Congressional Republicans are holding up Farm Bill. What that means for Illinois

Congressional Republicans are holding the Farm Bill hostage because they want to cut food support for the nation’s most vulnerable families, and it’s hurting Illinois’ economy and farmers.

Each year, billions of dollars flow into Illinois’ economy from the state’s thriving agriculture industry. Illinois is the fifth-ranked state nationwide in the export of agricultural products, with crops produced at over 72,000 individual farms that cover 75% of our state’s land. Illinois would not be where we are today without the important contributions of our farming communities.

We have a responsibility to support our state’s agricultural industry — not only to promote the continued success of our local farmers but also to ensure continued stewardship of our land and access to locally grown food for all Illinoisans.

The Farm Bill is a crucial tool used to support our farmers. It authorizes tens of millions in grants to support Illinois’ local food systems, including purchasing excess product from Illinois farmers at market value to provide to disadvantaged communities.

The bill also provides farmers with incentives for improving soil quality and would invest in education and training to help Illinois family farmers lead American agriculture into the 21st century. It also supports Illinois farmers in holistic ways, from rural mental health grants to increased access to animal disease testing to specialty crop block grants.

Unfortunately, the reauthorization of this legislation has languished in the U.S. House of Representatives for months.

Members of the Illinois Congressional delegation are eager to pass a bipartisan Farm Bill and send necessary investments and support to our agricultural communities.

However, Congressional Republicans have more pressing priorities than helping farmers — namely, playing political games, cutting access to food for the neediest Americans and slashing funding for climate-smart conservation programs.

GOP bill would cut $30 billion from SNAP

House Republicans passed a partisan Farm Bill that cuts $30 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program known as SNAP.

If they get what they want, beginning in 2027, 40 million Americans, including 17 million children, would see cuts to their benefits — the largest SNAP cut in nearly 30 years. The bill also includes provisions allowing states to outsource SNAP processing to private companies, a decision that has historically led to errors and long processing times.

Republicans want to cut an essential resource that keeps children, people with disabilities and the elderly fed. These are programs that provide the absolute essentials of what the most vulnerable families need to live and function day to day.

Republicans know a bill that inflicts this kind of cruelty on the most disadvantaged members of our communities cannot pass on the House floor. But GOP members of the House Agriculture Committee are content to hold our nation’s farmers hostage to score political points that come not only at the expense of hungry families but also our environment.

The GOP bill takes nearly $14 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funding for conservation practices that improve water, air and soil quality to make our farms more productive and reallocates it to other programs. With the removal of guardrails that direct these funds to climate-smart agriculture, farmers would lose out on funding for innovative practices, and it would take a toll on our land.

Here in Illinois, we refuse to gamble with people’s futures and their livelihoods. Failure to pass a bipartisan Farm Bill would cripple the ability of family farms to produce. Without reauthorization, the Federal Crop Insurance Program won’t be able to meet the needs of a changing agricultural landscape — even as farmers continue to see their businesses threatened by natural disasters and changing weather patterns.

The domino effect of these production issues won’t just affect farmers. The Republicans’ unwillingness to compromise means we will all see even higher prices at the grocery store.

Republicans claim to be fighting to help the average family, but they are taking away food assistance from millions of children and families and making it more difficult for every other American family to make ends meet.

It’s time to stop playing political games with people’s livelihoods and work across the aisle to present a Farm Bill we can all agree on. Every American is not a farmer, but every American eats what our farmers produce. No one will remain untouched by the consequences of a failed Farm Bill.

We call on Republicans to come to the table and negotiate a bill we can all agree on before irreparable damage is done to America’s heartland.

JB Pritzker is governor of Illinois. U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski serves Illinois' 13th Congressional District. U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson represents Illinois' First Congressional District.

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