A Democratic bill with 9 Democratic cosponsors · See all 10 cosponsors
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, known as the "CHILE Act of 2026," seeks to amend the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996. It aims to establish a new emergency assistance framework specifically for producers of specialty crops. Under this framework, the Secretary of Agriculture would provide direct assistance to producers when their crops are impacted by adverse events, such as economic crises or market disruptions. The bill includes specific instructions on how payments should be calculated and what factors the Secretary should consider. Additionally, it establishes payment limitations for certain persons or legal entities. Finally, the bill appropriates $5,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2027 to fund this assistance.
Yes· 3 of 9
- Scored +7
Would farmers be better off under this?
The bill establishes a new $5 billion emergency assistance framework specifically for specialty crop producers.
- Scored +6
Would business owners be better off under this?
The bill creates a specific financial safety net for specialty crop producers and their business entities.
- Scored +5
Does this make it easier to run a small business?
The bill provides direct emergency financial assistance to specialty crop producers facing market disruptions.
The opposite
- Scored -3
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?
The bill appropriates $5,000,000,000 in new spending for specialty crop assistance.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Direct Assistance for Specialty Crop Producers: The bill establishes a framework to provide direct assistance to producers when their production is impacted by adverse events like economic crises or market disruptions (Section 2(b)).
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Tailored Payment Considerations: When calculating payments, the Secretary is instructed to consider the higher value of specialty crops relative to other crops and the greater input costs required to grow them (Section 2(c)(d)).
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Support for Diverse Business Structures: The framework acknowledges and considers the diverse types of legal entities and business structures used by specialty crop producers (Section 2(c)(d)(3)).
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Increased Payment Limits for Certain Farmers: For persons or legal entities where at least 75 percent of average gross income is derived from farming, ranching, or silviculture, the standard payment limits may not apply, and the Secretary can set a maximum payment amount that is not less than $900,000 (Section 2(e)(1)(B)).
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Significant Funding for Implementation: The bill appropriates $5,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2027 to ensure there are funds available to provide this direct assistance (Section 2(b)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Payment Limitations for Most Entities: Except for specific cases involving high-income farmers, the total amount of payments a person or legal entity can receive is capped by the amount specified in the Food Security Act of 1985 (Section 2(e)(1)(A)).
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Dependency on Secretary's Discretion: The framework relies on the Secretary to determine what constitutes an adverse event, determine the payment factor, and set maximum payment amounts for certain entities (Section 2(b), Section 2(c)(2), and Section 2(e)(1)(B)(ii)).
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Funding Availability Constraints: The Secretary's ability to determine a payment factor is subject to the availability of funds (Section 2(c)(2)).
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 establishes a new $5 billion emergency assistance framework specifically for specialty crop producers. Would business owners be better off under this? — The bill creates a specific financial safety net for specialty crop producers and their business entities. Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — The bill supports the specialty crop industry which is a key component of many rural economies.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this make it easier to run a small business? — The bill provides direct emergency financial assistance to specialty crop producers facing market disruptions. Is this likely to grow the economy? — The assistance framework aims to stabilize the specialty crop sector during economic or market disruptions. Is this likely to create jobs? — The emergency assistance for specialty crop producers provides stability that may help maintain agricultural employment. Does this reduce what the federal government spends? — The bill appropriates $5,000,000,000 in new spending for specialty crop assistance.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this invest in rural communities? — The $5 billion appropriation supports the financial viability of specialty crop production in rural areas.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this give the federal government more power? — The bill grants the Secretary of Agriculture significant discretionary authority to define adverse events and calculate payments.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Is this likely to lift people out of poverty? — By stabilizing crop income, the bill may provide a small degree of financial security for agricultural families.
- 7/13/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 6/24/2026
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 6/23/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- 7 Cosponsors added.
- 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.
Michael BennetDemocrat · Colorado
Cory BookerDemocrat · New Jersey
John FettermanDemocrat · Pennsylvania
John HickenlooperDemocrat · Colorado
Angus KingIndependent · Maine
Jeff MerkleyDemocrat · Oregon
Adam SchiffDemocrat · California
Elissa SlotkinDemocrat · Michigan
Ron WydenDemocrat · Oregon
Raphael WarnockDemocrat · Georgia