U.S. Congress Passes Farm-Bill Extension Included in Short-Term Government Funding Bill

Back to November 2023

U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. National Pecan Federation shares updates from the Hill.

Photo by Louis Velazquez on Unsplash

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate voted this week to approve a short-term funding bill, avoiding a November 17 government shutdown. The funding legislation, which was proposed by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), funds the government by setting up two deadlines. The first Jan. 19 deadline covers agencies under four appropriations bills: Agriculture-FDA, Energy and Water, Military Construction-VA, and Transportation-HUD. The other eight appropriations bills are extended to a Feb. 2 deadline.

In addition to extending funding and setting up deadlines for appropriations, the legislation includes a 1-year extension of Farm Bill programs at the same levels authorized in the 2018 Farm Bill. The legislation also includes funding for a number of “orphan programs” which are small-ticket programs that had expired funding at the end of Fiscal Year 2023.

Although this legislation extends the Farm Bill through September 30, 2024, lawmakers are hopeful that the 2023 Farm Bill will be passed ahead of that deadline. U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR) released the following statement alongside U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson (R-PA) and Ranking Member David Scott (D-GA):

“As negotiations on funding the government progress, we were able to come together to avoid a lapse in funding for critical agricultural programs and provide certainty to producers. This extension is in no way a substitute for passing a 5-year Farm Bill, and we remain committed to working together to get it done next year.”

The funding bill passed 336-95 in the U.S. House of Representatives and 87-11 in the U.S. Senate. It now goes to President Biden’s desk for signature ahead of the Nov. 17 government shutdown deadline.

National Pecan Federation

The National Pecan Federation (NPF) represents pecan growers and pecan shellers (many of whom are also importers) across the United States. The NPF's mission is to promote, protect, and improve business conditions for the pecan industry by representing and advocating their common interest to the government. The NPF comprises industry organizations across the US, including the Western Pecan Growers Association, Oklahoma Pecan Growers Association, Texas Pecan Growers Association, Southeastern Pecan Growers Association, Georgia Pecan Growers Association, and the National Pecan Shellers Association.