A newly released farm bill proposal from Senate Republicans is drawing sharp criticism from the Environmental Working Group, which says the legislation would weaken the nation’s push toward regenerative agriculture and works against the Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA, agenda promoted by top officials in the Trump administration.
At the center of the concern are proposed cuts of more than $2 billion from two of the country’s most widely used conservation programs, the Agriculture Department’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program, known as EQIP, and the Conservation Stewardship Program, or CSP. For many farmers and ranchers, these programs serve as a practical incentive to put regenerative practices to work on their land, from improving soil health to protecting water and natural resources.
The criticism stings in part because of how closely the two programs are tied to the administration’s own stated goals. Last year, MAHA movement leader and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. introduced the administration’s MAHA plan, which described a clear role for CSP and EQIP. That plan emphasized efforts aimed at empowering farmers and keeping solutions voluntary by expanding programs like the two now facing cuts.
Instead of expanding them, EWG says, Senate Republicans are following the lead of their House counterparts in committing to funding reductions, and they are doing so at a moment when interest in the programs is on the rise. The demand is real and growing. In the most recent year for which data is available, only 24 percent of EQIP applicants and 37 percent of CSP applicants were awarded contracts. Every state saw a decrease in the number of funded applicants over the past year. In plain terms, that means thousands of farmers who asked the federal government for help putting regenerative practices in place were turned away.
The bill would also block key portions of the USDA’s Regenerative Pilot Program, an effort designed to prioritize practices such as cover crops within national conservation programs. EWG considers the pilot an important step toward stronger farm resilience, but says the Senate proposal would keep the department from fully carrying it out. Among the limitations, the bill would prevent farmers from taking a whole farm approach and would block government funding for soil health testing, leaving producers without a clear way to measure the progress they are making in improving environmental outcomes on their own ground.
Beyond conservation, the legislation falls short on another front important to rural communities. According to EWG, the bill fails to adequately restore local school food purchasing programs that connect farmers with nearby schools. Those programs offer producers a steady, reliable market while helping schools serve students fresh food grown close to home.
Geoff Horsfield, legislative director at the Environmental Working Group, offered a pointed assessment of the proposal. Prioritizing regenerative agriculture practices like cover crops and encouraging farmers to develop whole farm conservation plans are important steps to improving farm resilience, he said. This bill from Senate Republicans fails to support the rare actions taken by the administration to help farmers. Rather than cut money for these popular programs, Congress must provide more funding to meet the growing backlog of farmer demand for the most effective conservation practices.
The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that works to help people live healthier lives in a healthier environment through research, advocacy and education. As the farm bill moves through the legislative process, the group is urging lawmakers to reconsider, arguing that Congress should expand these vital programs rather than scale them back at a time when so many farmers are asking for the chance to participate.
To learn more, visit the Environmental Working Group’s website at ewg.org or review the Senate Agriculture Committee’s full bill text.