The New Senate Farm Bill Skips Over Some of the House’s Controversial Measures

Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman released a draft farm bill on Tuesday that omits some of the most politically divisive provisions in the House-passed version, setting up a potential clash between the chambers.

The farm bill addresses agriculture and food assistance, but Congress has not passed a new version since 2018, opting instead to extend past legislation. This year, lawmakers hope to approve a new version that provides updates to federal programs and gives much needed support to farmers across the country.

The text from Boozman, an Arkansas Republican, is meant to be a path to 60 votes.

“What we’re trying to do is build a bipartisan approach,” Boozman said on a call with reporters. “We’re going to need a number of Democratic votes in order to get this passed.”

Boozman said he is confident the bill will eventually get the floor and believes it has a good chance of passing, but acknowledged there is a long list of additional wants from both parties.

His bill leaves out a key Democratic demand. Democratic lawmakers wanted the bill to include an extension that would allow all states to prepare to take on more costs for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Boozman said he is negotiating with Democrats in private over this issue.

“Everyone wants to get there,” he said. “Everyone is talking in good faith.”

Senators from corn-producing states might also take issue with the lack of a measure to allow year-round sales of E15 ethanol. Senate Agriculture Committee staffers said an E15 measure could be included if the Environment and Public Works Committee agrees.

Boozman’s bill has key differences from the legislation the House passed in April. It does not include a measure that would allow SNAP recipients to purchase rotisserie chicken using their benefits.

Nor does it have the “Save Our Bacon” provision, which would have barred states from setting their own production standards for out-of-state meat and poultry, a priority for the National Pork Producers Council following California’s Proposition 12. Boozman told reporters that there weren’t any Democrats who said they would support the bill’s inclusion, causing it to be sidelined.

Despite the notable absences of some controversial inclusions, the Senate bill shares significant common ground. Both would cap Conservation Reserve Program enrollment at 27 million acres through FY2031, and create a new Forest Conservation Easement Program to replace the Healthy Forests Reserve Program. Both reauthorize SNAP’s administrative authorities through 2031 and make operational tweaks and provide new retailer inventory standards.

Neither bill includes a pesticide protection clause for manufacturers, although the House version initially did before it was stripped from the bill via amendment.

The Senate Agriculture Committee has not yet scheduled a markup, but committee staffers said they hope movement will occur before the congressional break in August. The current farm bill extension expires on Sept. 30.

This article has been updated with comments from Boozman.