DENVER — Congress is unlikely to pass a new farm bill before the end of the year. Instead, lawmakers are likely to pass another extension as they remain divided over the massive, multiyear legislation.
The responsibility for a new farm bill will fall on the new, more conservative Congress after it takes office in January 2025.
Despite what its name suggests, the farm bill does more than help farmers and ranchers. It also funds nutrition programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Congress typically passes a farm bill every five years.
Sarah Mason with Feeding Colorado, an association of five Colorado food banks, said the world is different from when the last farm bill was passed in 2018.
“Food prices are higher. Folks are accessing nutrition programs more than ever before. And the dollar is not necessarily going as far,” said Mason. “We’re just seeing that we’re operating in a completely different environment now than we were six years ago.”
Congress has been divided over the farm bill.