When Does the Food and Farm Bill Expire?

Published Nov 1, 2023 Updated Jan 25, 2024

It’s not news that Congress is in crisis. But did you know Congress has yet to pass a new food and farm bill?

The food and farm bill will expire in...

After allowing the 2018 food and farm bill to expire and then retroactively extending it, Congress now faces a new ticking clock, with the bill set to expire again at the end of September. From farm to fork, the half a trillion-dollar food and farm bill impacts every facet of our food system.

  • 21.1 million people work in the US food and farm sectors —they’re 10.5 percent of the nation’s workers, and they need more protections.
  • 41.2 million people in low-income households received food assistance through the SNAP program in 2022—that’s 12.5% of the U.S. population. Food assistance not only helps provide basic food security to our community’s most vulnerable, it also benefits farms and businesses in our communities by supporting local spending.
  • 43.8 million farm acres enrolled in USDA conservation programs under the food and farm bill in 2021—an area larger than the state of Florida. Participating farms are helping keep water clean and fight climate change, and the need is only increasing.

It’s not yet an emergency. Extending the existing food and farm bill gave Congress time and breathing room to write the kind of bill the country needs: one that rises to the challenge of the moment by making farm programs more equitable, enabling farmers to thrive in the face of a changing climate and be part of the solution, and creating a more secure and resilient food system for all of us.

But Congress must pass a food and farm bill soon. And when they do, they must do more to address the needs of everyone—including the 331.9 million people living in the United States who eat food!

Learn more about how the food and farm bill can:

Then Take Action to lend your voice to building a more transformational food and farm bill!

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