The Senate’s latest attempt to move a new farm bill forward has stalled, but the effort is not dead.
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., says the committee will return in September and take another vote on the farm bill package after Republicans and Democrats failed to reach enough agreement to advance it during an Aug. 6 markup.
Boozman said he plans to bring the same package back during the first week of September.
The biggest fight remains tied to changes involving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Democrats are seeking a two-year delay in a provision requiring states to begin sharing more of the cost of administering SNAP benefits. Boozman proposed a one-year delay along with other provisions intended to attract bipartisan support.
The disagreement over SNAP spilled into the farm bill debate, making it difficult for the committee to find the votes needed to move the legislation ahead.
Boozman said the farm and rural communities are watching the process closely and indicated lawmakers could face pressure from farmers, agricultural organizations and rural businesses if Congress fails to deliver a new farm bill.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., the committee’s ranking Democrat, said keeping the committee meeting open gives lawmakers additional time to work out a compromise.
Klobuchar also pointed to concerns over how SNAP funding responsibilities would affect states with different error rates in the program. She said she hopes Republicans and Democrats can find an agreement.
Boozman acknowledged that completing the entire legislative process before the 2026 midterm elections will be difficult. The bill would still have to clear the full Senate and ultimately receive presidential approval.
He said cooperation between the parties will be necessary to get it done.
McConnell Absence Becomes Key Factor
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was not physically present for the Agriculture Committee markup, but he still participated in votes through the Senate’s proxy voting procedures.
McConnell has been away from the Senate while on medical leave. Boozman said he had spoken with McConnell before the markup and that McConnell authorized proxy votes.
That arrangement allowed McConnell’s vote to be counted on amendments considered by the committee.
The rules change, however, when the committee takes the final vote on whether to send legislation to the full Senate.
According to the Congressional Research Service, a proxy vote cannot determine whether a measure is successfully reported from a committee when that proxy vote would make the difference.
McConnell’s absence therefore became important when the committee reached the final vote on the farm bill. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., also participated by proxy.
With the available votes, the committee could not advance the legislation to the Senate floor.
Beef Country of Origin Labeling Amendment Clears Committee
Despite the failure to advance the overall farm bill, the markup produced a significant vote on mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef.
Committee members approved the MCOOL amendment by a 16-7 vote.
Most of the amendments considered during the markup were decided along party lines, generally by 12-11 votes. The committee had expected more than 200 amendments could be considered, but Democrats ultimately offered 13.
A 34-amendment package known as the manager’s amendment also passed. Republican priorities were included in that package.
The beef labeling vote was notable because it marked the first time the Senate has taken action on beef mandatory country-of-origin labeling since the 2008 farm bill.
The proposal is tied to the American Beef Labeling Act of 2025. The legislation would restore beef and ground beef to the federal mandatory country-of-origin labeling requirements established under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946.
Under the proposal, the U.S. Trade Representative and USDA would have one year to develop a labeling system designed to comply with World Trade Organization rules.
MCOOL remains a dividing line within the cattle industry.
The United States Cattlemen’s Association and R-CALF USA support mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has opposed mandatory MCOOL and instead supports USDA’s voluntary Product of USA labeling program.
September Brings Another Farm Bill Test
For now, the Senate farm bill remains in committee.
Boozman plans to reconvene the Agriculture Committee in September and give lawmakers another opportunity to work through the disagreements that stopped the bill in August.
The next vote will again put the focus on SNAP provisions, rural agriculture priorities and whether Republicans and Democrats can find enough common ground to move the legislation toward the Senate floor.
For farmers and ranchers watching the process, the September meeting will be another test of whether Congress can finally put a new farm bill on track.
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