Senate Farm Bill Leaves out Contentious Policies. Democrats Are Not Impressed.

June 24, 2026

Print This Article Share it With Friends

by Andres Picon and Jennifer Yachnin (E&E Daily) The legislation includes forestry and conservation provisions but steers away from issues like pesticide labeling and biofuels policy.

Senate Agriculture Chair John Boozman on Tuesday painted a grim outlook for the nation’s farmers and ranchers — citing a difficult economic climate created by high inflation and low market prices — as he vowed to correct course via his chamber’s new farm bill.

The draft five-year farm bill unveiled in the Senate proposes the creation or reauthorization of a number of conservation and forestry programs, while also leaving out contentious provisions on biofuels, pesticide labeling and other issues.

The legislation, which is budget-neutral, contains language to streamline environmental reviews for some forest management projects to better manage wildfire risk.

...

The House passed its own farm bill in April.

...

Boozman is hoping to refine the legislation and hold a markup before the scheduled August recess.

Democrats slammed the bill for not including some key demands, including rolling back Republican cuts to federal food aid spending.

...

The legislation would reauthorize a number of popular initiatives, such as the Rural Energy for America Program and more than 60 research programs. It proposes to restore certain grants for biorefineries and would direct the Department of Agriculture to develop a strategy to support production of sustainable aviation fuels.

...

A committee aide said Tuesday that the goal was to produce a noncontroversial bill to start, but noted that members will surely try to amend the legislation during a markup or during conference negotiations with the House later this year.

A bipartisan proposal to authorize year-round sales of E15 biofuel, which is 15 percent ethanol, did not make it into the Senate draft. The House passed a version of that proposal after months of Republican-led negotiations, but it faces a rocky path forward in the Senate.

The omission comes as little surprise, however Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said last week he did does not see the farm bill as the best vehicle, suggesting the E15 language could end up in an annual defense authorization bill instead.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) wants to see legislation permanently authorizing the summertime sale of E15 pass the Senate sometime before the August recess, according to a committee aide, but it’s not clear what form that could take. Thune’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. READ MORE

Related articles

Senate Ag Committee releases draft Farm Bill (Biomass Magazine)
RFA Thanks President Trump for Pushing Congress on Year-Round E15 (Renewable Fuels Association)
Trump to ask Congress to make 15% ethanol-gas blend permanent (CBS News)
White House Renews Push for Permanent Year-Round E15 (Red River Farm Network)
Trump White House Asks Congress to Approve Year-Round E15 Gasoline Sales (Reuters/Successful Farming)
White House Includes E15 in Funding Request (Energy.AgWired.com)
White House seeks $87.6B from Congress for Iran war costs, US farmers and Ebola response (Associated Press/2 News Nevada)
Politics complicate push for year-round E15, Iowa Farm Bureau president says (Brownfield Ag News)

Excerpt from Biomass Magazine: The legislation includes a major revamp of the USDA’s Section 9003 loan guarantee program, including language allowing grants of up to $10 million for certain eligible projects.

The legislation renames the Section 9003 Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical Biobased Product Manufacturing Program as the Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, Biobased Products Manufacturing and Sustainable Aviation Fuel Assistance Program. The bill also updates the purpose of the program from one exclusively focused on the development of new and emerging technologies to one focused both on the development of new and emerging technologies and the development of projects to produce advanced biofuels, renewable chemicals, biobased products and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

As part of the change, the scope of the 9003 program is expanded to include support for both technologically new and innovative commercial-scale projects. The Farm Bill 2.0 draft also allows the USDA to waive the feasibility study currently required by the 9003 program for proven or otherwise commercially available technologies.

Other updates to the 9003 program include those that aim to streamline the application process and allow for grants of up to $10 million to support the development, construction or retrofitting of biorefineries for converting renewable biomass to biofuels, renewable chemicals, SAF and biobased products.

The Senate’s Farm Bill 2.0 would also updated the USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program by authorizing grants to organizations that provide technical assistance for agriculture producers and rural small businesses applying for REAP funds; establishing a rebate pilot project for purchases of certain energy efficient equipment incurred outside the application period; increasing eligible project size from $25 million to $50 million; and directing the USDA to provide a simplified application process for projects less than $50,000

Other provisions of the bill expand and strengthen the BioPreferred Program and strengthen reporting of biobased products that are purchased through online federal procurement systems, including use of North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes.

