House Ag Chair Makes His Case For Farm Bill 2.0

House Ag Chair GT Thompson outlined his Farm Bill 2.0 priorities at this year’s annual meeting of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.  Thompson told the state Ag heads, federal agency leaders, and industry stakeholders that his Farm Bill 2.0 draft will cover remaining policy issues, following billions in Ag funding enacted last July.

Farmers Need Capital

"We’re modernizing the credit title to help more producers have access to the capital that they need," Thompson said.  "We’re addressing a patchwork of state regulations that have sprung up over the years and overburdened producers. We’re expanding investment into America’s rural communities, making sure that they don’t get left behind.”

And Thompson said he aims to move a farm bill through his committee later this month.

“We all need a new Farm Bill," Thompson said  "So, I’m going to ask you to keep that in mind as we go into the next couple of weeks and we get this thing across the finish line. The single most impactful thing that we can do to get everyone in agriculture back on track is passing a full five-year farm bill that brings modern policy to the table.”

Thompson Is Ready To Fight

Ag Democrats are skeptical of Thompson’s February timeline and struck a preemptive note against controversial measures after earlier GOP SNAP savings to boost farm programs. But Thompson’s not backing down.

“There’s been some talk from my Democratic colleagues on the committee about wanting to avoid any controversial provisions in a new Farm Bill," he said.  "And I respect them for not wanting to pick fights. But, as chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, I see it as my responsibility to fight for the American farmer and the American rancher, whether it’s controversial or not.”

Thompson also lamented that producers have to wait until October and the start of the next fiscal year to receive some $65 billion under last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and $59 billion of that will go to core farm safety net improvements.

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