# House passes 5-year farm bill with deep divisions over food aid **Published:** 2026-04-30T17:33:48.000Z **Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/30/repub/us-house-passes-skinny-farm-bill-that-keeps-big-gop-cuts-to-food-assistance/) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/house-passes-5-year-farm-bill-with-deep-divisions-over-food-aid The U.S. House passed a [five-year farm bill](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/30/repub/us-house-passes-skinny-farm-bill-that-keeps-big-gop-cuts-to-food-assistance/) Thursday with a narrow 224-200 vote, marking the first major agriculture legislation to advance in Congress since 2018. The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 now heads to the Senate as lawmakers attempt to update policy governing crop subsidies, rural development and nutrition assistance after three years of temporary extensions. All three of Nebraska's House members voted to advance the legislation. [Rep. Don Bacon called it a step up from current policy](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/all-three-nebraska-house-members-vote-to-advance-farm-bill/), while the bill drew sharp criticism from consumer advocates in the state. Nebraska For Us, a nonprofit focused on consumer issues, expressed disappointment that the measure sustained steep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program enacted in last year's spending law. "While that law has forced many Nebraskans off of SNAP, rising costs have increased the need for it," the organization said in a statement. According to federal data, [SNAP participation in Nebraska dropped 9.1 percent between December 2024 and December 2025](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/new-farm-bill-advances-out-of-committee-granting-hope-and-hesitance-to-others/), a decline of nearly 14,000 people. The bill contains some provisions aimed at helping farmers facing significant financial pressures. It raises borrowing limits for farmers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and expands rural development programs funding mental health and substance abuse services. The legislation would authorize $200 million for a new local food procurement program to be used largely by food banks, and it shifts foreign food aid programs from the State Department to the Department of Agriculture. Despite these provisions, several farm groups said the bill doesn't adequately address current challenges. Interest expenses for farmers have surged more than 70 percent over four years, creating what Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman called a "cost-of-production crisis" that the outdated 2018 safety net cannot handle. The National Farmers Union called the bill "the largest step in eight years" but noted it "does not fully address what is at stake" for family farmers facing record low commodity prices and soaring input costs. The bill faced significant controversy over pesticide liability protections. Lawmakers approved an amendment early Thursday morning to strip a provision that would have shielded pesticide companies from lawsuits, a change that allowed opponents from across the political spectrum to support the bill. That amendment passed with nearly all Democrats backing the removal and Republicans split 75-133 on the vote. Democrats remained largely opposed to the measure, with 14 breaking ranks to support it—the highest level of minority party support for a House farm bill since 2008. Critics argued the bill perpetuates the nearly $187 billion in SNAP cuts enacted through the so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill" passed last July. House Agriculture Committee Ranking Democrat Angie Craig of Minnesota said the measure would "make hunger worse in this country" and fails to address farmer concerns about tariffs or rising food costs. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Boozman said lawmakers would release a Senate version "in the coming weeks" and indicated the chamber would move with urgency. However, insiders expressed skepticism about prospects for a bipartisan farm bill in the Senate, where Democrats control fewer seats and have made clear they will not vote for any measure without rollbacks to the SNAP cuts. The farm bill must pass both chambers by September 30 or face expiration, triggering another temporary extension. ## Sources - [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/30/repub/us-house-passes-skinny-farm-bill-that-keeps-big-gop-cuts-to-food-assistance/) - [Nebraska Public Media - All three Nebraska House members vote to advance Farm Bill](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/all-three-nebraska-house-members-vote-to-advance-farm-bill/) - [Nebraska Public Media - New farm bill advances out of committee, granting hope to some and hesitance to others](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/new-farm-bill-advances-out-of-committee-granting-hope-and-hesitance-to-others/) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/30/repub/us-house-passes-skinny-farm-bill-that-keeps-big-gop-cuts-to-food-assistance/.