The Senate’s Farm Bill would clarify SAF qualifies as an advanced biofuel and direct the USDA to establish an agency-wide strategy to advance the production of SAF. In addition, Farm Bill 2.0 would extend the authorization of appropriations for the Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels, Biodiesel Fuel Education Program, Feedstock Flexibility Program for Bioenergy Producers, the Biomass Crop Assistance Program, and the Carbon Utilization and Biogas Education Program through 2031.

...

A full copy of Farm Bill 2.0 is available on the Senate Agriculture Committee website. READ MORE

Excerpt from Reuters/Successful Farming: The effort also marks the White House's latest attempt to curb gasoline prices that have risen since the joint U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran in late FebruaryIran, with supporters arguing the higher-ethanol blend provides motorists with a cheaper alternative to conventional gasoline.

In a supplemental bill released on Wednesday, the White House Office of Management and Budget asked Congress to address the "urgent and needed fix that codifies the permanent, year-round sale of E-15."

Gasoline containing 10% ethanol can already be sold year-round, but sales of the 15% blend, known as E15, have been restricted during the summer because the fuel evaporates more readily in hot weather and can contribute to smog.

Legislation allowing year-round sales of E15 gasoline had narrowly cleared the House of Representatives earlier this year, handing a victory to ethanol producers and farm-state lawmakers who have pushed for the change for years.

But the proposal faces a steeper climb in the Senate, where major legislation generally requires 60 votes to overcome procedural hurdles.

With the chamber closely divided and some lawmakers aligned with refining interests opposed to the measure, supporters have struggled to assemble the bipartisan coalition needed for passage. READ MORE

Excerpt from Energy.AgWired.com: Ethanol supporters were pleased to see the Trump administration include passage of legislation to allow year-round sales of E15 in its $87.6 billion supplemental spending request to “address urgent needs related to Operation Epic Fury (OEF), in addition to other critical needs such as…supporting hardworking American farmers.”

The supplemental request to Congress from Russel Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, includes an additional $11.1 billion to support American farmers with $10 billion in temporary economic assistance for row and specialty crops planted in crop year 2026. “Furthermore, the Administration requests additional authorities that it strongly supports. These authorities include .. an urgent and needed fix that codifies the permanent, year-round sale of E-15.”

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper thanked President Trump for supporting the year-round availability of E15 in both of his terms in office.

...

However, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) released a discussion draft of a new five-year farm bill this week that left out any provisions for nationwide year-round E15 sales that, while expected, was still disappointing to biofuels and agricultural interests. National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Jed Bower said, “While this Congress has few legislative days left, there is still a lengthy to-do list for agriculture, including action on the farm bill, securing Senate passage of year-round E15 and the renewal of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Corn growers from across the country will be in Washington, D.C., the week of July 13 to advocate directly with members of Congress on these priorities.” READ MORE

Excerpt from Associated Press/2 News Nevada: The White House has formally requested $87.6 billion, mostly to replenish the Pentagon after the U.S. war against Iran, submitting the request to Congress at a politically difficult time, as a majority of lawmakers have objected to any further military action

The White House has formally requested $87.6 billion mostly to replenish the Pentagon after the U.S. war against Iran, submitting the request to Congress at a politically difficult time as Republican and Democratic lawmakers have objected to any further military action.

The Office of Management and Budget sent the supplemental spending request on Wednesday. It arrived just hours after President Donald Trump assailed Republican senators during a private lunch — engaging in a shouting match with one — over their votes to approve a war powers resolution that would halt further hostilities.

The request is mostly for expenses incurred by the Defense Department as part of Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.-led attack on Iran. But it also includes a range of other items, including $11.1 billion toward economic assistance for American farmers, $1.4 billion for the Ebola virus outbreak in Central Africa and $500 million to support ongoing efforts “to complete restoration and construction projects in and around Washington, D.C.”

...

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said, “President Trump is asking taxpayers to clean up his messes, to the tune of $87.6 billion.”

“After dragging America into a reckless war, he now wants Congress to hand him tens of billions more to paper over the damage — while families are still paying higher prices.”

There may not be enough support in Congress to pass war funds

It’s unclear how quickly the House and Senate could act on the White House’s request, or if Congress takes up the matter at all. The funding faces a difficult path because many lawmakers could view any votes as a reflection of test of their support for the war effort.

...

The package also includes a collection of policy proposals that the administration strongly supports, and which are certain to raise interest among lawmakers.

Among them, the package proposes revisions to federal regulations of hemp products that have long been in dispute, changes to the year-round sales of renewable fuels and lifting of restrictions around federal investment support in Venezuela. READ MORE