FDC Statement on House “Farm Bill” Proposal
This week the U.S. Agriculture Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives released the Farm, Food & National Security Act of 2026. While it is hopeful and encouraging to se Congress taking some steps to recognize that the current farm bill — how on its third extension — is nearly a decade old — this is not the farm bill our country or our NJ farmers and communities need.
It fails to repair the deep harm to SNAP caused by H.R. 1, leaving millions at risk of hunger. The new state cost-shares for SNAP are massive and threaten every program we care about in New Jersey’s budget. Any farm bill that does not reverse those cuts is not one NJFDC can support.
Reauthorizing programs or creating new ones without real funding is not a win. Local and regional food system programs receive only token support (i.e., authorizing the programs we need with no guaranteed funding for them), and specialty crop growers don't see any meaningful farm safety net changes in this either. Passing a very weak bill now would undermine the long-standing coalition that has helped craft effective Farm Bills for decades.
On conservation and climate resilience, the bill offers minor improvements but fails to address core issues facing farmers, including USDA staffing shortages that limit access to critical programs. And the bill’s anti-environment provisions would shield chemical companies, weaken states’ rights, delay endangered species protections, fuel deforestation, and allow more unchecked pesticide and chemical pollution.
Voting for this bill means fewer family farms, more hunger, and more environmental pollution across the country. No NJ Member of the House of Representatives should be voting for this bill. We must stay focused on the big picture: a Farm Bill must strengthen SNAP, protect the environment, and invest meaningfully in farmers and local food systems.
To learn more:
- From the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
- From National Resources Defense Council
We encourage FDC members and any readers of this post to call their Members of Congress to let them know that they want them to support a strong farm bill that unifies effective food and nutrition assistance with appropriately funded conservation and local food system programs, and a strong farm safety net that is accessible to special crop producers.
