WASHINGTON, DC – In the wee hours of the morning, just before 2:00 AM Eastern Time, the House Agriculture Committee passed, with a strong bipartisan vote, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026. The final vote on this five-year farm bill was 34 to 17. Ultimately, seven Democrats joined all Republicans in voting in favor of this legislation, and the Democrats who supported the bill include Reps. Adam Gray (D-CA-13), Sharice Davids (D-KS-3), Jim Costa (D-CA-21), Don Davis (D-NC-1), Gabe Vasquez (D-NM-2), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI-8), and Josh Riley (D-NY-19).
The markup commenced on Tuesday evening, proceeded until midnight, and the Committee reconvened on Wednesday morning to finish debate on all twelve farm bill titles. The markup process gives Committee members an opportunity to amend the bill's base text and weigh in on specific policy proposals. In total, 153 amendments were introduced, of which more than three dozen were included in the final bill after nearly 20 hours of debate.
Ahead of the markup, Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson released draft text of the bill on February 13, which closely resembled what was brought before the Committee in May 2024. However, the 2026 Farm Bill reflected policy developments that have taken shape since then and included policy provisions that were not addressed as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law last summer. After the bill text was made public, USA Rice sent a letter of support to Thompson and Ranking Member Angie Craig (D-MN), expressing support for the 2026 Farm Bill and highlighting key rice provisions included in the bill's base text.
“USA Rice applauds the House Agriculture Committee for the strong bipartisan vote to advance the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 out of committee,” said Jake Westlin, USA Rice vice president of government affairs. “This legislation includes many of USA Rice’s policy priorities that go beyond the traditional farm safety net – like prioritizing U.S. commodities as part of food aid; modernizing FSA loan limits; and continued focus on voluntary, incentive-based, and locally led conservation efforts. In addition to the Chairman’s leadership on these priorities, we are grateful to all the Committee Members who voted to move this bill forward and offered amendments to highlight the challenges facing the farm economy. We look forward to continuing to work with Congress to pass a farm bill and separate efforts to help address the current economic condition facing the American rice industry.”
Floor time in the House to debate this bill has not yet been scheduled, and the Senate has not yet released bill text or scheduled a time for a Committee markup of its own bill.