Democrats Use Agriculture Subcommittee Markup to Show How Republicans are Increasing Costs for Farmers and Rural Communities

WASHINGTON — During today’s House Appropriations subcommittee markup of the 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies funding bill, House Democrats highlighted how the bill increases costs for rural communities and cuts funding for programs that support farmers and help hardworking people feed their families.

House Republicans’ Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration bill:

• Increases costs for farmers and rural communities by cutting critical investments including direct loans to help hardworking Americans buy homes in rural areas, water and waste grants to help the poorest communities get safer water services, and energy savings programs that support farmers and rural small businesses. Republicans are also cutting funding that helps low- and very low-income rural homeowners repair their homes.
• Hurts farmers by cutting the support system that helps them access government resources they are promised.
• Threatens access to food for hardworking and vulnerable Americans by not providing the full fruit and vegetable benefit to USDA's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) recipients.
• Slashes Food for Peace to the lowest level since 2002 while the administration continues to illegally withhold international food assistance, taking food from the mouths of children and hungry people around the world. 

From Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Sanford Bishop, Jr.’s (D-GA-02) opening remarks:

“My colleagues have heard me say this before and I will say it again, I am always working to ensure that America produces the highest quality, most affordable, most abundant food, fiber, and medicine. Unfortunately, this bill is not up to the task. While our country continues to grow, our support for women, infants, and children continues to shrink…This bill increases costs for rural America by cutting crucial investments in housing, water, and energy programs that help families and small businesses save money and thrive. It retreats from nutrition programs that help the most vulnerable afford healthy food and at the same time engage America’s ag producers in our country’s effort to fight hunger. In its current form I cannot support the bill, but I’m hopeful that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will put aside partisanship and come together to provide adequate resources for all of the stakeholders of USDA, our rural communities, and our federal administration. I would love for us to produce a bill that works for the American people.”

From Appropriations Committee Ranking Rosa DeLauro’s (D-CT-03) opening remarks:

“What House Republicans have proposed will take food from the mouths of hungry people in America and around the world, increase water infrastructure and housing costs for rural Americans, and make it harder for small farmers to make ends meet. At a time when families around the country are struggling with the high cost of living, House Republicans are paying for a billionaire tax cut by cutting the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) fruit and vegetable benefit. Fruits and vegetables for vulnerable families are not waste. Forcing people into hunger does not create efficiency... Instead of focusing on ways to help lower the cost of living and help farmers and hardworking people, House Republicans are using this bill to eliminate protections for small meat and poultry producers against large corporations that have dominated the market, forced small producers out of business, and price gouged consumers. This bill does not support farmers. It does not support workers. It does not support families, or hungry people. This bill supports corporations and billionaires, gutting critical assistance in order to hand them yet another tax cut.”

A summary of House Republicans’ 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies bill is here. A fact sheet of the bill is here. The text of the bill is here. A table of included Community Project Funding requests is available here.

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