America’s farmers are still operating under the 2018 bill
The Senate Agriculture Committee is meeting Wednesday for its second markup of the Agricultural Act of 2026, also known as the Farm Bill.
The markup is scheduled for 3:30pm and is available to view online.
The first markup in August failed to advance out of committee in part because of an impasse related to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cost-sharing and payment error rate delays.
Lawmakers are on the clock, however, as the bill would need to pass the committee stage and receive enough support on the Senate floor before Sept. 30.
Farm groups are urging senators to get the bill passed.
Legislators need to find common ground and provide farmers with a Farm Bill that is reflective of their current realities, said Bryan Severs, chairman of the Illinois Soybean Association.
“It has been eight years since a Farm Bill was authorized, and farmers continue to face low commodity prices, high input costs and high inflation,” he said in a press release encouraging Illinois farmers to contact Sen. Dick Durbin and ask him to support the Farm Bill.
A Democrat, Durbin voted along party lines and against the Farm Bill in August.
Reps from the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association and the Iowa Corn Growers Association have also met with lawmakers to discuss the importance of passing the Farm Bill.
There’s belief the Farm Bill will pass its Wednesday markup.
A returning senator should give the Republicans the support they need to see the bill through.
“Senators on the Agriculture Committee say the massive legislative package likely has enough votes to advance during Wednesday’s markup now that Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who was absent for several months due to illness, has returned,” Bloomberg reported. “But Democrats remain unwilling to support the bill without changes related to cost shifts for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.”
One of those Democrats is California Sen. Adam Schiff.
A report he released on Sept. 16 suggests Republican policies are hurting families who need SNAP.
“As the cost of food in the United States soars, the Trump Administration’s continued attacks on proven federal food assistance programs are putting the health and prosperity of American families across the country in jeopardy,” he said in a statement.