John Thune is seeking a path to pass the farm bill before January, with Congress up against the December 11 deadline to fund the government. The clash over SNAP cost-share and the pressure over E15 are shaping the negotiation.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, is seeking a path to pass the farm bill before the new Congress is seated in January, though the vote will depend on how the lame-duck session unfolds and on the votes available. At the same time, Congress faces the December 11 deadline to fund the government and avoid a shutdown.
"Obviously, there are a lot of things out there that need to be done. I'd like to figure out a pathway to get the farm bill done," Thune told reporters on Monday. "But it's all going to be what we have the votes to do and then the time on the clock to do."
The agenda is unfolding after the Democratic wave in the midterm elections. According to figures cited by Agri-Pulse, Democrats will hold 54 Senate seats versus 44 for Republicans, with two races yet to be called, and 254 House seats versus 164, with 17 still undetermined. However, Republicans keep control of both chambers during the lame-duck session, which runs through January, and Democrats and Republicans do not have time to negotiate the twelve annual appropriations bills, which would total around US$1.9 trillion; that is why they will have to turn to another stopgap funding measure.
The farm bill, the package of farm aid and nutrition programs that should have been renewed years ago, remains stalled over the length of the delay to be granted to certain states before they must cover part of the food benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman, a Republican who initially did not support any delay, offered a one-year postponement as a compromise; Democrats, including Senator Amy Klobuchar, are demanding at least two.
Boozman stressed the urgency of closing the deal: "Family farmers contending with numerous challenges to their viability cannot afford another Farm Bill delay. Producers and rural communities are counting on us to deliver the predictability, certainty and support that a modernized Farm Bill provides. Congress has the opportunity to show them we understand how urgently they need these critical updates and I remain committed to helping get them signed into law this year."
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley acknowledged on Election Day that there may be room to give ground on SNAP in exchange for securing the 60 votes needed. "I hate to talk about compromising on getting fraud out of food stamps, but there may be some sort of compromise. We'll have to do it with the Democrats to get 60 votes to get the bill out. It'll take some compromise, maybe on this food stamp issue," he said. Grassley called a two-year, US$18 billion arrangement for the SNAP cost-share "irresponsible," but acknowledged: "On the other hand, we have a chance of getting E15 if we get this farm bill passed, and that's $14 billion more in the pockets of farmers, so that's what I've got to analyze."
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn "G.T." Thompson, a Republican, said that moving "a full, five-year farm bill across the finish line remains a top priority of mine as we look to the remaining legislative days of 2026. American producers and consumers cannot afford to wait any longer." Democrat Angie Craig, the panel's ranking member, said she remains committed to addressing "the unfunded SNAP mandate that Republicans forced onto states and counties" and called for a bill that opens up domestic markets such as year-round E15 and robustly funds conservation programs.
Despite those calls, consultant Mary Kay Thatcher was skeptical that a full farm bill will be approved this year. "We are going to have a farm bill extension. I have no doubt that that will happen," she predicted.
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) urged Congress to pass this year the measure allowing voluntary year-round sales of E15 ethanol blends. "We hope Congress will ignore the many distractions that are so prevalent during lame-duck sessions and demonstrate that they are here to make a difference for the American people," NCGA President Matt Frostic said. "They can do that by focusing on getting policy items, like E15 and the farm bill, across the finish line and signed into law this year. Farmers cannot afford further delay."
The farm bill approved in September by the Senate Agriculture Committee includes E15, and the House passed a stand-alone E15 measure in May. Both initiatives are opposed by petroleum groups over provisions that would alter how exemptions to biofuel rules for financially stressed refineries are handled under the Renewable Fuel Standard.
In addition to the farm bill and government funding, the year-end agenda includes the annual defense policy bill (NDAA), a permitting reform to speed up construction projects and a college sports bill approved by the Senate. It also includes confirmation of judicial nominees, though Republican Senator Kevin Cramer maintains partial holds on President Donald Trump's nominees over a Biden-era rule on wetland easements.
Republicans will also have to settle their minority leadership. House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that he will not seek to remain at the helm, opening a contest between Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan. Thune expects a "very engaged discussion" about his own reelection as Senate Republican leader.
For former Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp, the election result is "a reset button for bipartisanship as it relates to the farm bill and as it relates to agricultural policy. My hope is that we get back to ag policy being bipartisan, and almost nonpartisan." Former House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson agreed: "You can't run farm policy on just one party. If you do that, you're going to end up going back and forth and farmers are going to get whipsawed. They need to get back to doing things the way they used to do them, and maybe this election was enough to get their attention to make them do that."
