April 24, 2026 – More than 300 farm and food groups are asking Congress to reject the House 2026 Farm Bill ahead of a potential floor vote next week.

The House Rules Committee will meet on Monday to discuss the “Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026.” The committee will consider amendments and determine if and how the bill can be brought to the entire House floor for a vote.

In total, hundreds of amendments were submitted for the bill, including bipartisan efforts to remove a pesticide liability shield and a provision overriding state animal welfare laws.

Even if these controversial provisions are stripped out of the bill through amendments, the food and farm groups—largely representing organic, sustainable, and local food producers—argue the base of this farm bill does not meet the challenges facing the nation in  agriculture and food affordability.

“Amidst rising farm bankruptcies and unprecedented economic and policy instability, the House bill chooses more of the same, neglecting the kinds of investments and policies that our farmers not only deserve but desperately need,” Mike Lavender, policy director at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, said in a statement.

Congress has historically passed a farm bill every five years that includes major investments in food and farming programs, including safety nets for farmers, conservation programs, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). But it’s been more than two-and-a-half years since Congress has been able to pass a full farm bill.

Even though a full farm bill is “desperately needed,” the groups said, the House proposal delivers “more of the same” for struggling farmers.

Specifically, the groups said that the bill doesn’t address staffing challenges at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which diminishes resources for farmers, leaves major gaps in the organic sector, and leaves out guaranteed funding for domestic markets for local farmers.

“If this bill is enacted as written, the impacts of these shortcomings will be particularly pronounced for the small and mid-sized operations, and beginning, young and other underserved farmers and ranchers that make up the backbone of agriculture and help ensure resilience in times of national crisis,” the groups wrote.

The letter was signed by groups including Farm Action Fund, NSAC, National Young Farmers Coalition, the Organic Trade Association, Sierra Club, Union of Concerned Scientists, Organic Farmers Association, and others. It was sent to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York), as well as the chair and ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee.

Several anti-hunger groups and food banks also signed onto the letter, arguing the House farm bill would “lock in” cuts to SNAP made under the One Big Beautiful Bill in July. (Link to this post.)

The post As House Moves Closer to Farm Bill Vote, Food and Ag Groups Push Back appeared first on Civil Eats.

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