Thompson eyes adding farm bill provisions to reconciliation, says spending cut could be 'modified'

House Ag Republicans are looking at including in the budget reconciliation bill the same commodity and crop insurance proposals that were in the committee's farm bill last year, committee Chairman Glenn Thompson told a group of agricultural journalists on Tuesday.

Thompson, R-Pa., confirmed that the committee planned to debate its portion of the reconciliation bill next week. 

"Absolutely," he replied, when asked if the reconciliation bill would include the commodity and crop insurance provisions that were part of the farm bill the committee advanced last May. The bill never got a floor vote. 

Speaking to the North American Agricultural Journalists, Thompson acknowledged that funding for the provisions would come from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program but said they shouldn't affect SNAP benefit levels. 

The fiscal 2025 budget resolution approved by the House and Senate earlier this month requires the Ag Committee to prepare $230 billion in net spending cuts over 10 years, after the cost of any spending increases, such as the additional spending for commodity programs and crop insurance. 

The committee's farm bill included about $50 billion in additional spending for commodity programs and crop insurance, including an increase in Price Loss Coverage program reference prices and a voluntary base update. 

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But Thompson said the $230 billion target could be "modified," reflecting that the committee "has done our due diligence." He said President Donald Trump's "not interested in cutting any [SNAP] benefits." 

Republican members of the committee met Tuesday morning to go after several policy options for SNAP. 

Thompson sounded like he had all but ruled out requiring states to foot a portion of the cost of the SNAP program. He said it "would be very difficult" to implement a cost-share requirement, "especially when we have states who have balanced budget amendments."

Thompson said he still wants to pass a standalone farm bill this year that would include provisions left out of the reconciliation bill. The budget reconciliation process is restricted to provisions that raise or lower spending and revenue. 

"If we're able to accomplish some things in budget reconciliation and then we're able to do what's left over in the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2025, it all gets put back together as one big, happy bill," Thompson said.

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