On November 18, 2024, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson predicted that Congress would likely delay a new farm bill until 2025 unless Senate Democrats changed their approach. That was a forecast during the post-election lame-duck session—not confirmation of when a bill would ultimately pass. The immediate priority, Thompson said, was disaster and financial aid for farmers.
What Thompson predicted—and what he proposed doing first
Thompson said lawmakers could address urgent disaster-related or market-volatility assistance before completing a full farm bill. If Congress could not finish new legislation, he said it could extend the existing law while continuing work on the remaining provisions. As he put it, “But it doesn’t mean we have to wait a year to get the rest of the farm bill done.” The forecast was for a likely delay into 2025, not a specific enactment date. FERN’s Ag Insider, November 18, 2024
The distinction matters: short-term aid or an extension could address immediate needs without resolving the broader policy negotiations in a new farm bill. Contemporaneous reporting described farm financial relief as an urgent concern amid lower commodity prices and high production costs; FERN’s archive also reported on a proposed $21 billion farm bailout measure. Those were 2024 developments, not proof of what Congress later enacted. FERN’s farm-policy archive
Why the farm bill negotiations were stuck
Thompson blamed disagreements with Senate Democrats over nutrition spending and conservation funding. His account was a political characterization of the impasse, not an agreed explanation. Contemporaneous coverage showed sharply different views of the dispute.
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- SNAP and nutrition spending: Thompson pointed to disagreements over outlays for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow argued that nutrition and agriculture programs should be considered together. FERN also reported that more than 1,400 groups opposed a bill proposing SNAP cuts; that figure reflects the archive’s account of a letter. Thompson’s account; FERN’s contemporaneous coverage
- Crop subsidies and reference prices: The parties’ proposals differed over farm support, including crop subsidies and reference-price levels. FERN reported that the Republican-written House bill was described as $33 billion over budget, a characterization tied to that article’s account of a Congressional Budget Office estimate—not an independently verified CBO figure here. FERN’s coverage; FERN’s archive
- Conservation and climate funds: Thompson objected to using climate-related funds for conservation practices that, in his view, did not reduce greenhouse gas emissions or sequester soil carbon. That was his stated objection; it does not establish that all Senate-supported conservation practices had those characteristics. FERN’s Ag Insider
- Responsibility for the impasse: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in September 2024 that House Republicans lacked votes for a bill he described as over budget. Stabenow emphasized linking nutrition and agriculture, while farm-policy commentators pointed to spending disputes and partisan polarization. These competing explanations underscore that responsibility was contested. FERN’s contemporaneous coverage; FERN’s archive
Why an extension was part of the discussion
The 2018 farm law had expired in September 2023, and Congress had extended it for one year, according to FERN’s 2024 reporting. An additional extension could keep existing provisions in place while lawmakers continued negotiating. It would not, by itself, settle disputes over SNAP, farm subsidies, conservation rules, or the scale and timing of disaster and economic assistance. FERN’s Ag Insider
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the November 2024 story does—and does not—establish
The headline’s phrase “unless the attitude really changes” was attributed to Thompson, who made the remark on a podcast with Missouri Representative Mark Alford. The report captures his expectation at that moment in 2024. It does not establish whether the forecast came true or what the farm bill’s status is on October 8, 2026. FERN’s Ag Insider; FERN’s archive
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