The U.S. House passed the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026 on April 30, moving the $390 billion measure to the Senate after a 224-200 vote in the House. $390 billion and 224-200 vote capture the scale and margin of the action, but the Senate has not yet introduced its own version of the bill. House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson said the legislation reflects input from more than 150 listening sessions across rural communities and aims to update policy for current farming challenges.
The House bill reauthorizes core programs across conservation, rural development, research, trade, energy and specialty crops while expanding market access and export promotion. It proposes enhancements to standing disaster programs, expands eligibility and creates a framework for future specialty-crop assistance, and includes measures to improve access to credit for young and beginning farmers. The bill also invests in rural broadband, health care, water infrastructure and workforce development and promotes precision agriculture and innovation while supporting voluntary, locally led conservation on working lands.
The legislation does not include a provision to allow year-round sales of E15; lawmakers plan a separate vote on that issue in mid-May. Supporters of expanded E15 argue it would increase ethanol demand and provide a price benefit to corn growers, while opponents continue to press concerns about fuel infrastructure and regulatory changes.
Industry reactions
Pork producers celebrated the bill for addressing California’s Proposition 12 and other priorities for the sector. The National Pork Producers Council called the package “much-needed relief” from Prop 12’s state-level space requirements and said the bill also funds and expands feral swine control, boosts agricultural trade promotion programs and establishes a trade enforcement task force. Prop 12 provision is the central relief cited by the NPPC, and Rob Brenneman, the group’s president, framed the House vote as a win for rural advocates.
Soybean growers said the bill contains useful items such as conservation funding, the Plant Biostimulant Act, increased credit access and reauthorizations for bio-based markets and biorefinery assistance, but they remain concerned about the adoption of an amendment that struck the Agricultural Labeling Uniformity Act. Illinois Soybean Growers chairman Bryan Severs urged Congress to protect and modernize crop insurance so coverage keeps pace with rising input costs while remaining affordable for farmers.
Corn growers pushed for year-round E15 and criticized its omission from the House package. National Corn Growers Association President Jed Bower said expanded E15 sales would help growers by increasing ethanol demand and lowering pump prices for consumers, and he echoed promises from House leadership that a vote on the fuel policy would come separately.
Beef and wheat groups generally praised provisions aimed at stabilizing markets and improving competitiveness. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said the bill provides certainty and policy fixes for cattle producers, while the National Association of Wheat Growers highlighted measures to modernize farm credit and bolster export competitiveness. The American Farm Bureau Federation and several state Farm Bureaus applauded passage and urged swift Senate action to deliver a modern five-year farm bill.
The National Farmers Union welcomed movement on the legislation but criticized the bill for maintaining existing safety-net programs that it says do not match the scale of the economic pressures family farmers face and for preserving cuts to nutrition programs. The group also listed missed opportunities, including authorizing year-round E15 and restoring mandatory country-of-origin labeling.
The House-passed bill now heads to the Senate for consideration; Senators have not yet filed their version. A separate House vote on year-round E15 is expected in mid-May, leaving that fuel policy decision pending as the broader farm bill process continues.
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