ADVOCACY REPORT
Federal State of Play Congress concluded a busy July session before departing Washington for the August recess, during which lawmakers will spend much of the next month meeting with constituents and campaigning ahead of the November midterm elections. July was marked by an unusually challenging Senate landscape following the sudden death of Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and the extended absence of Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) due to health issues, complicating efforts to advance several major legislative priorities before the recess. In late June, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) released the Agricultural Act of 2026 , marking the Senate’s first comprehensive Farm Bill proposal since the House passed its version of the Farm Bill, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 . The Senate version includes several specialty crop
provisions important to the almond industry, including language establishing a Specialty Crop Emergency Assistance Framework to streamline delivery of future aid to specialty crop growers. It would also make investments in key trade programs at USDA by increasing funding for the Market Access Program (MAP) to $437 million by fiscal year 2028. However, the Farm Bill’s path through the Senate remains uncertain, as it does not include a key Democratic priority to delay state cost-share requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These provisions were enacted under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and are scheduled to take effect next year. Although OBBBA reauthorized some Farm Bill programs like row crop safety net programs through 2031, the authority for many other trade, horticultural, and marketing programs is set to expire on September 30, 2026, unless Congress acts.
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ALMOND FACTS
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