RECAPTURE Act

Summary#

This bill would change part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that covers the BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) program. It says that when a grant award has remaining funds after a final proposal, the program must do two things: 1) give to the eligible recipient any remaining funds that have been listed for a specific purpose in the final proposal, and 2) send any remaining funds that are not listed for a specific purpose to the U.S. Treasury general fund to be used only for deficit reduction. The bill also makes technical and wording changes in the same section of the law to clarify reallocation rules and a verb form. The bill was introduced on November 20, 2025, and sponsors include Senators Joni Ernst, Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Cynthia Lummis, Rick Scott, and David McCormick. It was read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

What it means for you#

• If you are an eligible entity applying for BEAD money, the bill says you would get any leftover grant money that was specifically listed for a purpose in your final proposal.
• Any leftover BEAD money that is not listed for a specific purpose in the final proposal would be sent to the Treasury general fund for deficit reduction instead of being held or reallocated.
• No publicly available information on how many grants or people this will affect or on timelines.

Expenses#

• The bill directs certain leftover BEAD funds that are not tied to a specific purpose to be deposited into the Treasury general fund for the sole purpose of deficit reduction.
• No publicly available information on projected dollar amounts, overall budgetary effects, or cost estimates.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.