On Thursday, April 30, H.R. 7567, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (2026 Farm Bill) was approved in the U.S. House of Representatives by a bipartisan vote of 224-200. The 2026 Farm Bill would reauthorize and modernize programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Passage of the legislation represents a major step in the Farm Bill reauthorization process. The last Farm Bill reauthorization measure was signed into law nearly eight years ago, in December 2018.
lower chamber vote advances a must-pass omnibus legislation that will shape federal agriculture, rural development, energy, and nutrition policy for the next several years, with direct implications for USDA program funding, eligibility, and compliance obligations. Attention now shifts to the U.S. Senate—where bipartisanship will be critical.
The House legislation was supported by 14 Democrats: Representatives Sanford Bishop (D-GA-2), Jim Costa (D-CA-21), Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28), Sharice Davids (D-KS-3), Don Davis (D-NC-1), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX-34), Adam Gray (D-CA-13), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-9), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI-8), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA-3), Josh Riley (D-NY-19), Kim Schrier (D-WA-8), Darren Soto (D-FL-9), and Gabe Vasquez (D-NM-2).
Three Republicans, Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-1), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY-2), and Harriet Hageman (R-WY-At Large), voted against the bill.
After lengthy and sometimes contentious debate in the House Rules Committee, the 2026 Farm Bill was considered on the House floor, along with a number of amendments. As part of the Rules Committee deliberations, Republican leadership initially considered including language to authorize the year-round sale of E-15 in the 2026 Farm Bill, but instead decided to delay a vote on separate E-15 legislation until mid-May.
Below are some of the amendments that were considered on the House floor.
Relevant Amendments
- An amendment introduced by Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-6) and Angie Craig (D-MN-2) to increase the loan guarantee cap for USDA’s Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program from $250 million to $400 million was adopted by voice vote.
- An amendment introduced by Representative Rick Crawford (R-AR-1) to allow USDA’s Circuit Rider Program activities to continue during a lapse in appropriations (federal government shutdown) was adopted by voice vote.
- An amendment introduced by Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC-1) to codify the newly created USDA Office of Seafood was adopted by voice vote.
- An amendment introduced by Representative Mace to revise definitions and eligibility criteria in the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to clarify the eligibility of commercial fishing and fish processing businesses in certain USDA programs was adopted by voice vote.
- An amendment introduced by Representative Cliff Bentz (R-OR-2) to expand the definition of “renewable biomass” under the Renewable Fuel Standard to include low-value forest materials and mill residuals was rejected by a vote of 210-216.
- An amendment introduced by Representative Sharice Davids (D-KS-3) to make Indian Tribes eligible under State Agricultural Mediation Programs was adopted by voice vote.
- An amendment introduced by Representative George Whitesides (D-CA-27) to provide the U.S. Forest Service with the flexibility to direct wildfire resources toward suppression, fuels management, and technology development was adopted by voice vote.
- An amendment introduced by Representative Bob Latta (R-OH-5) to require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to review and recommend changes to its satellite rules to promote precision agriculture was adopted by voice vote.
- An amendment introduced by Representative Crawford to add hot rotisserie chicken as an eligible item to be purchased with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits was adopted by a vote of 384-35.
- An amendment introduced by Representative Keith Self (R-TX-3) to add “soda” to the definition of ineligible items for USDA nutrition programs and define soda as a carbonated beverage containing more than 1 gram of added sugar, artificial sweetener, or flavoring per serving was rejected by a vote of 186-238.
- An amendment introduced by Representative French Hill (R-AR-2) to direct USDA to conduct a study on the mental health challenges that individuals in the agricultural industry face and provide recommendations to strengthen and improve access to mental and tele-mental health care for agricultural professionals was adopted by voice vote.
- An amendment introduced by Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL-13) to remove the bill language in Sections 10205, 10206, and 10207 of H.R. 7567, which aimed to preempt state laws that regulate pesticide labeling, was adopted by a vote of 280-142.
With House passage of the legislation, it is now up to the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry to review the language in H.R. 7567, and either adopt the measure or develop its own 2026 Farm Bill proposal.
As the Senate prepares to take action on this matter, we urge our clients to reach out to Carlos Flores or any member of the firm’s Government Advocacy and Public Policy Practice Group for questions about the approval of H.R. 7567 in the House, or more information about the Farm Bill reauthorization process.