Legislation Ends Government Shutdown, Bans Hemp, and Extends Farm Bill

On November 13, 2025, a deal was reached to reopen the government through a partial continuing resolution (CR) that will provide continued appropriations for most federal departments and agencies through January 30, 2026.

Included in the bill language is the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Act of 2026. The stopgap agreement extends farm bill programs, provides critical funding for agriculture, veterans affairs, and food assistance programs, and halts reductions to the federal workforce. Despite some important wins for agriculture, the legislation also delivers a blow to the hemp industry, cuts funding for urban agriculture programs, and does not include an extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits. 

The “Minibus”

The minibus, a bipartisan package separate from the CR, includes funding bills for the Legislative Branch, Agriculture-FDA, and Military Construction-Veteran Affairs. Notably, the Agriculture-FDA bill appropriates funds for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The minibus provides funding through September 2026. 

USDA Programs

Farm Bill Extension 

Farm bill programs were extended once again, dashing hopes for a skinny farm bill in 2025. The bill provides an extension of the U.S. Grain Standards Act, which provides USDA with the authority to develop and maintain grain standards and extends authority for the Grain Inspection Advisory Committee to meet. An extension of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is included in the legislation however, lawmakers failed to extend payment limits for conservation programs. This change means that there will now be no cap on the total amount of cost-share assistance that a single operation can receive through the programs. Without a cap, larger operations are positioned to consume disproportionate amounts of federal conservation funding, further limiting access to assistance for small and mid-sized farms who rely on conservation funding.

Farm Service Agency (FSA)

The bill allocates $10 billion for FSA farm loans and prevents USDA from closing any FSA county offices. $15 million was also allocated to fill staffing needs at county offices. 

Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)

$850 million was allocated to NRCS, which includes funding for technical assistance. Funding for the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production was reduced in this bill. 

Nutrition Programs 

Full funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and Child Nutrition Programs (CNP) was released with the passage of the minibus. 

USDA Climate Hubs

The minibus includes cuts to funding for the USDA Climate Hubs, which provide research and data on extreme weather and climate change to farmers for decision-making purposes. The USDA Midwest Climate Hub, based in Iowa, already experienced staffing reductions earlier this year. 

Packers & Stockyards and Livestock Programming

The minibus excludes the harmful policy rider from the House-passed version of this bill which would have prevented USDA from enforcing the Biden-era Packers & Stockyards Act (P&S Act) rules. The bill also includes another one-year extension of Livestock Mandatory Price Reporting and maintains $1 million for USDA’s cattle contract library. It provides full funding for the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) and Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP), both at $10 million, and provides $6.5 million in funding for grants for state agricultural mediation services.

Read the full details of the FY 26 agriculture appropriations bill on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s landing page HERE.

National Hemp Ban

The legislation that passed on November 13 included a provision that bans products made from hemp. Hemp, which is a type of cannabis that is distinct from marijuanna, has been an emerging crop over the past decade. The plant is cultivated for fiber, food, CBD products, and more recently, for use in intoxicating hemp-derived products. Hemp was legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill, which critics have cited as a concerning loophole.

Hemp is currently legal in Wisconsin, although a current bill in the state legislature is also seeking to close the farm bill loophole. Even if the state-level hemp ban does not pass, federal law supersedes state law, making hemp products illegal in Wisconsin. The federal hemp ban will eradicate hemp farming in Wisconsin, and in many other states. 

Despite the fact that enforcement of the national ban will not begin until November 2026, most hemp farmers won’t plant a crop this spring given that there will be no market for their fall harvest.

The CR 

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Tax Credits

The federal government shutdown was spurred by a split down party lines on the extension of ACA tax credits. The CR that was signed into law does not include an extension of the tax credits, although there is a promise for a vote on the issue in mid-December. Without the ACA tax credits, health insurance premiums will go up, especially for those who purchase coverage through the federal health insurance marketplace.

Federal Workforce

The CR includes a directive to reverse any federal workforce layoffs that occurred between October 1, 2025 and November 13, 2025 and to stop any further staffing cuts through January 2026. The bill also guarantees back pay to federal employees during the shutdown.