Farm Bill 2.0 clears Senate Ag Committee on party-line vote as Iran war costs mount

The Senate Agriculture Committee advanced Farm Bill 2.0 Thursday after what Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., described as a month of Democratic delays. "Today, the Farm Bill is one step closer to delivering the certainty Kansas farmers, ranchers, and rural communities have been waiting for," Marshall said. "For over a month, Senate Democrats blocked this bill, and then every single one of them voted against it — turning their backs on farmers, ranchers, and rural families to score political points."

Marshall highlighted 22 Kansas priorities embedded in the legislation, including year-round E15 fuel sales, conservation flexibility measures, rural broadband, and expanded crop insurance options. "At its core, this Farm Bill is about keeping the family farm in the family and ensuring the people who feed, fuel, and clothe America have the tools they need to succeed for generations to come," he said.

In a floor statement, Majority Leader Thune said he had heard directly from South Dakota farmers at events including the Dakotafest congressional forum and the Aberdeen Area Chamber of Commerce agribusiness meeting. "Farmers and ranchers, Mr. President, are facing a lot of headwinds right now, and I'm committed to doing everything I can in Washington to help producers," Thune said. He added that he hasn't "given up" on the farm bill despite Democratic opposition.

Three Democratic senators — Smith, Baldwin, and Murphy — separately reintroduced the Student Loan Forgiveness for Farmers and Ranchers Act on the same day, targeting beginning, veteran, women, and minority farmers. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., said "student debt is one of the most significant challenges our young farmers and ranchers face" and called for incentivizing "a younger, more diverse workforce."

Thursday marked 200 days since the start of U.S. military operations against Iran, and Democratic senators used the milestone to press on cost and accountability. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., said the Congressional Budget Office estimated the Defense Department had already incurred approximately $38 billion in costs as of August 1, with each additional month potentially adding $2 billion to $3 billion more. "New Mexicans are still paying the price for Donald Trump's 200-day war in Iran, with no end in sight," Luján said. "Yet as this war continues to spiral out of control, Congressional Republicans have repeatedly refused to stand up to President Trump."

Luján's release cited a record New Mexico diesel price of $6.34 per gallon and a statewide gas average of $4.47 per gallon, and estimated Americans have paid more than $107 billion extra on gasoline and diesel — "amounting to over $820 per household." "New Mexicans should not have to pay more at the pump and at the grocery store for a war they never wanted," Luján said.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., also released a statement Thursday on leading Senate Democrats in demanding answers from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the war's costs, though the release's body text was truncated in the supplied materials. Separately, Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., tied war-driven fuel and fertilizer costs to agricultural distress in their student loan forgiveness bill rollout. Baldwin said farmers "are getting squeezed from all sides" with "the war in Iran driving up fuel and fertilizer costs."

Two senators — one Republican, one from each chamber's flank on the issue — moved on data center policy Thursday, arriving at opposite conclusions on what Congress should do.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., cosponsored the Ratepayer Protection Act alongside Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, which would require states to consider establishing standards ensuring large electricity users — including data centers with 100 megawatts or more of demand — pay for their own grid infrastructure rather than shifting costs to consumers. "I understand why many Alabamians have concerns about these facilities coming to their neighborhoods and increasing energy costs," Tuberville said. "We are going to continue holding big tech accountable to make sure that if they want to build a data center in Alabama, they do it the right way." Companion legislation passed the House the day prior.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., took a separate but parallel track, introducing the No Tax Breaks for Data Centers Act to exclude data centers from the Opportunity Zone program — a 2017 tax incentive designed for low-income community investment. One report cited in his release found that between 14 and 17 percent of U.S. data centers have been or will be built in qualifying opportunity zones. "Big Tech companies are getting major tax breaks they don't need to build data centers communities do not want. We must close the loophole immediately," Hawley said.

A bipartisan group of 31 senators — led by Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska — wrote to HHS Secretary Howard Lutnick urging early release of roughly $4 billion in Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds before winter. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., joined the letter, citing rising energy costs and approaching cold-weather months.

