The Republican Governors Association calls on congressional leaders in both the House and Senate to take up a new farm bill by the year’s end.
A letter signed by 17 GOP governors addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell outlines the challenges facing farmers in which they claim the 2018 farm bill does not meet the needs of the 2025 agricultural sector. They pointed to inflation, natural disasters, and “a growing agricultural trade deficit” as their reasons for requesting Congress take action on the legislation.
“An outdated Farm Bill, last reauthorized in 2018, has left America’s farmers and ranchers operating under a framework that is no longer viable,” The governors wrote.
“Since the expiration of the latest Farm Bill, conditions have dramatically changed. Another yearlong extension will leave farmers working under an outdated plan as they continue to face evolving challenges in today’s agricultural landscape,” they continued.
The governors who signed the bill include, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Idaho Gov. Brad Little, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, and West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice.
The farm bill, an omnibus bill that includes SNAP benefits and the farming sector, was punted in the House last fall after the government narrowly avoided a shutdown. While the bill was supposed to expire in 2023, the House passed a one-year extension.
The Republican-controlled House passed its farm bill out of committee earlier this year, but the Senate version of the bill written under outgoing Agriculture Committee Chair Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) was completed this November. Members of the House Republican caucus have declined to take up the Senate version because House Agriculture Chair Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA) dismissed it as “legacy protection” for retiring Stabenow.
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Congress will need to pass a stopgap spending bill before the end of the year to keep the government open past Dec. 20. According to Punchbowl News, Johnson plans to attach an extension of the farm bill to the stopgap.
“Our nation’s agriculture industry is in trouble and if meaningful support is not provided soon, the nation’s well-being is at risk,” the governors wrote. “Reauthorization of a Farm Bill and immediate assistance in the interim will allow farmers and ranchers to do what they do best — provide for America and feed the world.”