The U.S. House Rules committee, in a 9-4 vote, advanced the farm bill, FISA extension and Senate-passed budget resolution to the House floor for a vote.
The committee met in a marathon two-day session to consider amendments to the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026, which was scheduled to hit the House floor on Thursday.
Lawmakers filed more than 360 amendments to the 802-page farm bill. Congress is expected to pass the farm bill every five years and has been under pressure to advance the legislation, a move that has not been done since 2018.
Democrats on the Rules Committee offered amendment after amendment to the bill. The committee managed to add E15 ethanol fuel sales to the Farm bill, which will be voted on in the House floor.
The committee also advanced a Senate-passed budget reconciliation bill that would allow the House to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection along party lines.
The committee fruther tacked on an amendment to the FISA reauthorization bill, which would reauthorize foreign spy powers set to expire on Thursday. The amendment would prevent creation of a central bank digital currency, before the FISA reauthorization is sent to the Senate.
Democrats slammed the addition of the central bank digitial currency. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said the addition of the amendment would prevent FISA reauthorization from moving forward.
“This crypto bill is completely unrelated to the FISA bill and is a non-starter in the Senate,” McGovern said. “Republicans are obsessed with random fringe issues instead of doing literally anything to bring down the cost of living.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said the addition of the amendment would be “dead on arrival” in the Senate.
House Republicans can only afford to lose two votes on the floor vote on the bills. Several Republicans have appeared to indicate they would not support passage on the floor.
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., slammed the committee for failing to add an amendment she introduced to the farm bill. She said she would not be voting for the rule to advance on the House floor.
“Farmers and ranchers in my district are counting on me to be their voice in DC and our ‘leadership’ is not letting me do my job,” Boebert wrote on social media. “I am a NO on the Rule.”
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., also criticized the rules committee for not adding her amendment to the farm bill. She did not say whether she would vote against the rule on the House floor, though.
“You would think voting to support the hardworking shrimpers and fishermen of South Carolina would be an easy yes. It’s not controversial. It’s common sense,” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., wrote. “Unfortunately, not everyone on the Rules Committee agreed.”
The House is expected to take up a vote on Wednesday for all three pieces of legislation.
