MAY 5, 2026
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Alongside changes to food assistance, the measure addresses crop insurance, conservation funding, and mounting financial pressure on U.S. farmers.
Key Points
- The House passed its draft of the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026, the first major update to the Farm Bill since 2018, which sets policy for U.S. agriculture, food assistance, and conservation. The bill now heads to the Senate, where passage is uncertain.
- The legislation includes $187 billion in SNAP cuts, expands SNAP work requirements for adults without dependents, and restricts eligibility for undocumented immigrants. Critics warn of strained access to food and food banks, while supporters say the changes could reduce fraud.
- Lawmakers removed a controversial pesticide provision that would have limited state oversight and corporate liability following bipartisan pushback. While the bill has some support among farmers, advocates say it may not address deeper challenges.
The last time Congress passed a comprehensive Farm Bill was in 2018. Since then, the United States has gotten three short-term extensions, along with a pandemic, a historic inflation spike, and a shifting political landscape that made passing an updated bill feel nearly impossible. But as of Thursday, that streak appeared to end.
On April 30, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its draft of the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R. 7567), which now heads to the Senate. Here’s what you need to know about one of the most consequential pieces of legislation on the docket.
What is the Farm Bill?
Congress passed the first Farm Bill in 1933 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who signed it into law as part of the New Deal. The driving forces, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition explained, were the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. The legislation was built on the premise that the government needed to keep food affordable for consumers, stabilize the food supply, and conserve the land on which it was grown by protecting natural resources. In 1973, legislators added a nutrition section to the Farm Bill, and it has been expanded upon ever since.
Today, the Farm Bill sets the stage for the entire U.S. food and farming system, covering programs ranging from crop insurance for farmers to access to healthy food for low-income families. Four program areas account for 99% of the bill’s mandatory spending, including nutrition (primarily the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP), farm commodities, crop insurance, and conservation, according to the Congressional Research Service. Everything else, including agricultural research and forestry, runs on what’s left over.
What the bill means for SNAP recipients
The bill locks in $187 billion in SNAP cuts that were already enacted through last year’s reconciliation package. According to Farm Aid, those cuts affect roughly 42 million Americans who rely on food assistance. Democrats called it the largest cuts to food assistance in U.S. history, while Republicans argued it could reduce fraud. As Food & Wine previously reported, the bill also expands work requirements for adults without dependents and restricts SNAP eligibility for undocumented immigrants.
For Jillian Hishaw, Esq., LL.M. in agricultural law and founder of the nonprofit F.A.R.M.S., which has operated a national food bank program in rural communities for 13 years, the impact of these changes is already evident on the ground.
“Some SNAP recipients no longer utilize their program funds and go straight to food banks to supplement their loss of benefits,” Hishaw told Food & Wine. “The challenge is recent SNAP cuts impacted food bank funding, making it harder for food banks to purchase food to keep up with the increased demands.”
These cuts, Hishaw added, show a direct line from policy to plate. “If farmers cannot plant and ranchers don’t have the funds to feed their livestock, the concern is not only food prices but food production and availability.”
What does the new bill mean for American farmers?
For farmers who have been operating without a current Farm Bill, the bill could provide greater stability, including funding for mental health research programs for rural farmers. But Hishaw, the crisis in farm country goes deeper than this provision will likely fix.
“Over the 20 years I have been in agriculture, I have not only provided my farm clients with legal services but also funding and a listening ear to ensure they live another day to farm,” Hishaw said. “However, in the 20 years I have been in agriculture, I have never seen it this bad. Farmers are cash-strapped, with no relief in sight due to the increased costs of inputs. Many cannot afford to plant; at least if they were able to plant, they could have a crop to sell. Unfortunately, generational farmers are being forced out of business on a weekly basis, either through suicide, costs, health challenges, or natural disaster.”
However, even this is a mixed bag for Hirshaw, who added, “Mental health funding is great, but if they cannot afford to keep their phone on to call the helplines, how is it helping? You cannot fund one part of the problem; it must be a holistic approach to providing resources.”
The pesticide debate, explained
The most dramatic fight of the entire Farm Bill debate was over pesticides, culminating in a rare bipartisan revolt.
The original bill included language that would have set uniform federal standards for pesticide labeling and barred state and local governments from imposing additional requirements. Critics argued that this language essentially served as a “liability shield” for pesticide manufacturers, protecting them from legal action. “It preempts states’ rights to regulate pesticide usage or labeling and provides a liability shield for pesticide manufacturers,” Rep. Chellie Pingree said on the House floor, according to CNBC. “Put simply, this language puts chemical company profits over the health of Americans.”
The fight largely centers on glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, which has faced a number of lawsuits that claim it causes cancer.
“Litigation remains one of the key mechanisms for maintaining checks and balances on corporate practices. However, if liability is limited or prohibited based solely on federal approval of a product, farmers who have experienced exposure or suffered losses may have limited avenues to seek compensation,” Hishaw said. “It is important to ensure that consumer and worker protections, along with states’ ability to hold corporations accountable, are preserved as principles that align with the intent behind the Sherman Act and agriculture-specific laws such as the Packers and Stockyards Act.”
Farm Bill terms, explained
The Farm Bill covers a lot of ground—and the terminology can get dense. Here’s a quick breakdown of a few key terms you’ll see come up again and again, and what they mean in practical terms.
Crop Insurance: The Federal Crop Insurance Program is a supported program that helps farmers recover financially if their crops are damaged or lost due to weather, disease, or market fluctuations.
Commodity Programs: Government programs that provide financial support to farmers who grow staple crops like corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, and cotton, helping stabilize farm income and the broader food supply.
Conservation Programs: Initiatives like the Natural Resources Conservation Service incentivize farmers to protect natural resources — like soil, water, and wildlife habitat — while continuing to farm their land.
Other key provisions to know
One more floor amendment passed as part of the bill will allow SNAP recipients to purchase rotisserie chicken, which was previously prohibited because it was considered a hot prepared food. There are many smaller provisions in this bill, including maintaining funding for the Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach program, which supports the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, and moving the Food for Peace program from USAID to the USDA, which will now oversee the international food assistance program. You can read more about each part of the bill at agriculture.house.gov.
What happens next?
This was just one step in the bill’s journey. It will now head to the Senate, where the fight to get it passed is looking far more difficult. According to Farm Aid, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) has indicated that a Senate draft may be coming soon. The Farm Bill needs 60 votes to pass the Senate, meaning Republicans will need Democratic support, which may make this impossible, especially given the SNAP funding cuts.
“Due to the midterm elections, additional cuts to SNAP, the pesticide liability debate, and constant recesses, I would not be surprised if the 2018 bill were extended again,” Hishaw said. “I don’t see Democrats agreeing to additional cuts to SNAP, and since there is already a narrow voting margin in the Senate, I don’t know if it will pass.”
The current Farm Bill extension expires September 30, 2026.
Courtesy/Source: The original article posted on Food & Wine
