RGA asks Congress not to punt on farm bill extension

The Republican Governors Association (RGA) called on congressional leaders Monday not to pass a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill rather than a new package as the December deadline looms.

The House GOP reportedly plans to proceed with plans to extend the existing law rather than pass a new one. In November, leadership rejected a Senate proposal, and Republicans and Democrats have long been deadlocked on issues such as reference prices, the subsidies paid when certain crops drop below a price threshold, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The farm bill, shorthand for the omnibus bill that underpins SNAP and the farming sector, is passed in five-year increments, but Congress passed a one-year extension in 2023.

In the letter, the RGA warned that the 2018 law will not meet the needs of the 2025 agricultural sector.

“Since the expiration of the latest Farm Bill, conditions have dramatically changed; another year-long extension will leave farmers working under an outdated plan as they continue to face evolving challenges in today’s agricultural landscape,” they wrote. “Our nation’s agriculture industry is in trouble and if meaningful support is not provided soon, the well-being of the nation is at risk. Reauthorization of a Farm Bill and immediate assistance in the interim, will allow farmers and ranchers to do what they do best — provide for America and feed the world.”

The GOP-controlled House passed its farm bill out of committee earlier this year, while Senate text from Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) was only completed in November. Members of the House Republican caucus have declined to take up the Senate text, which House Agriculture Chair Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) dismissed as “legacy protection” for Stabenow, who is retiring in 2025.

The letter comes the same day Punchbowl reported that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) plans to attach an extension to a stopgap spending bill to fund the federal government. The Hill has reached out to Johnson's office for comment.