Senate Agriculture Committee advances five-year farm bill 12-11 after Mitch McConnell returns

McConnell (R-Ky.) cast the deciding vote along party lines after a 90-day absence following a June fall. The bill failed 10-11 on Aug. 6 when McConnell and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) were out — both were back Wednesday, and Tuberville cast the 12th vote.

What the bill is: the Agricultural Act of 2026 is the five-year package that funds crop insurance, farm supports and food aid — the first since 2018, with the current extension expiring Sept. 30. The Congressional Budget Office puts the mandatory baseline at $1.374 trillion over a decade, $985 billion of it nutrition programs; SNAP is by far the largest title.

The fight: Democrats on the panel oppose a provision shifting some SNAP costs to states with high payment-error rates. Chair John Boozman (R-Ark.) offered a one-year delay and was rejected; with Democrats united against it, the bill will likely need 60 votes on the floor, the Courier Journal reports — Republicans hold 53. The House passed its version in April.