Farm Bill Clears First Hurdle

This week on Capitol Hill, the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026 cleared its first hurdle in Congress. The House Agriculture Committee approved the five year farm bill with a bipartisan vote of 34 to 17.

With the committee vote now complete, agricultural organizations are beginning to weigh in on the proposal and what it could mean for farmers and ranchers.

National Farmers Union President Rob Larew released a statement following the committee action, recognizing the bipartisan effort behind the bill. Larew said, quote, "We appreciate the effort of House Agriculture Committee members on both sides of the aisle to advance a farm bill, and we recognize the hard work that went into this markup. Bipartisan progress in today’s Congress is not insignificant, and we are grateful to the members who engaged seriously with the challenges facing family agriculture."

At the same time, the organization says the proposal still does not meet the scale of the crisis facing family farmers and ranchers.

Floor time in the House to debate the bill has not yet been scheduled, and the Senate has not yet released its own bill text.