Every five years, Congress aims to pass legislation to set national agriculture, nutrition, and environmental policy, referred to as the “Farm Bill.” This legislative package is an opportunity for lawmakers to address farming and food needs while securing critical funding for agricultural and adjacent programs.

While Congress is in charge of writing and passing the Farm Bill, it’s also responsible for oversight on the policies as they are implemented across the country. Congress should be advancing our sustainability posture-- investing in rural communities, protecting families from harmful chemicals, assisting farmers and ranchers that want to move away from mono-crops and embrace diverse crops, sustainable land-use, and natural ways of production.

The House of Representatives held a floor vote on the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026” (Farm Bill) and passed their version to the Senate for consideration. Unfortunately, that House version weakens long-standing protections for ecosystems and strips funding from conservation programs that help farmers combat climate change. It simultaneously ignores imperatives to address hunger failing to take on the harms done to SNAP in HR.1. See an interfaith letter we joined on the matter of SNAP and the Farm Bill.

We urge the Senate to reject the harmful House bill and work toward solutions that truly invests in resilient agriculture, healthy communities, and a sustainable future.

Additional Context:

The latest Farm Bill proposal's primary shortcoming is its failure to reverse recent setbacks in U.S. anti-hunger initiatives. Typically, changes associated with the Farm Bill were incorporated into last year's reconciliation law, H.R.1, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA).

H.R.1 imposed a record $186 billion reduction to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP supports 42 million people annually, alleviates poverty, enhances health, stabilizes local and regional economies, and supports children's academic performance. Congress should mitigate the negative impacts of OBBBA on SNAP and seek ways to enhance the program. Improvements should involve increased benefits, reduced administrative hurdles, and the elimination of exclusions preventing certain groups from accessing benefits, including those with past drug convictions, residents of U.S. territories like Puerto Rico, and legal residents. The harms to SNAP and its recipients is one clear reason UUSJ has joined the Covenant for Our Future.

Environmental issues are also at stake in this year’s Farm Bill. While the House version includes support for regional food systems, improvements to the GusNIP program that helps SNAP recipients afford healthy foods, and a few other worthwhile reforms, it also carries a provision that shields pesticide manufacturers from state labeling laws that has drawn criticism. Critics contend the provision would limit state and local authority in pesticide regulation, reduced accountability mechanisms, and weakening access to conservation programs that help farmers manage risk. In this case, as with Big Oil & Gas, in the Farm Bill, Big Ag & Chem, wants its version of immunity from actions that aim to hold them accountable for the negative health impacts. Like their brother polluters, they’re scared because accountability works. In addition, Title IX of the bill includes policies that would impede the growth of solar farms, raise energy costs, increase pollution, and deprive farmers of alternative sources of income--which happen to help transition away from deep reliance on Big Oil & Gas.

• House Passes Farm Bill with Serious Flaws; ASBN Calls on Senate to Chart a Different Course, American Sustainable Business Network
• Advocates Call on Congress To Reject House Agriculture Committee Farm Bill and Extend Current Law, Beyond Pesticides
• House GOP Continues to Worsen Hunger with So-Called ‘Farm Bill’, Charges Leading Advocates, MAZON a Jewish Response to Hunger
• New Farm Bill proposal ignores growing hunger, American Friends Service Committee
• A Deep Dive into the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, American Farmland Trust
• House-Passed Farm Bill Falls Short, Environmental Defense Fund
• House passes the 2026 Farm Bill with key county priorities,  National Association of Counties