Congresswoman Schrier Joins Colleagues to Advance Bipartisan Farm Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. released the following statement after joining her colleagues to pass a bipartisan Farm Bill out of the U.S. House of Representatives:

"Washington's farmers and producers are facing a number of pressing challenges, from high costs and market uncertainty to extreme weather patterns. While this year's Farm Bill is far from perfect, it is a needed step forward to help us meet the challenges we face in the Eighth District. Farm Bills are strongest when they are created with wide bipartisan support, and I am deeply disappointed that Republicans failed to work with us to undo disastrous cuts to nutrition assistance and protect other vital programs.

"However, I ultimately voted for this package because it secures key wins for the Eighth District's agricultural community at a time when they are in dire need of support, including help for our specialty crop growers, the forestry industry, and conservation efforts. Additionally, the package supports wins for agricultural trade and global competitiveness.

"Washington's agriculture is critical to our local economies, and our farmers feed us and the rest of the world. We cannot continue to lose family farms. I will continue to ensure our farmers, agriculture sector, and rural communities across America have the support and certainty they need to continue to feed our country."

BACKGROUND:

The Farm Bill was enacted into law in 2018 and was originally due for reauthorization in 2023, but has now been extended twice. This essential package of legislation authorizes and funds several important agricultural, food, and forestry programs over several years, all of which are critical to Washington's Eighth District.

Key provisions in the 2026 Farm Bill from Schrier-led legislation include:

• Agriculture Export Promotion Act to increase funding for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) export promotion programs, the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development Program (FMDP). These programs help farmers around the country stay competitive in a global marketplace and ensure there are markets for their agriculture products.
• ENABLE Conservation Act to support farmers who voluntarily participate in conservation programs. Of particular interest to Washington state is the Conservation Reserve Program's (CRP) State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) initiative.
  • Watch Congresswoman Schrier's floor remarks on this legislation here.
• RNGR Support Act to strengthen Washington State's wildfire resiliency and the national reforestation pipeline by formalizing the United States Forest Service's Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources program.
• Allowing USDA to waive the matching funds requirement for the Specialty Crop Research Initiative, a program that provides crucial support for Washington specialty crop growers by helping finance key agricultural research projects.
• Transparency in Legacy Road and Trail Remediation Act to improve transparency of the Legacy Road and Trail Remediation (LRTR) Program. This legislation requires the U.S. Forest Service to publish annually, for each region, a list of projects eligible for funding under the program.
• Forest Data Modernization Act to modernize the FIA program to meet the rapidly growing market demand for standardized, high-quality data to support sustainable forest management decisions.

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