WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD NEWS) — The House passed the Farm, Food, and National Security Act on a 224-200 vote after two days of debate and a final round of amendment fights that reshaped the bill. The vote showed leadership held together a narrow coalition, with 14 Democrats supporting the measure, while 3 Republicans voted no.
The legislation required a simple majority of 218 members in order to pass. Republicans comprised 210 of the 244 ‘yea’ votes, with 14 Democrats in agreement.
The bill moved through a day of intense negotiations over key issues, including ethanol policy, nutrition programs, and agricultural regulations.
A few key things to note about the legislation that passed today:
- An amendment for year-round E15 sales was stripped from the bill; the measure will be voted on in two weeks, separately
- Pesticide labeling was also stripped out due to protests from Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) supporters in Congress
- Prop 12 did make the bill — setting a national standard rather than allowing states to determine their own policies
- A Late amendment was also added to include language to strengthen the domestic supply of fertilizer
House Lawmakers React After Years of Work on Cornerstone Ag Legislation
Lawmakers are offering their reaction as the Farm Bill has now cleared the House after a day of heavy debate.
House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Glenn “G.T.” Thompson (R-PA) issued the following statement today commending the passage of this critical legislation:
“Working in Congress on behalf of our nation’s farmers, ranchers, and rural communities is an honor — even when the work requires debating the farm bill through the night,” Chairman Thompson said. “I can think of no more important work than championing the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, and I am extremely pleased to see this bill pass out of the House of Representatives with a strong bipartisan vote.
“It is clearer every day that farm country needs updated policy that reflects current challenges, and the 2026 farm bill fills that gap. I look forward to seeing Chairman Boozman and the Senate make progress on this important legislation so we can get the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 sent to President Trump’s desk as soon as possible.
“I especially want to thank all parties who were involved in the negotiations that allowed the farm bill to proceed to the floor and secure a future vote on year-round E15. Members of the Biofuels Caucus are tireless champions for rural America, and I look forward to joining them May 13 in advancing that important legislation.”
U.S. Representative Derek Schmidt (R-KS) joined us on Thursday’s Market Day Report from Washington to share his outlook following House passage of the bill and provide context on what comes next for the legislation.
In his interview with RFD News, Schmidt discussed presiding over a portion of the Farm Bill debate and his expectations that the House would complete action on the legislation. He also addressed the decision to advance E15 separately from the Farm Bill and whether compromises were necessary to secure passage in the House, and ongoing engagement with producers through his agriculture-focused town halls.
“We got onto it late yesterday; we had a little hang-up on some negotiations on E15,” Rep. Schmidt told RFD News. “But when we got back to the base bill, we just kept going, went through much of the night, and got it done this morning—passed it, sent it over to the Senate.”
He also addressed E15’s exclusion and his anticipation for a separate vote when Congress returns from recess: “That’s right. The agreement we got—I’m a supporter of the E15 legislation, obviously very important for the Midwest—and we want to get it done, want to get our vote on it. And the commitment we got from leadership was we will get our vote on the standalone E15 bill on or about May 13th, in that week.”
Schmidt also addressed how the new version of the bill could impact farm profitability, including expanded loan programs, research priorities, and opportunities tied to new markets and renewable fuels.
“Well, as you know, we got a couple of the big money items done a year ago in the so-called ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ the reconciliation bill—we did reforms and extensions on crop insurance and reference prices and others that were very important,” he explained. “But we still had big parts of the programs left, and so now we have certainty in areas such as the conservation title. We’ve locked in some of the nutrition changes. We have a long list of very specific provisions that affect different sectors.”
Schmidt shared the concerns he has heard from Kansas producers regarding tariffs, high input costs, and pricing pressures, and how the legislation could provide greater stability for farmers.
“Every bit helps,” he said. “There’s plenty of risk in farming inherently—that’s been true from time immemorial. There’s plenty more risk now with some of the big policy issues pending. But the things we can control, we need to control. And when we get this bill enacted, it will eliminate government-caused uncertainty in the areas within the scope of the bill, and that gives our farmers more ability to plan.”
