On September 16, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a markup on the Agricultural Act of 2026. The bill was reported favorably out of committee, as amended, by a party-line vote of 12-11.
The markup produced two distinct points of contention. A procedural dispute arose over whether Title 12 remained open for further amendment following the committee’s August recess, with Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) arguing that their amendment preventing further state adoption of Proposition 12-like measures was still in order, and Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) maintaining the title had already closed. Senator John Hoeven (R-ND) sided with the chairman and urged that the Proposition 12 fix, along with other outstanding proposals, be pursued on the floor instead. Separately, members debated the length of the delay on shifting SNAP administrative costs to states with high payment-error rates, with Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) pressing for a two-year delay against a one-year delay favored by Chairman Boozman and Leader John Thune (R-SD), who warned that rejecting the shorter delay would cost states a combined $17 billion.
After the markup, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AK) said that Senators and House Members will informally conference to work out differences between the two chambers’ versions of the Farm Bill, with a Senate floor vote not expected before the November election. Chairman Boozman has stated the Senate bill is largely based on the House-passed version, with additional provisions, and that the two chambers have already begun discussing how to reconcile the differences. Committee leadership is expected to meet with the White House on Friday, September 18, to continue discussing the Farm Bill.
The Senate has a packed floor agenda for its remaining two weeks in session this month, including college sports legislation and nominations, before departing for recess ahead of the midterm election. The House has already recessed and not expected back till after the elections for a lame duck session.
For additional information, please contact RCRC Senior Policy Advocate, Mary-Ann Warmerdam.