WASHINGTON (RFD-TV) — House Speaker Mike Johnson said Congress is making progress on government funding but acknowledged more work is needed before the new fiscal year begins Sept. 30.
“In the House, we have returned to regular order… We have made substantial progress on government funding this year,” Johnson said, noting that all 12 appropriations bills have cleared committee and three have already passed on the House floor. Branch and appropriators are actively engaged in ongoing bipartisan conversations to fund the government for FY26. So, we have to allow time to do that because we’re getting close to the end of the fiscal year—September 30th, as you all know. We need responsible options here to keep the government open while all this work continues.”
Alongside discussions of broader fiscal deadlines, Johnson and House Republican leaders highlighted provisions of the “One Big Beautiful Bill, and the Farm Bill provisions that benefit farmers and ranchers like Kevin Kester.
“Big, Beautiful Bill” Provisions for Farm & Ranches
California rancher Kevin Kester, a fifth-generation cattle producer and former president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, joined Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, and other lawmakers to emphasize how the bill’s tax provisions protect family farms.
“With our family ranching operation, I had to suffer 30 years ago when my grandfather passed away,” Kester said. “We had to pay a death tax to the federal government. It took us years and years to overcome that hurdle and not have to sell our family ranch.”
Kester said making estate tax exemptions permanent would allow operations like his to hire workers, reinvest in their communities, and ensure that future generations can continue ranching.
“My family? We can hire enough people like we should,” Kester said. “We can invest back in the community or our operation. So, the increase in permanence of the state tax exemptions, the death tax, is hugely important for us.”
Watch Kevin Kester’s Full Remarks:
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The Kesters’ Succession Journey
Kester and his wife, June, run Bear Valley Ranch, a 22,000-acre cattle operation in Parkfield, California. Their family endured a 10-year succession struggle after the passing of Kevin’s grandfather, nearly losing the ranch in the process.
June Kester, a fearless RanchHER and cattlewoman featured on FarmHER.com, credits her father and grandmother with instilling the belief that women play an essential role on the land. June is a beacon in the cattle industry known across Rural America for her incredible impact on the lives of so many farming and ranching families, her infectious volunteer spirit, and her deep love of ranching and California agriculture.
“Us women can put on those hats and — I don’t ever want to be a man — but we can step up there and do a lot, RanchHERs + FarmHERs,” she said.
Now, the couple is focused on ensuring smoother transitions for their children and grandchildren — the sixth and seventh generations to live and work on Bear Valley Ranch.
