Farm bill approved by the House Agriculture Committee

After more than 20 hours of debate, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 passed out of the House Agriculture Committee with a vote of 34 to 17 Thursday morning (March 5). Seven Democrats joined all present Republicans in voting for the bill. Democrats that voted for the bill include Reps. Costa (D-CA), Davids (D-KS), Davis (D-NC), Vasquez (D-NM), Gray (D-CA), McDonald Rivet (D-MI), and Riley (D-NY).

The Committee considered dozens of amendments, some of which were agreed to on a bipartisan basis though much of the debate (over five hours) centered on cuts to SNAP in the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) as well as the process by which the bill came together. Other key issues that came up were the overall trade environment and its impacts on farmers, pesticide policy, MAHA, and whether or not this bill “meets the moment” for farmers and rural America.

In the Research Title, several amendments were offered to increase funding for research programs (see below). Ultimately all three amendments failed or were withdrawn since they all included additional funding and there was not a pay-for source.

• Amendment #060, offered by Mr. Costa of California, would increase research facilities mandatory funding from $125 million/year to $500 million/year.
   
• Amendment #070, offered by Ms. Davids of Kansas, would provide $100 million/year mandatory funding for AGARDA.
   
• Amendment #105, offered by Mr. Vindman of Virginia, would provide $185 million in mandatory funding for FFAR.

The bill has a long way to go yet though Chairman GT Thompson (R-PA) has indicated that he would like to see the bill on the House floor before Easter. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) has expressed interest in working on farm bill in the near future though specifics on the process or timeline are lacking.