800 326 9054The House has several fiscal 2026 funding bills to pass before Jan. 30, but House Majority Whip Tom Emmer expresses confidence the chamber will complete their work to avert a government shutdown, paving the way for the House Ag Committee to move a farm bill in February.
“We can celebrate the greatest farms, the greatest producers, the greatest markets on the face of the planet, but if our guys can’t survive, if they can’t make a return on what they’re producing, that’s all for naught,” the Minnesota Republican told Agri-Pulse Newsmakers.
“I think that is well understood by members of Congress, so don’t expect that it [the farm bill] is going to sit on the shelf.”
Many farm bill elements, including a boost to reference prices, were included in the One Big Beautiful Bill passed in July that farm families could see benefits from “as early as the end of January,” Emmer said.
House Ag Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Penn., confirmed the February timeline to Agri-Pulse when leaving the House floor Friday, although he said a markup date has not been set.
“We’ll use January, sadly, to fill Doug LaMalfa’s position. Give Jim Baird a few weeks to heal, get him back, and to get CBO to submit our final score as we requested,” Thompson explained. “So we’ll mark up in February.”
Fourth-generation rice grower and House Ag Committee member Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., died Monday at the age of 65 after representing California’s first congressional district since 2013. Another House Ag member, Rep. Jim Baird, R-Ind., was in a car accident with his wife, but was discharged Tuesday, according to his office.
In December, Thompson told Agri-Pulse he planned to bring the farm bill to committee in January.
The farm bill is “still a priority of his [Thompson], and I know it’s still a priority of especially Democrats who represent not only rural districts, but districts where people need food,” Emmer said. “It’s a big deal.”
Emmer pointed to the record-setting 43 day government shutdown in October and November 2025 as the reason action was delayed.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has floated the idea of moving a second budget reconciliation bill this Congress. Emmer said he has “no doubt that if the speaker reaches some kind of understanding with the President as to what they’re looking for in a ‘reconciliation 2.0,’ we’re going to be able to get that done.”
Watch the full conversation with Emmer here.
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*Sourced from Agri-Pulse.