Farm bill update: SNAP dispute derails Senate vote, SCFBA reacts

The Senate Agriculture Committee failed to advance a marked up version of its Farm Bill today as several outlets report a dispute over when states will fund SNAP benefits caused the breakdown, with Democrats reportedly revolting against the Republican-led package.

It was a close contest, though, as the bill failed by a 10-11 vote.

The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA) issued the following statement, expressing its disappointment the vote fell apart:

“The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance is grateful to Chairman Boozman for convening today’s markup and for including in his manager’s package an amendment offered by Sen. Schiff to protect the integrity of the definition of specialty crops in USDA programs and services.

We are also grateful to Sen. Lujan for filing an amendment to make the Specialty Crop Emergency Framework mandatory and Sen. Slotkin for filing an amendment to enhance the Federal Crop Insurance Program for specialty crop producers, which is also supported by the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau.

We look forward to working with members of the Senate Agriculture Committee to add the Lujan and Slotkin amendments to the farm bill as the legislative process continues. Despite today’s setback, we remain hopeful the Senate can find a bipartisan path forward to pass the Agriculture Act of 2026.” 

The SCFBA is co-chaired by Cathy Burns, CEO of the International Fresh Produce Association; Mike Joyner, President of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association; Dave Puglia, President and CEO of Western Growers; and Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council.

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), a ranking member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, issued her own statement after the failed vote:

“I am committed to continuing to work with Chairman Boozman on this bill to get it done and there are good things in it for our farmers and ranchers, including year-round E-15, a provision I have long led on. As noted by the Chairman, the Agriculture Committee meeting remains open for further discussions on this bill.

“Today we also included a package of additional bipartisan amendments that I voted for and have long supported. I also appreciate that the Chairman has acknowledged the problem with the SNAP cost shift to states and counties. But amid tariff-related rising grocery prices in states across the country where SNAP has been critical, this is only a one-year fix. It still advantages high error rate states over states with mid-level error rates. A state with an error rate twice that of Minnesota will pay nothing in the second year, whereas states that have reduced their error rates will still be disadvantaged over high error rate states. Our members are simply asking for the two-year delay so all states will be on the same footing in working to reduce their error rates. That is ten percent of the total SNAP cuts.”