The House Majority's Budget Will Harm Families and Farmers

From the Desk of Congresswoman April McClain Delaney

Two weeks ago, I took my usual seat on the House Agriculture Committee–front row and one of the last in the speaking order. As a first-term Congresswoman who grew up in a farming family, I’ve spent much of my time here listening and looking for common ground. Sadly, after hours of debate on the House Majority’s sweeping budget reconciliation package, I left feeling frustrated, unsettled, and frankly, livid.

The House Agriculture Committee was founded over 200 years ago with a shared mission of feeding the country and supporting rural America. For generations the House Agriculture Committee has served as a place where partisanship takes a backseat to pragmatism and finding common ground. This week that legacy was tested–and failed miserably.

Instead of advancing a bipartisan Farm Bill—a cornerstone of stability for farmers, producers and rural economies—House Republicans pushed through a deeply partisan reconciliation package. Rather than meeting the needs of our rural communities, this legislation prioritizes tax breaks for large corporations and the ultra-wealthy while simultaneously inflicting sudden, severe and nonsensical cuts to essential agricultural, conservation and nutritional programs.

Let’s be clear about what’s happening. Among the hardest hit by these proposed cuts would be the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps more than 42 million Americans, many of them in rural communities, afford groceries at a time of skyrocketing food prices. In my district, one in nine families in Western Maryland relies on SNAP to feed themselves–half of whom are children. In Frederick County, over 18,000 of our family, friends and neighbors rely on it. Across the country, more than 27,000 authorized SNAP retailers would also be at risk if this package is passed into law, including over 3,500 small grocery stores, over 900 specialty food shops, and 600 farmers markets. Beyond its direct impact, studies show that for every dollar spent on SNAP benefits, an estimated $1.50 in economic activity is generated. This activity translates into farmers selling into local food banks and school lunch programs, into boosting local businesses which accept SNAP benefits and truckers who transport the crops. These are not just numbers; but real impacts on real farmers, working families and rural communities.

As a farmer’s daughter, I prioritize supporting our country’s rural communities. Since taking office, I’ve met with the Maryland Farm Bureau and all five county farm bureaus in my district. I’ve visited with farmers, small businesses and rural leaders, and their message is clear: they want a Farm Bill that works for them. Unfortunately, the legislation which moved out of committee last night misses the mark. Shut out of the legislative process, my colleagues and I were given the drafted reconciliation and notice of the mark-up only 24 hours before the hearing started on Tuesday. I joined my colleagues in voicing opposition about the lack of transparency, the fact that no hearings or expert testimony was called, and no bipartisan dialogue occurred about how to best invest in our farming communities.   

I introduced several different amendments, including one that would have expanded critical rural broadband access–an issue raised again and again in every corner of my district and one I’ve worked on for decades before serving in Congress. Mind you, the Farm Bill isn’t just about farms, it’s about supporting infrastructure that underpins rural America. Roughly 25% of rural Americans still lack reliable, high-speed internet. In Maryland, more than one in six, including thousands of families in my own district, remain cut off from the digital infrastructure that powers access to precision farming, education, health care and jobs. Broadband isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.

Unfortunately, the Committee didn’t even have a chance to consider this amendment, and many others, after the Republicans in charge cut off debate after 16 hours over two days. We–and by extension the communities we represent–weren’t afforded a full debate (even though several of my Republican colleagues commiserated in private about the tragic impact of these cuts). To say this was a disappointing end to this process would be an understatement.

The Farm Bill has always occupied a rare space where bipartisanship wasn’t just encouraged–it was essential. Rural America isn’t red or blue—it’s made up of families who care about putting food on the table, getting a fair price for their crops and having access to basic services. And when we abandon good-faith bipartisanship, we abandon the people we’re elected to serve.

This moment should have been about passing a serious, bipartisan Farm Bill—a real opportunity to increase access to capital for farmers, invest in sustainable agriculture, protect natural resources and strengthen the rural economy. Instead, we witnessed a Committee meeting that placed ideology ahead of community needs.

Let’s not pretend this is about fiscal responsibility. It’s about misplaced priorities. Rural communities aren’t being left behind because we lack the resources to help them—they’re being left behind because House leadership is looking the other way to meet a self-conceived bottom line from this Administration. 

Every year we delay the Farm Bill, rural hospitals go underfunded, farmers face financial uncertainty, conservation efforts are stalled, and nutrition programs hang by a thread. The clock is ticking, and every day without action is a day of unnecessary hardship for the families who feed this country and those vulnerable families who are at risk of going hungry.

It's time to pass a bipartisan Farm Bill that puts people over politics. And no matter the obstacles, I will continue to show up—because every Representative must remember who they serve, who they're fighting for and how they can truly stand with the working families who are struggling to get ahead.