The 2014 Farm Bill expired on October 1, 2018, but Congress has made little progress towards completing the 2018 Farm Bill. The midterm elections are on November 6, 2018, and on the campaign trail, candidates have taken to using the Farm Bill expiration as a political chip to play against the opposition. In Washington, the “Big Four” legislators leading the negotiations have yet to reach a deal on any of the Farm Bill’s twelve titles.
Congressional staffers are still waiting on a cost-estimate from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that will “score” the bill based on its net-cost in the federal budget. An official cost estimate from the CBO may grant staff and members of Congress with more negotiating power to reach a deal on some of the bill’s nutrition and commodity programs.