Senate Tracker Senate Draft Released

Senate Status: What the Senate Is Doing

Live tracker of Senate action on the Farm Bill 2.0. The June 23 discussion draft, the expected July committee markup, key Senators to watch, and the politics shaping Senate passage.

Where the Senate is right now

On June 23, 2026, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) released the Agricultural Act of 2026 as a discussion draft. This is the Senate's first detailed answer to the House-passed bill (the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, which cleared the House 224–200 on April 30). Committee consideration (markup) is expected in July. After that, the measure would still need to clear the full Senate and then be reconciled with the House bill before anything could become law. The current 2018 farm bill extension runs through September 30, 2026.

For a side-by-side breakdown of the Senate draft against the House-passed bill, see the full House vs Senate comparison.

A discussion draft is not a vote, and it is not law. It is a starting text the committee uses to negotiate before a formal markup. Because a farm bill needs roughly 60 votes to clear the Senate, the draft was written to attract bipartisan support from the start, which is why several of the most contested House provisions are left out (see the roadblocks below).

What the Senate draft contains

According to the committee's summary, the Senate proposal would:

Update commodity, dairy, disaster, and risk-management programs;
Modernize conservation programs;
Expand assistance for specialty crops;
Increase drought flexibility;
Improve agricultural credit;
Invest in research, rural broadband, water systems, mental-health services, and local processing.

These are described as what the bill would do if enacted. None of it is in effect today.

The main roadblocks

1. SNAP

SNAP remains the largest partisan dispute. Senate Agriculture Committee Democrats say the draft does not reverse the SNAP reductions or the shift of some food-assistance costs to states that were enacted through H.R. 1 (the 2025 reconciliation law). They acknowledge the draft contains bipartisan provisions but say further negotiation is necessary before it could succeed on the Senate floor.

2. Proposition 12

The Senate draft does not include a federal override of California's Proposition 12 and similar state livestock standards. The House-passed version does contain a Proposition 12-related provision. Farm and pork organizations are pressing senators to add it; animal-welfare groups are praising its omission.

3. Year-round E15

The draft does not authorize year-round sales of E15 ethanol. Farm groups are seeking that authorization along with additional economic assistance.

4. Pesticide-labeling preemption

The Senate draft also leaves out the debated pesticide-labeling preemption language. (Note: we have not verified any House Clerk roll call that "stripped" pesticide preemption from the House bill; we describe only what each text does and does not include.)

5. Food for Peace

Food for Peace has become another obstacle. Republican Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) says he will not support advancing the Senate draft unless it permanently transfers administration of the Food for Peace international food-aid program to USDA, as the House version would do.

Senators to watch

Senate Agriculture Committee leadership

Chair: Sen. John Boozman (R-AR): released the June 23 discussion draft and is steering it toward a July markup, balancing ag-industry pressure against the SNAP fight.
Ranking Member: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN): Democrats want bipartisan progress but will push to reverse the SNAP reductions and state cost-shift before supporting floor action.

Other key Senators

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS): conditioning his support on a permanent USDA transfer of Food for Peace.
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS): called the draft a "strong foundation" on June 25 (see reactions below).
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA): corn/ethanol priorities; will press for E15.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA): Prop 12 / animal-welfare advocates; will resist any federal preemption.
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA): heirs' property champion; supportive of Title V provisions.
Sen. John Thune (R-SD): Senate Majority Leader; controls the floor calendar.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY): Senate Minority Leader; high SNAP-population state, will push back hard on cuts.

Latest reactions

On June 25, Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) called the proposal a "strong foundation," highlighting provisions on conservation, research, rural development, and precision agriculture, while acknowledging further work is needed. Major farm organizations have generally described the draft as a useful first step rather than a finished agreement.

Separately, on June 24 President Trump requested more than $11 billion in additional farm aid to address high fuel and fertilizer costs and weak crop prices. That request is distinct from Farm Bill 2.0, though it may shape negotiations over how much immediate economic assistance the farm bill itself must carry.

What we'll update on this page

We update this page when:

The Senate Agriculture Committee schedules or holds its markup;
Amendments are offered or adopted;
The full Senate takes a floor vote;
A conference committee is convened to reconcile the House and Senate bills.