Farm, Food and National Security Act passed out of House Ag Committee
Published on March 17, 2026 at 12:10pm EDT | Author: henningmaster
0To the Editor,
On Thursday, March 5, the House Committee on Agriculture passed the Farm, Food, and National Security Act, taking the first step in yet another attempt to pass new farm bill legislation.
The bill was approved on a vote of 34-17, with all Republican members joined by seven Democrats to pass the bill. The vote followed a two-day mark-up, in which committee members were allowed to present amendments and voice their support or opposition prior to the final vote.
While a significant first step, the fate of a new farm bill remains uncertain. While the House committee has taken action, the Senate Committee on Agriculture has yet to release and pass its own version of the bill. Even if these bills survive their respective full floor votes, the two versions must be conferenced and approved yet again by the full House and Senate before proceeding to the president’s desk.
Agricultural producers and rural communities have been waiting on a new farm bill since the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 first expired on Sept. 30, 2023. Since then, the 2025 budget reconciliation package (aka the One Big Beautiful Bill Act) has complicated the relationship between lawmakers who traditionally show up to negotiate on the farm bill. Tensions remain particularly high given OBBBA’s investment in crop insurance subsidies over cuts to nutrition programs like SNAP.
The current farm bill extension will expire on Sept. 30. While six months in length, this window will become increasingly slim as members of Congress turn their attention to the November general election and campaigning back home.
As lawmakers weigh their options in the year ahead, it’s important they hear from their constituents about issues that affect rural communities. You can find contact information for your members of Congress at congress.gov/members/find-your-member.
Established in 1973, the Center for Rural Affairs is a private, nonprofit organization working to strengthen small businesses, family farms and ranches, and rural communities through action oriented programs addressing social, economic, and environmental issues.
Kalee Olson,
senior policy manager, Center for Rural Affairs