House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) introduced the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 last week with support from fellow committee Republicans and announced the bill will be marked up on Feb. 23.
The bill represents Congress’s latest attempt to pass a full farm bill after several temporary extensions of the last farm bill passed in 2018. According to House Agriculture Committee leadership, the bill is designed to provide long term certainty for farmers, ranchers, and rural communities by updating agricultural policies to meet modern challenges.
Key provisions in the bill expand disaster assistance programs, increase guaranteed operating loan limits, and adjust dairy policy—changes intended to strengthen the agricultural safety net. The bill also advances priorities such as rural infrastructure development, community development resources, and conservation and land stewardship initiatives.
The bill’s release has already sparked political debate. While Republican committee leaders describe it as a long overdue modernization shaped by extensive outreach to rural America, the top Democrat on the committee criticized the package for including what she called “poison pills.” Despite the disagreement, the committee is moving forward with the scheduled markup, signaling that lawmakers are eager to advance a comprehensive farm bill after years of delays and short term extensions.
On conservation, the bill would allow funds for the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) to go toward precision ag technologies. Conservation programs are being positioned as part of a broader rural development strategy, with lawmakers aiming to give producers more tools to manage soil health, water resources, and environmental resilience. The measure would also reauthorize CSP through fiscal 2031, maintaining the program’s current 27-million-acre cap.
For the Agricultural Land Easement Program, it would increase federal cost share from 50% to 65%, change program certification processes, and allow more flexibilities for reconciling easement deed terms.
The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) would be streamlined by USDA to make approvals for RCPP partnership agreements within 180 days and provide payments to partners in 30 days. Up to 10% of agreement funds could be used to cover administrative expenses incurred by project partners, and the program would be expanded to cover flood resiliency and drought-mitigation practices.