On May 1, 2024, Senator Debbie Stabenow, then chair of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, unveiled the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act as her proposal for the 2024 Farm Bill. It was a proposal, not a law. A revised version, S. 5335, was introduced on November 18, 2024, and was referred to committee. The Congressional Research Service reports that Congress did not enact either bill in the 118th Congress.
What Stabenow proposed in May 2024
The committee said its May 1 proposal reflected more than two years of committee work and incorporated more than 100 bipartisan bills. It listed five priorities: addressing foreign ownership of farmland, strengthening the farm safety net, sustaining the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), investing in rural communities, and bringing climate-smart conservation practices into the Farm Bill. These are the committee’s own descriptions of its priorities, not measured outcomes.
Farm safety net and reference prices
Farm safety-net programs use reference prices as trigger points: when a commodity’s market price falls below its reference price, eligible producers can receive payments. Agriculture.com, a secondary trade-news report on the proposal, said Stabenow’s plan would raise reference prices. That report is the only source reviewed for this specific change, so treat the size and effect of the increase as unquantified here.
SNAP
The committee listed sustaining SNAP as a priority. Agriculture.com also reported that the plan rejected a proposed $28 billion reduction to SNAP that was part of the Republican framework. That $28 billion figure describes the Republican proposal, not Stabenow’s bill, and it comes from a secondary account rather than an official budget score.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems#1 Best Overall
Rural communities and conservation
The committee named rural investment and climate-smart conservation as priorities. The May release did not attach dollar amounts to either one in the sources reviewed.
The November 2024 bill and its funding figures
On November 18, 2024, Stabenow introduced S. 5335, the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act of 2024. The Senate Agriculture Committee’s release for that date described the bill as providing $39 billion in new resources and listed three components. These figures belong to the November version and should not be applied to the May proposal.
| Component (November 18, 2024 committee release) | Amount stated |
|---|---|
| Strengthening the farm safety net | $20 billion |
| Families, food, and nutrition assistance | $8.5 billion |
| Rural communities | $4.3 billion |
| Sum of the three named components | $32.8 billion |
| Total “new resources” stated by the committee | $39 billion |
The three named components add up to $32.8 billion, which leaves about $6.2 billion of the $39 billion total that the release does not itemize. The committee also published these as its own figures, not as an independent budget score.
Where the bill stands
Congress.gov lists the latest action on S. 5335 as being read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. The Congressional Research Service states that the 118th Congress considered but did not enact S. 5335 or the House’s H.R. 8467. The 118th Congress ended in January 2025.
Recommended Free Tools
The authority deadline, and what could not be confirmed
Congressional Record text dated November 10, 2025 provides that authorities under the 2018 Farm Bill continue through the later of September 30, 2026 or certain later dates. That September 30, 2026 date has now passed. The sources reviewed did not establish whether a later law extended, replaced, or changed those authorities by October 2026, so the current status cannot be confirmed from this article. Check Congress.gov for any enacted extension before relying on program rules that depend on this date.
How the proposal lines up on the main policy questions
| Policy area | Stated position | What the sources establish | Still open |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farm safety net | Strengthen the safety net (May 1 priority); raise reference prices (Agriculture.com) | $20 billion safety-net line in the November release | Effect on individual farms; reference-price cost not stated in the sources reviewed |
| SNAP and nutrition | Sustain SNAP (May 1 priority) | $8.5 billion for families, food, and nutrition assistance in the November release | May proposal’s nutrition funding not stated |
| Rural communities and conservation | Invest in rural communities; climate-smart conservation (May 1 priorities) | $4.3 billion for rural communities in the November release | Conservation funding not stated |
How to read the quotes
On May 1, 2024, Stabenow said: “This is a serious proposal that reflects bipartisan priorities to keep farmers farming, families fed, and rural communities strong.” That is a statement of purpose from the committee release.
Rank #4
On June 11, 2024, responding to the Republican framework, Stabenow said: “The only path forward is to hold together the broad food and farm coalition that has always been the foundation of a successful Farm Bill.” Her June statement also argued that the Republican framework splits that coalition and cuts the family safety net. Those are her political claims. Independent bill-text or budget analysis is needed before treating them as neutral findings.
Quick Recap
Best Value
What this means for household budgets
- A proposal or introduced bill does not change SNAP benefits, farm payments, or program eligibility. Those change only when a law is enacted.
- If your household depends on SNAP or farm income, track the status of S. 5335 and any extension of the 2018 Farm Bill authorities on Congress.gov.
- Treat committee dollar figures as the committee’s own accounting until a nonpartisan budget score is available.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
