Senate Republicans detail farm aid package components
Source: Roll Call
Posted January 16, 2026 at 5:09pm
Key GOP senators released more details Friday on a farm aid package they’re pushing to be included in upcoming government funding legislation. Senate Agriculture Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman John Hoeven, R-N.D., in a statement listed key components they are seeking.
They include additional bridge payments intended to tide farmers over until commodity supports in last summer’s budget reconciliation law take effect, assistance to specialty crop farmers and a boost to farm loan limits. A Republican aide said Thursday that Boozman and Hoeven are considering a $15 billion aid package, but the lawmakers declined to confirm the amount and no amount was included in the release sent by the Agriculture panels.
Congress is pushing to get remaining appropriations bills across the finish line by a Jan. 30 deadline, when current funding for most federal agencies is set to expire. Top appropriators were aiming to release compromise versions of remaining fiscal 2026 spending bills this weekend in advance of House floor action next week, though stopgap funds may be needed for some agencies if text isn’t ready in time. Farmers are increasingly relying on federal assistance to stay afloat given current economic conditions, including high input costs combined with low crop prices.
Agriculture groups sent a letter to congressional leadership Thursday urging them “to provide immediate economic support to fill in the gap of remaining losses for both field and specialty crop farmers.” While agricultural stakeholders await additional aid set to flow from the budget package — known as farm bill 1.0, a precursor to the larger farm bill 2.0 that’s still in the works — Republicans said the latest ask builds on temporary supports announced by the Agriculture Department last month.
Read more: https://rollcall.com/2026/01/16/senate-republicans-detail-farm-aid-package-components/
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