Board credited her “strong and steady leadership.”
- $32 million in the FY2025 Corps work plan for mitigation and pre-construction planning
- $49 million for the Yazoo Backwater pumps in the FY2026 Energy and Water bill
- $21.9 million for Arkabutla Lake dam repairs in the same bill
- $184.1 million she worked to direct for 30 Army Corps projects in Mississippi
Agriculture
Standing with catfish, shrimp, and row-crop farmers
Mississippi’s largest economic driver has been her focus on the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee.
- USDA agreed to buy up to $30 million in farm-raised catfish and $25 million in Gulf shrimp under Section 32
- Fought to include $10 billion in emergency commodity assistance in the December 2024 funding bill, then urged Mississippi farmers to apply
- Pressed the administration to add phosphate to the 2025 Critical Minerals List to steady fertilizer supply
- Co-sponsored the Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act, now law, to protect Mississippi’s deer herd and outdoor economy
Rural broadband
Fiber in counties the big maps skip
- $4.69 million USDA ReConnect grant for 116 miles of fiber across Jasper, Jones, Newton, Lauderdale, and Smith counties
- $30.3 million in ReConnect grants to reach about 10,000 people in seven rural counties
- In January 2026, introduced a bipartisan bill with Sen. Elissa Slotkin to reauthorize USDA middle-mile broadband through 2031
Military
Bases that train and employ Mississippi
- $70.4 million in military construction for Camp Shelby and the 172nd Airlift Wing in Jackson
- $3.22 million for a new visitor center at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi
- More than $83 million directed for construction at Keesler, Columbus Air Force Base, and National Guard facilities
Ports and roads
Gulfport, harbors, and the roads that feed them
- $15.76 million DOT grant for highway access to the Port of Gulfport
- MDOT’s executive director singled her out for writing the T-HUD bill that delivered more than $23 million for ports, airports, roads, and bridges
- $127.2 million reported for 28 Army Corps projects, including port and waterway operations and Arkabutla Lake
- Chairs the Senate Transportation-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee
Veterans and first responders
Care after the uniform comes off
- Voted for the PACT Act, expanding VA care and disability claims for veterans exposed to burn pits
- Co-sponsored the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act, treating occupational cancer as a line-of-duty death or disability for firefighters and other first responders
Public safety
Laws signed, not just introduced
- Laken Riley Act, requiring detention of illegal immigrants charged with or convicted of theft, burglary, or violent crimes. Signed January 29, 2025.
- HALT Fentanyl Act, permanently scheduling fentanyl analogues as Schedule I. Signed July 16, 2025.
- Reauthorized the Victims of Child Abuse Act and the Childhood Cancer STAR Act
Health care
Rural hospitals and research, not just talking points
A 2022 Roll Call review found Mississippi was one of only seven states to receive more than $50 million in health-focused earmarks that year, largely credited to her Appropriations role. Projects included University of Southern Mississippi facilities, a Forrest General mental health and addiction center, and Delta Health System upgrades.
Signed into law
A sample of the 31 co-sponsored bills that reached the president’s desk.