Will 2026 be the year for a new and slimmed down farm bill?

Both chairmen of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees have expressed confidence that they will be able to pass a farm bill and additional farm aid yet this year, despite incredibly narrow congressional pathways for doing so.

That’s not necessarily the opinion shared by the ranking Democratic members on their committees.

Republicans advanced a farm bill through the House Agriculture Committee earlier this month, picking up significant Democratic support despite partisan clashes over food assistance cuts, ethanol policy and other issues. Most of the major commodity and conservation and nutrition program provisions were already advanced last year as part of the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” but several other provisions will either need to be reauthorized or extended to yet another year.

The committee approved the legislation 34 to 17 after rejecting a Democratic alternative that included about $18 billion in farm assistance while delaying funding cuts to states administering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. 

Seven Democrats broke ranks and supported the bill: Jim Costa of California, Sharice Davids of Kansas, Don Davis of North Carolina, Adam Gray of California, Kristen McDonald Rivet of Michigan, Josh Riley of New York, and Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico.

Speaking at the Agri-Pulse Ag & Food Policy Summit on March 23, House Agriculture Committee  Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson said he wants  the farm bill to pass the House with “strong bipartisan support” to help its chances in the Senate.

With a very slim GOP margin in the House and some Republicans reluctant to vote for a new, slimmed down farm bill, the Pennsylvania native will need to have several Democrats vote for the bill. In recent weeks, he says he’s been reaching out to additional Democrats ahead of possible House floor votes. 

“I’ve already started meeting individually with individual Democrats, starting with the ones who voted for the bill, the seven that voted out of committee, going to from there, the ones that almost voted for the bill,” he said. 

However, in separate remarks at the summit, the vice ranking member of the House Ag Committee, Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, questioned whether a farm bill could pass and lamented GOP rejection of Democratic proposals to address the SNAP cost-share requirement and concerns with the Trump administration’s trade policy.

“The farm bill is supposed to be the foundation of both farm stability and food security, but what we’ve seen lately is a process that feels like we’re going through the motions, not doing the hard, thoughtful work that the moment demands,” she said. 

Speaking at the same Summit, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman, R- AR, said his intent isn’t to wait until the full House passes a farm bill. Instead, the goal is to move a Senate ag version “as soon as possible—weeks, not months and months.”  

Many of the remaining farm bill provisions have not been updated since the last farm bill passed in 2018.  

Boozman and Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar, D-MN, remain at odds over modifications to a key change congressional Republicans made to SNAP in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The bill requires states to begin paying a share of the program’s costs based on their SNAP error rates.

“The nutrition cuts that were passed on to the state, that part of the cut, which is billions and billions of dollars, really needs a delay for us to look at this policy,” Klobuchar said.

When asked if he could accept adding a SNAP cost-share delay to the farm bill, Boozman gave a clear “no,” citing the need to fix what he said is a flawed system.

More “bridge” aid needed

Boozman and Klobuchar both said they’d like to get additional aid for ag producers, working as a “bridge” until commodity payments from the OBBBA arrive later this fall.

Boozman and Thompson have said $15 billion in new assistance is needed. 

A “natural fit” for the farm aid would be a supplemental bill to fund the United States war with Iran, said Boozman, noting the harm the conflict is doing to farmers amid disrupted supply chains that are driving up the cost of fertilizer and fuel.  

“If it’s not that it will be something else,” he said. “We desperately need to get this done.”  

Klobuchar also stressed urgency amid tight margins, low commodity prices, high input costs and trade uncertainty.

“This is a perfect storm of ugly,” she said, quoting a Minnesota soybean farmer who saw the market for his crop in China disappear.

Trump weighs in

Both Boozman and Thompson could gain some much-needed momentum for farm bill passage with President Donald Trump pressuring some of their colleagues.

“CONGRESS, PASS THE FARM BILL, NOW!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on March 20.

Trump is also expected to rally support for farmers and potentially the farm bill when he hosts an agriculture event at the White House lawn on March 27.

Editor’s note: Sara Wyant is publisher of Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc., www.Agri-Pulse.com.