‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Passes House, Sparking Applause from Ag Industry, Backlash Over Cuts

Early on May 22, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a major budget package — the vote was 215-214.

Bill H.R.1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, will now move onto the Senate.

House Speaker Mike Johnson called it “the most consequential legislation that any, any party has passed, certainly under a majority this thin,” according to a report by CBS News.

The bill is being praised for farm bill program updates and tax provisions beneficial for the farming and ethanol industries, but condemned for cuts to food assistance and healthcare.

Agriculture industry leaders and politicians have been weighing in since the bill passed.

Praise

American Farm Bureau Federation

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) is the nation’s largest farmer-run organization and serves farmers in all 50 states.

“Farm Bureau applauds the House passage of H.R.1, which modernizes farm bill programs and extends and improves critical tax provisions that benefit America’s small farmers and ranchers,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “Updated reference prices will provide more certainty for farmers struggling through tough economic times. Making business tax deductions permanent and continuing current estate tax exemptions will ensure thousands of families will be able to pass their farms to the next generation,” he added.

“We urge the Senate to work together and swiftly pass legislation to deliver much-needed relief to America’s farm and ranch families,” Duvall concluded.

Missouri Farm Bureau

Founded in 1915, Missouri was the first state Farm Bureau in the country. The group has over 143,000 member families across the state of Missouri, and every one of Missouri’s 114 counties has a local Farm Bureau organization and at least one local Farm Bureau office. 

Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins said his group is “pleased that the House approved the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act early this morning, clearing the way for further progress on these important initiatives.” 

“Our organization remains firmly committed to bringing the next generation home to rural Missouri. The legislation as passed contains top-tier Missouri Farm Bureau priorities to do just that, including making permanent several critical tax provisions such as an increased estate tax exemption, increasing access to Section 179 expensing, and ensuring continued use of key tools such as cash accounting, business interest deductions, and expensing for farms and small businesses,” Hawkins said.

“Additionally, the bill contains critical updates to the current farm safety net, including a reference price increase under farm bill programs and updates to dairy margin coverage. We are pleased to see several provisions related to promoting affordable, reliable, and domestically produced energy and biofuels contained in the legislation. All of these things together, we believe, will help build a stronger and more resilient rural economy for our children and grandchildren to call home,” he added.

National Cattleman’s Beef Association

The National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA) has represented America’s cattle producers since 1898 and is the largest association of cattle producers in the U.S.

“Cattle farmers and ranchers need Congress to invest in cattle health, strengthen our resources against foreign animal disease, support producers recovering from disasters or depredation, and pass tax relief that protects family farms and ranches for future generations,” said NCBA President and Nebraska cattleman Buck Wehrbein. “Thankfully, this reconciliation bill includes all these key priorities. NCBA was proud to help pass this bill in the House and we will continue pushing for these key policies until the bill is signed into law.”

Growth Energy 

As the nation’s largest biofuel trade association, Growth Energy is the leading voice of America’s biofuel industry. Members of the association operate and support biomanufacturing facilities at the heart of America’s bioeconomy.

CEO Emily Skor said Growth Energy is “grateful to our champions on Capitol Hill who have worked hard to preserve and extend rural priorities, like the 45Z clean fuel production tax credit.” 

“This budget reconciliation package would give farmers and ethanol producers the freedom and flexibility to deliver for the American people. It ultimately delivers on the president’s agenda — it’s good for rural communities, good for innovation, good for investment, and good for American energy dominance,” Skor said.

“We urge the Senate to protect the 45Z tax credit and get this bill onto the president’s desk, so we can unlock billions of dollars of investments in new markets for farmers and U.S. clean energy innovation,” she added.

Renewable Fuels Association

Since 1981, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has been the leading trade association for America’s ethanol industry. The RFA President and CEO is Geoff Cooper.

Cooper said the House bill “includes several provisions that are important to America’s ethanol producers and farmers.” 

“In addition to extending the 45Z clean fuel production credit by four years, the bill also reinstates crucial tax benefits that will stimulate research, experimentation, and innovation across the ethanol supply chain. As the bill now moves to the Senate, we hope additional improvements can be made to ensure these tax policies truly drive demand growth for American-made renewable fuels,” Cooper said.

Rep. Glenn Thompson

Pennsylvania Republican Glenn “GT” Thompson is the Chairman of the the House Agriculture Committee.

Thompson said the bill “delivers on the mandate voters gave President Trump and Republicans by stopping tax hikes, reigning in spending, investing in rural America, and restoring integrity to programs like SNAP.” He added that he looks forward to “working with the Senate to get it to the president’s desk.”

Commissioner Sid Miller

Sid Miller is the Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner.

Miller described the approval of the bill as a “significant win for American agriculture.” 

“This budget reconciliation package, championed by President Trump, includes vital farm bill provisions that help tackle the increasing farming costs and pursue a more sustainable fiscal future for the nation,” Miller said.

Condemnation 

Rep. Angie Craig 

Minnesota Democrat Angie Craig is the Ranking Democratic Member of the House Agriculture Committee.

In a statement, Craig said the budget “will make America hungrier, poorer, and sicker. Parents struggling to afford groceries for their families and seniors living on fixed incomes will have their food taken away if this bill becomes law.” 

“At a time when grocery prices are going up and retirement accounts are going down, we must protect the basic needs programs that help people afford food and healthcare. As a mother and someone who needed food assistance at periods in my own childhood, I condemn this attempt to snatch food off our children’s plates to fund tax breaks for large corporations. I call on my Senate colleagues to stop this attack on working Americans that takes food away from families and threatens a full, five-year bipartisan farm bill.” 

Congresswoman Jahana Hayes 

Congresswoman Jahana Hayes sits on the Committees on Education & Workforce and Agriculture and proudly represents Connecticut’s 5th District.

Referring to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Hayes said she voted against “the most destructive bill I have witnessed during my tenure in Congress.”

“The staggering $792 billion in cuts to Medicaid are a direct assault on the 78.5 million Americans, including children, seniors in nursing homes, pregnant women, and people with disabilities and chronic conditions, who rely on this vital program. States are being set up for impossible choices: Either absorb massive new costs shifted by the federal government or be forced to drop coverage for some of the most vulnerable, like pregnant women. Furthermore, provisions that penalize states for minor documentation errors will inevitably lead to more eligible individuals being denied care through unnecessary, bureaucratic red tape,” said Hayes.

“This legislation is an attack on vulnerable Americans that not only applies to healthcare, it rips away $313 billion from agriculture and nutrition programs, jeopardizing access to food assistance for 42 million Americans. It also launches an unprecedented assault [on] food security by proposing to shift a significant portion of SNAP food benefits costs from the federal government to states. It pushes enormous costs onto already financially strapped state governments, forcing them into impossible choices between cutting essential services like public safety and education, raising taxes, or most likely, slashing food benefits for their residents,” she added.

“I vehemently condemn this bill and the unconscionable process that produced it. The House Republican Party has chosen to jeopardize the health and well-being of millions to advance a narrow, partisan agenda. I urge the Senate to stand against this cruelty, reject this bill, and prioritize the actual needs of the American people,” Hayes concluded.

Editor’s note: Some of the previous statements have been edited and/or condensed by Successful Farming for style and clarity.