On August 6, the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee held a markup of the Agricultural Act of 2026, the Senate's version of the 2026 Farm Bill. The committee ultimately voted 10-11 on whether to move the legislation to the full Senate. The motion did not pass, meaning the bill will not advance out of committee.
Although the committee did not advance the bill, it adopted several amendments during the markup, including expanding SNAP eligibility to hot rotisserie chicken, permanently transferring the Food for Peace program to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), providing states and counties additional flexibility in calculating SNAP benefit cost-sharing requirements and reinstating mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef.
The latest Senate Farm Bill proposal would also modify the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cost-sharing provisions enacted under H.R. 1. Specifically, the bill would delay implementation of the SNAP benefit cost share by one year but would not delay changes to the administrative cost share. An amendment adopted during the markup would provide counties and states with the option of using either Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 or FY 2027 PER data to calculate FY 2029 benefit cost-sharing requirements, providing additional time to improve payment accuracy. The bill would also increase the benefit cost share for states with payment error rates above 10 percent, raising the maximum state share from 15 percent to 20 percent beginning in FY 2030.
With the committee unable to advance the legislation, Senate Agriculture Chairman John Boozman announced an indefinite recess while members continue discussions on the path forward.
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) issued the following statement on Farm Bill negotiations. “I am committed to continuing to work with Chairman Boozman on this bill to get it done and there are good things in it for our farmers and ranchers. I also appreciate he has acknowledged the problem with the SNAP cost shift to states and counties.”
Klobuchar went on to say that rising grocery prices in states across the country has made SNAP evermore been critical and reminds that the farm bill is only a one-year fix for an ongoing issue that needs continued attention.
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall expressed discouragment in the failure of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry to advance a 2026 version of the farm bill, calling on senators to return to the negotiating table for the sake of rural communities across America. “
We are deeply disappointed that senators failed to advance a farm bill today,” said Duvall. “At a time when farmers, ranchers and rural communities across the country are facing multiyear losses, the need for a strong, bipartisan farm bill, one that included the long-awaited year-round E15, has never been greater. We appreciate the efforts of Chairman Boozman and members who supported the bill and urge them not to give up.”
Duvall also said most Americans recognize that the farm bill is a matter of national security to ensure a safe and abundant food supply, emphasizing that most Americans say they are more likely to support a member of Congress who votes to reauthorize the farm bill, which makes the current gridlock even more puzzling.