A Democratic bill with 1 Democratic cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
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 amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to expand agricultural market access and modify agricultural trade promotion programs. It requires the Secretary to provide technical assistance and infrastructure improvements in foreign markets to prevent damage or loss of United States agricultural commodities. The legislation mandates a biennial report detailing the competitiveness of United States specialty crops, including foreign trade barriers and food safety regulations. It modifies and extends funding amounts for the Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program through fiscal year 2031. Finally, the bill repeals certain older provisions of law related to agricultural trade.
Yes· 3 of 13
- Scored +6
Would farmers be better off under this?
Farmers and specialty crop producers gain significant financial support and expanded access to foreign markets.
- Scored +6
Does this make trade with other countries easier?
The legislation explicitly expands agricultural market access and modifies trade promotion programs to boost U.S. exports.
- Scored +4
Would business owners be better off under this?
Agricultural business owners and specialty crop producers benefit directly from increased export promotion and reduced trade barriers.
The opposite
- Scored -2
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?
The legislation authorizes significant funding increases through the Commodity Credit Corporation for agricultural trade promotion.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Section 2(a) requires the Secretary to enter into contracts or agreements to provide needs assessments, training, and technical assistance to enhance foreign market infrastructure. This is positive because it helps ensure that United States agricultural commodities are not damaged or lost due to deficiencies in foreign cold chain capacity and port improvements.
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Section 2(b) mandates a biennial report on the competitiveness of United States specialty crops submitted to appropriate congressional committees and made available to the public in a machine-readable format. This is a positive step for accountability because it identifies foreign tariffs, nontariff barriers, and differences in food safety regulations that pose risks to United States consumers.
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Section 2(c) increases and extends funding amounts through the Commodity Credit Corporation to carry out agricultural trade promotion and facilitation. This provides stable funding levels ranging from $255,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 up to $533,000,000 for fiscal years 2028 through 2031.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Section 2(a)(4)(B) sets financial limitations on technical assistance, specifying that not more than $1,500,000 for fiscal year 2027 and not more than $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2028 and thereafter may be used for foreign infrastructure improvements. This could be viewed as a negative burden if these capped amounts prove insufficient to fully protect United States agricultural commodities from being damaged or lost in developing foreign markets.
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? — Farmers and specialty crop producers gain significant financial support and expanded access to foreign markets. Would business owners be better off under this? — Agricultural business owners and specialty crop producers benefit directly from increased export promotion and reduced trade barriers. Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — Rural agricultural communities benefit from enhanced federal trade support and market development programs.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this make it easier to run a small business? — Agricultural producers and small farming businesses benefit from enhanced foreign market access and technical assistance. Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices? — Mandates reporting on foreign specialty crop regulations and food safety differences to protect United States consumers. Is this likely to grow the economy? — Expanding agricultural market access and trade promotion helps drive economic growth in the agricultural sector. Is this likely to create jobs? — The bill supports agricultural trade promotion and foreign market development, which can boost agricultural exports and related domestic jobs. Does this reduce what the federal government spends? — The legislation authorizes significant funding increases through the Commodity Credit Corporation for agricultural trade promotion.
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Does this make trade with other countries easier? — The legislation explicitly expands agricultural market access and modifies trade promotion programs to boost U.S. exports. Does this favour talking over confrontation abroad? — The bill encourages bilateral and multilateral engagement to address foreign trade barriers and tariffs.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — Requires biennial reports on specialty crop competitiveness to be made publicly available in machine-readable formats. Does this make it easier to do business across state lines? — Facilitates broader agricultural commerce through international export mechanisms. Does this give the federal government more power? — Increases federal reporting requirements and administration of agricultural trade programs.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this invest in rural communities? — Provides infrastructure improvements and technical assistance for foreign supply chains, indirectly benefiting domestic agricultural supply networks.
- 6/11/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 6/2/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Elissa SlotkinDemocrat · Michigan