Partial government shutdown ends, House farm bill mark-up forthcoming

After just five days, the partial government shutdown ended on Tuesday when the House approved a funding package that included five of the remaining six government funding bills and short-term funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Funding for DHS came under scrutiny after the second shooting by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Minnesota. The funding expires on February 13, giving Congress less than two weeks to come to an agreement. While not directly impacting research, expect negotiations around the DHS funding bill to occupy Congress' attention for the next several weeks.

House Agriculture Chairman GT Thompson (R-PA) has pointed to February 23 as the expected farm bill mark-up date in the House Agriculture Committee. The bill is being referred to as the "skinny farm bill" or "farm bill 2.0" since many of the farm bill provisions were already addressed in last year's reconciliation package, the One Bill Beautiful Bill. The remaining farm bill provisions are policy focused, reauthorizing programs or making administrative changes, and will likely not include significant additional funding. The farm bill 2.0 will likely look similar to the bill that the House Agriculture Committee approved last Congress in May of 2024.