Exclusive: House Ag Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson on Upcoming Farm Bill Vote

April 23, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson tells the Western Ag Network that long-awaited movement is finally happening on the farm bill, with the legislation expected to reach the House floor the week of April 27.

In an exclusive interview with Western Ag Network’s Lane Nordlund, the Pennsylvania congressman said the committee has already sent bill text to the House Rules Committee and lawmakers are now in the amendment process.

“We have the farm bill,” Thompson said. “We have sent the text last week to the Rules Committee. Members have this week in order to submit amendments. And then the week of April 27th, the farm bill will be on the floor.”

Thompson said House leadership has been checking support across the Republican caucus while also working to build additional Democratic backing. He noted that seven Democrats initially supported the bill when it cleared committee, and he says support has continued to grow.

“This bill is long overdue,” Thompson said. “The 2018 farm bill was a great farm bill, but it doesn’t really provide what our farm and ranch families need here in 2026.”

Beyond the farm bill itself, Thompson also addressed ongoing conversations surrounding additional farm economic assistance. He said that assistance will likely be handled separately from the farm bill, but he emphasized that help is still needed across agriculture.

“The focus has been on the farm bill,” he said, “and that additional economic assistance, which is needed — it’s absolutely necessary — will not be a part of the farm bill discussions.”

Thompson pointed to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman and Senator John Hoeven as key partners in those talks. While a $15 billion figure has been discussed on the Senate side, Thompson said he believes specialty crop producers need a stronger share of any future assistance.

“Honestly, I think with our specialty crops, we probably need to make sure we have $10 billion,” Thompson said. “And another $200 million for our sawmills when it comes to forestry.”

He said that support for forestry infrastructure is critical as the forest products industry continues to face disruption.

“If we lose our infrastructure, our sawmills, we have no market in order to keep our forests healthy and managing those forests going forward,” he added.

By Lane Nordlund, Western Ag Network