Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ)
Farmer Recovery Opportunity and Support for Temperatures Relief Act
A Democratic bill with 1 Republican cosponsor · See all 2 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill is known as the Farmer Recovery Opportunity and Support for Temperatures Relief Act. It allows the Secretary of Agriculture to give block grants to certain states for crop losses caused by freezes or cold weather in April 2026. The assistance covers losses in revenue, quality, production, and prevented planting for crops, trees, bushes, and vines. Covered states must request the assistance through their state department of agriculture or another appropriate agency. The bill also provides compensation to producers for losses of multi-year crops. Finally, it authorizes $3.5 billion in appropriations for fiscal year 2027 to carry out these actions.
Yes· 3 of 9
- Scored +8
Would farmers be better off under this?
The bill directly benefits agricultural producers in covered states by offering block grant compensation for revenue, quality, and production losses.
- Scored +7
Does this invest in rural communities?
The legislation provides substantial financial support and block grants to bolster rural agricultural communities affected by severe spring freezes.
- Scored +7
Does this improve help for people hit by a disaster?
The bill establishes a targeted disaster relief mechanism to compensate agricultural producers for crop, tree, bush, and vine losses.
The opposite
- Scored -3
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?
The bill authorizes $3.5 billion in appropriations for fiscal year 2027, increasing federal spending.
- Scored -2
Does this make the government pay for what it commits to?
Appropriating $3.5 billion for grant programs without specified offsets adds to federal funding commitments.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Financial Relief for Farmers in Covered States: Under Section 2(a), the Secretary of Agriculture must provide block grants to covered states for losses of revenue, quality, or production of crops, trees, bushes, and vines due to freezes or cold weather in April 2026. This helps farmers who suffered agricultural damage recover financially.
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Support for Multi-Year Crop Producers: Under Section 2(c), the assistance includes compensation specifically for producers who suffered losses of multi-year crops, helping farmers whose long-term investments were damaged by the cold weather.
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Geographic Coverage: Section 2(e)(1) defines the covered states as Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, ensuring farmers in these specific states are eligible to request this assistance.
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Accountability Through Reporting: Under Section 2(d), the Secretary must submit reports to the House and Senate Committees on Agriculture describing how the assistance is implemented, keeping elected officials informed on the use of funds.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Taxpayer Burden and Authorization of Funds: Under Section 2(f), the bill authorizes $3,500,000,000 to be appropriated for fiscal year 2027 to carry out the section. This places a significant financial authorization on taxpayers to fund the grant program.
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Exclusion of Non-Covered States: Under Section 2(e)(1), assistance is strictly limited to a specific list of covered states. Farmers in states experiencing similar April 2026 cold weather or freezes who are not on this list cannot receive this assistance.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would farmers be better off under this? — The bill directly benefits agricultural producers in covered states by offering block grant compensation for revenue, quality, and production losses. Would business owners be better off under this? — Agricultural business owners suffering from April 2026 cold weather and freeze losses receive direct financial compensation. Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — Injecting $3.5 billion into disaster-impacted farming regions directly aids the rural communities reliant on agriculture.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this improve help for people hit by a disaster? — The bill establishes a targeted disaster relief mechanism to compensate agricultural producers for crop, tree, bush, and vine losses. Does this invest in rural communities? — The legislation provides substantial financial support and block grants to bolster rural agricultural communities affected by severe spring freezes.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The bill mandates regular quarterly reports from the Secretary of Agriculture to congressional committees regarding program implementation. Does this leave more decisions to the states? — The legislation allows covered state departments of agriculture to request and administer block grants locally.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Is this likely to lift people out of poverty? — Financial assistance helps farmers and agricultural workers recover from devastating crop losses that could otherwise threaten their livelihood.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this make it easier to run a small business? — The bill provides critical financial block grants to help agricultural businesses recover from freeze and cold weather crop losses. Does this reduce what the federal government spends? — The bill authorizes $3.5 billion in appropriations for fiscal year 2027, increasing federal spending. Does this make the government pay for what it commits to? — Appropriating $3.5 billion for grant programs without specified offsets adds to federal funding commitments.
- 10/29/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
Ben ClineRepublican · Virginia
Sarah McBrideDemocrat · Delaware