HYDE-SMITH, AG COMMITTEE ADVANCE LONG-AWAITED FARM BILL
Miss. Senator Calls on Democrats to Help Move Measure Toward Senate Passage
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today voted with a majority of the Senate Agriculture Committee to approve the Farm Bill 2.0, clearing a pathway for the full Senate to debate the long-awaited and long-overdue legislation.
Committee passage of the Agricultural Act of 2026, or Farm Bill 2.0, was a continuation of an August 6 markup that stalled because not enough members were present. The bill advanced on a 12-11 party-line vote Wednesday afternoon retains the priorities secured by Hyde-Smith during the August session.
“The legislative calendar shrinks with every passing day, which will make it difficult, but not impossible, to get a new Farm Bill enacted this year, but that will require a good-faith commitment from Senate Democrats to help the farmers, ranchers, and rural communities that rely on it,” Hyde-Smith said.
“I hope my colleagues truly realize the significant headwinds battering the American agricultural sector and that it is our duty, as their representatives, to finally get a Farm Bill over the finish line. I know the producers, small businesses, and people I’ve talked to throughout Mississippi are more than ready for us to do our job on this issue,” Hyde-Smith continued.
The legislation adopted today would fully replace the 2018 Farm Bill that technically expired in 2023. It is a comprehensive measure that includes more than 100 bipartisan agricultural and nutritional measures, including many supported by Hyde-Smith.
The Agricultural Act of 2026 builds on the “Skinny Farm Bill” provisions enacted with the Working Families Tax Cuts Act that modernized the farm safety net by significantly increasing reference prices and crop insurance enhancements. It will further strengthen commodity, dairy, crop insurance, and standing disaster assistance programs while expanding opportunities tailored to the unique needs of specialty crop producers. It also included the reinstatement of mandatory country-of-origin labeling requirements for beef, permanent, year-round E15 authorization, as well as a one-year extension to give states more time to reduce Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) error rates.
Click here for more details on Hyde-Smith priorities in the Senate legislation related to rural disaster assistance, seafood country-of-origin labeling, rural economic development, broadband infrastructure, and farm safety.
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