Fate of New Farm Bill Uncertain During Trump’s Second Term

With the start of the next Trump administration and the appointment of Brooke Rollins as the next U.S. Secretary of Agriculture at the USDA, many involved in agriculture and related industries are wondering when the passing of a new Farm Bill will be made a priority.

However, economic uncertainty, particularly in the farming sector, and a new budget plan aren’t inspiring much hope in lawmakers, farmers, and researchers on the passage of a new Farm Bill in the near future.

The Current 2018 Farm Bill

The current Farm Bill, also known as the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, was passed during the first Trump Administration. Having an initial five-year lifespan, it has now been prolonged twice through one-year extensions. The most recent extension was passed as part of the American Relief Act at the end of the Biden administration in December 2024, moving the expiration date to Sept. 30, 2025.

This second extension has provided the current iteration of Congress more time to work on a new Farm Bill, but, in turn, has made its passing less of a priority. As the new administration hammers out its agenda, its focus is elsewhere, and the (now) distant deadline of the Farm Bill has been pushed to the back burner.

The Complicated Fate of a New Farm Bill

So, what else is making the fate of the next Farm Bill uncertain for the foreseeable future?

First is the economic instability currently hitting the agricultural sector. Due to funding freezes, layoffs, and miscommunication on programs that may or may not have a future during the current Trump administration, many in the industry aren’t sure how to proceed.

The situation isn’t helped by an expected increase in extreme weather events in 2025 (of which the funding of disaster aid is also in flux) and the potential impact of proposed tariffs on Canada, China, Mexico, and the European Union (EU).

The other major reason for a setback in the progress of the new Farm Bill is the current focus on setting a new budget. With Republicans in control of both houses of Congress, Trump’s new spending bill passed through the U.S. House of Representatives and will shortly arrive before the Senate. In addition to providing massive tax cuts, this new budget plan calls for substantial reductions in agriculture spending programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). With a large rollback of SNAP and other agriculture-related programs, the economic impact on farm-heavy districts in the U.S. will be significant, as the government will be purchasing considerably less product from local growers to meet the reduced demands of such programs.

All of these factors should, ideally, be addressed in the new Farm Bill, in addition to current needs related to crop insurance, labor costs, market expansion, and more. Therefore, until there is a better understanding and clarity on how these decisions will impact the industry in the short and long term, creating a new norm, the drafting of a new Farm Bill is likely to be delayed.