Finally, Schmidt discussed what the House debate could mean for the timeline of final action on the bill and how much the legislation may change once it reaches the Senate.
“We got it out of the House this morning, now it goes over to the Senate,” he reiterated. “I think the Senate leadership wants to get the bill done. They’ll make changes, but I’m very hopeful the commitment is there to pass a farm bill as well. Then we can negotiate differences and get it on the president’s desk.”
On the other side of the vote — Virginia Congressman Eugene Vindman, a member of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, released the following statement after voting ‘no’ on the Farm Bill:
“Plain and simple, the bill brought to the House floor today does not meet this moment. It locks in $187 billion in SNAP cuts, shields the largest pesticide manufacturers from liability, drives up food costs when grocery prices are already high, and doubles down on Trump’s tariffs that continue to put pressure on farm country.
“House Republicans had an opportunity to deliver real relief. Instead, they advanced a farm bill that puts corporate interests ahead of both farmers and families.
“I will always stand up for Virginia’s farmers and producers. Today, that meant voting no on a bill that fails to meet the needs of our communities. Congress should be working together on a bipartisan solution that actually lowers costs, supports producers, and delivers for the families who depend on them every day.”
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House Farm Bill Amendment Breakdown
The final floor action on the Farm Bill made clear which issues the House was willing to embrace and which it rejected. Lawmakers approved the Crawford amendment to allow hot rotisserie chicken under SNAP and adopted the Luna amendment to strike pesticide-labeling uniformity and related state-authority language from the bill.
The House also adopted amendments to require a USDA report on SNAP restriction pilots, remove emissions mandates on farm equipment, ban purchases of agricultural land by foreign adversaries and state sponsors of terrorism, and establish honey testing standards.
Other high-profile proposals failed. The House rejected the Bentz amendment to broaden the Renewable Fuel Standard definition of renewable biomass, the Grothman amendment to repeal the interstate EID ear tag rule, the Moore amendment on greyhound racing, and the Self amendment to make soda ineligible for SNAP.
The result gives the House a passed bill, but not a finished farm bill. The debate showed the coalition can hold long enough to pass the package, though only after lawmakers cut away several of the most divisive proposals.
Passed by recorded vote:
- #8 SNAP eligibility for hot rotisserie chicken
- #20 USDA report on SNAP restriction pilots
- #28 Strike pesticide-labeling uniformity / state-authority language
- #39 Sustainable agriculture / innovative sustainability support, as modified
- #49 Remove emissions mandates on farm equipment
Passed by voice vote this morning:
- #50 Ban purchases of ag land by foreign adversaries and state sponsors of terrorism
- #51 Establish honey testing standards
Passed earlier by voice vote:
- #1 Columbia Basin / Western Waters conservation area
- #3 Composting as a conservation practice
- #4 Dairy Business Innovation funding equity
- #5 Tree-planting grants to reduce residential energy use
- #7 Circuit Rider continuity during funding lapses
- #15 Report on Colorado River water-loss assistance in Arizona
- #16 Mexican wolf depredation confirmation standards
- #18 Ban animal research in China, Russia, and countries of concern
- #21 Grasslands Grazing Act language
- #24 Raise USDA biorefinery loan guarantee cap
- #26 FCC review for precision-ag satellite rules
- #29 Codify USDA Office of Seafood
- #30 Clarify USDA eligibility for fishing and fish processing businesses
- #31 Animal adoption / non-lab placement from federal research facilities
- #41 Report on barriers for organic farms in USDA programs
- #42 Aquaculture studies in Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands
- #45 Reduce hurdles for small farmers in nutrition programs
- #46 Continuous CRP SAFE enrollment
Passed earlier in Thompson en bloc No. 1:
- #6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 19, 23, 25, 32, 34, 35, 37, 40, 43, 44, 48, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57
Failed:
- #2 Broaden RFS renewable biomass definition
- #22 Repeal interstate EID eartag rule
- #36 Preserve West Virginia greyhound racing
- #47 Make soda ineligible for SNAP
This is a developing story. Stay with RFD News for updates.
