Sunset behind the United States Capital in Washington D.C.With time drawing short, the 118th Congress is focusing on extending the 2018 Farm Bill and passing a disaster aid package to support farmers facing natural disasters and economic challenges. Senator John Boozman, ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, emphasized the urgency of providing economic assistance and updating risk management tools for farmers to secure loans for the next growing season.

Boozman suggested these measures might be combined into a continuing resolution before the year ends. This could include a possible one-year Farm Bill extension. He expressed cautious optimism about finalizing a new Farm Bill by early 2025. However, he stressed the need for careful planning given its significant financial scope —$1.5 trillion over 10 years. Boozman highlighted farmers’ struggles with high input costs and low commodity prices, leading to widespread losses.

House Speaker Mike Johnson called for meticulous disaster aid evaluations, while Freedom Caucus members pushed to exclude unrelated expenses. Top House Agriculture Democrat David Scott criticized efforts to limit aid, warning it could harm efforts to address the downturn in the farm economy.

Read more about Congressional efforts to extend the farm bill and pass disaster aid here.