The Farm Bill remains unfinished in the Senate, but two lawmakers closely involved in the process say there is still a path to completing a new five-year bill this year.
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley and House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson both discussed the Farm Bill during interviews with the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network at the Iowa State Fair.
The House has already passed its version of the Farm Bill, while the Senate Agriculture Committee attempted to advance its version last week. That effort stalled when the committee lacked enough votes to advance the bill.
Grassley said the absence of Senator Mitch McConnell was enough to prevent the committee from advancing the legislation. McConnell has been away from the Senate following a fall and a bout with pneumonia.
Grassley expects McConnell to return in September, when the Senate Agriculture Committee can resume its work. He acknowledged the frustration surrounding a Farm Bill that Congress failed to complete in 2023, 2024 or 2025, but remains hopeful lawmakers can finally finish the process this year.
Getting the bill out of committee is only one hurdle. Grassley said negotiations over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program remain a major point of disagreement.
Republicans offered additional time for states to comply with changes aimed at reducing SNAP payment error rates. Grassley said Democrats had sought a two-year extension, while Republicans agreed to one additional year as a compromise. That was not enough to secure bipartisan support.
Grassley said the lack of agreement is particularly notable given the traditionally bipartisan nature of Farm Bills.
Grassley has served on the Senate Agriculture Committee through several Farm Bills and said this is the first time during that tenure he has seen the process reach this point without bipartisan agreement.
If the Senate can eventually pass its version, lawmakers will still have to reconcile differences with the legislation already approved by the House.
Thompson said he is encouraged by much of the work Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman has done so far. However, some significant differences remain between the two chambers.
One of those involves California’s Proposition 12 and state laws regulating livestock production outside their borders. The House version includes language addressing those requirements, while the current Senate proposal does not.
Thompson made clear that it will be a priority for him if the legislation reaches a conference committee.
Thompson said he is more comfortable with some of the other changes being discussed in the Senate, including additional time for states to comply with SNAP error rate requirements.
Before those differences can be settled, however, the Senate must finish its own legislation. The Agriculture Committee is expected to return to the Farm Bill when lawmakers come back to Washington in September.
Grassley remains optimistic that despite another delay, Congress still has time to complete a new five-year Farm Bill before the end of 2026.
