Upholding Prosperity for Agriculture Producers

This week, during a roundtable hosted by Western Sugar Cooperative, I met with representatives across several agricultural sectors from the Third District. I am grateful each time I’m able to connect with and thank the dedicated producers at the origination of the supply chains stocking our grocery stores, pantries, restaurants, fuel pumps, and more. Gathering their insights on the challenges they face and the importance of ensuring our tax code and Farm Bill programs work for them is essential for my work in Congress to support economic growth in our state.

As chair of the Rural America Tax Team, I worked hard in the Ways and Means Committee to apply feedback and secure big policy wins for our hardworking farmers and ranchers in the tax, spending reform, and national security package known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. When I supported its passage in the House last week and it was signed into law by President Trump, it brought unprecedented long-term certainty for our agriculture producers and prevented an average tax hike on family farms of more than $5,000.

Many of the tax code updates within the legislation renewed and improved provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). We made sure to extend successful tax relief policies, and we went further to increase and make permanent tax cuts for as many American producers as possible. For the 98 percent of farms in the U.S. categorized as pass-through entities, the bill makes permanent the 20 percent Section 199A pass-through deduction, allowing producers to retain and reinvest more of their hard-earned income.

Additionally, we raised the Section 179 small business expensing threshold to reflect the rising cost of equipment and enable farmers and ranchers to more effectively address the cost of operation. We also made the larger Death Tax exemption from TCJA permanent, giving families the ability to protect their operations for generations to come from undue burdens upon the death of a loved one.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act not only prevents severe tax hikes and expands relief for family farms, small businesses, and hardworking Americans, it fortifies programs for detection and prevention of foreign diseases and pests which put our livestock and produce at risk.

It also strengthens risk management programs in the Farm Bill through improvements to crop insurance and disaster programs which are particularly important for our farmers. This includes delivering long-term certainty for beginning farmers and ranchers through improved crop insurance premium provisions.

After suffering delays for the last two years due to partisan debates, it was vital we acted on Farm Bill programs through reconciliation. Still, a few items will need to be addressed through a more narrow Farm Bill reauthorization prior to the current bill’s expiration on September 30. While temporary extensions have provided stopgap authorization since 2023, I hope we can wrap up our work on the remaining provisions later this year, securing certainty for hardworking producers and unlocking economic growth for rural communities.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is a triumph for sound policy supporting the tireless efforts of those in the agriculture sector. Our nation would grind to a halt without everything they provide for our communities. What we have accomplished through this legislation gives American agriculture a brighter future, and I will continue working with my colleagues in Congress and with President Trump to uphold our commitment to promote prosperity for producers.

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