While the Senate is expected to remain in session at least through the end of this week, a full vote on the farm bill is unlikely before the upcoming recess. Although the Senate Agriculture Committee advanced the Agricultural Act of 2026 on September 16, 2026, Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) and other lawmakers like Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) stated that there is not enough time on the calendar to put the package on the floor before breaking for the November midterm elections. There was hope that the Senate would take up the bill before the recess to expedite finalizing the legislation this year.
Tag: Senate Agriculture Committee
The Senate returned this week from its Labor Day recess with plans for three weeks of legislative activity in hopes of addressing some top priority issues before adjourning to return home for a final campaign effort prior to the November 3 midterm elections. The House adjourned this week to finalize its reelection efforts. While the Senate has a long list of unfinished business to address, one of its top priorities is to complete action on the Farm Bill. On Wednesday, the Ag Committee reported the bill out, leaving open the possibility of bringing it to the floor for a vote.
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The Senate Agriculture Committee was unable to advance Farm Bill 2.0 to the full Senate prior to recess when the bill failed to get enough support on a partisan vote. Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) said he plans to resume his committee's markup of the bill within a day or so of lawmakers returning to Capitol Hill next month. All committee Democrats, led by Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, voted against the bill and, with Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) not present and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) home recuperating from a fall, Republicans didn't have the necessary votes. Opposition to a deal offered by Republicans to extend state Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program compliance requirements for one year was not supported by Democrats who want at least a two-year delay to give states time to get their error rates down and grapple with budget changes.
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The Senate Agriculture Committee will take up a farm bill of its own in the coming months. Senate Ag Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) noted that the timing depends in part on how debate on the House version proceeds, as reported by Agri-Pulse. Regarding the possibility of passing a partial farm bill this year following the House Ag Committee's approval of a measure earlier this month, Boozman stated he does not intend to wait for the full House to act. Instead, the goal is to move a Senate version “as soon as possible—weeks, not months and months.”
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I wrote in the last Legislative Landscape about the stated commitment of the new House majority to reduce federal spending and with the farm bill up for reauthorization, it will be a challenge to increase funding for critical farm bill programs.
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