The U.S. House has now passed its version of the Farm Bill, but just hours before that final vote, lawmakers were still working through the steps needed to bring the legislation to the floor.
Speaking Wednesday morning, just minutes before the House began voting on the rules package to advance the bill, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson said the process had reached a critical stage.
The rules vote cleared the way for full House consideration on Thursday, where the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026 ultimately passed. Thompson emphasized the bill reflects input gathered directly from farmers and rural communities across the country.
As the legislation moved forward, key issues for Iowa producers remained in focus, including California’s Proposition 12 and its impact on pork production.
Thompson says language addressing Prop 12, often referred to as the “Save Our Bacon” provision, is included in the baseline of the bill. However, he acknowledged there could still be attempts to modify or remove that language as the process continues.
While Prop 12 is part of the Farm Bill discussion, ethanol policy is taking a different path.
Year-round E15 was not included in the Farm Bill and is instead moving forward as a standalone measure, expected to be considered separately in May.
Thompson says he supports year-round E15, but noted it falls under the jurisdiction of a different committee, which is why it is advancing outside of the Farm Bill framework.
With the House now passing its version of the legislation, attention turns to the Senate, where lawmakers will begin shaping their own approach to the next Farm Bill.
At the same time, discussions on year-round E15 will continue on a separate track as that standalone bill moves through Congress.