"As you know, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act for Fiscal Year 2027 (P.L. 119-103) requires the Department of Health and Human Services to distribute no less than 90 percent of its total LIHEAP allotment by November 1, 2026. Given the extraordinary pressure consumers will face this winter, we ask that you make this distribution well before the deadline," the senators wrote. An estimated 6 million households received LIHEAP heating and cooling assistance over the past year.

Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., joined Senate colleagues Thursday in introducing the BAD DEAL Act — the Banning Antiquated Duties and Delivering Equitable American Levies Act — to repeal Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, the authority President Trump used to impose 50 percent tariffs on Canada, and refund all duties paid under it. The bill was timed to Canada's enactment of retaliatory tariffs on American products.

"This senseless trade war with Canada, Nevada's second-largest trade partner, will only hurt our economy and raise costs for families even more," Rosen said. "I am proud to help introduce this bill to rein in Trump's ability to unilaterally set reckless tariffs, and will continue to fight back against any policy that takes money away from the pockets of American families." Rosen has previously introduced bills to exempt school supplies, homebuilding materials, and groceries from Trump tariffs.

Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., urged Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to reconvene the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, which has not met since the start of President Trump's second term. The senators cited what they described as stark declines in domestic and international tourism linked to administration policies.

"The travel and tourism industry is a vital part of our economy, supporting millions of jobs for Americans and sustaining many of our nation's communities, making travel slowdowns all the more devastating," the senators wrote. "Policymakers need to hear from industry leaders when making decisions that could have broad economic consequences, and without that input, legislators and the Administration risk making decisions without a full understanding of how they could affect the travel and tourism industry." The senators also urged Lutnick to "see that process through and restore the Board to regular operation as soon as possible," noting that the department is working to renew the board's charter.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., issued a statement mourning the passing of former Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., whom he called "my good friend and former colleague." McConnell praised Kyl's work on missile defense and western water rights, and recalled that his "well-deserved reputation for straight shooting made him a highly effective vote counter as Republican Whip." "Arizona and our nation have lost a giant," McConnell said.

Separately, Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., introduced a bipartisan resolution honoring Connie Clery during National Campus Safety Awareness Month. Clery, who died June 23, 2026, was the driving force behind the Clery Act following the 1986 murder of her 19-year-old daughter Jeanne on a college campus. "During the first National Campus Safety Awareness Month since her passing, we are introducing this bipartisan resolution to honor her life and dedication to improving campus safety and protecting victims of crime across the country," Klobuchar said. Cassidy called Clery's advocacy foundational: "Parents everywhere owe a debt of gratitude to Connie Clery."

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., led reintroduction of the NEED Act with Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., which would create a DARPA-style national center for education research and development. "As social media and a nationwide mental health crisis reshape how students learn and engage in school, educators need better information about what works," Bennet said. Bennet also celebrated House passage of the SEED Act — which extends the $350 above-the-line educator tax deduction to pre-K teachers — calling it an end to "an unfair double standard."

Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., applauded House passage of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, which has 60 Senate cosponsors and would require automakers to include AM broadcast capability in new vehicles at no charge. "AM radio plays a vital role in preserving public safety across Indiana," Young said, adding that he encourages "the Senate to vote on it soon."

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., celebrated House passage of his Retire Through Ownership Act, which provides regulatory clarity for employee stock ownership plans. "For 50 years, the ESOP community has been asking for clarity, and today, Congress delivered," Marshall said. The bill now heads to the president's desk.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., hosted the First Annual Missouri Prayer Breakfast and unveiled a Declaration for Life alongside Missouri pastors, calling on lawmakers from both parties to sign it and support his legislation to ban the abortion drug mifepristone. "It's time to take a vote on my legislation to ban the chemical abortion drug mifepristone," Hawley said.

Signals

• volumeThursday's input set of 20 releases runs roughly 75 percent below the Thursday average of 80.4, a significant anomaly suggesting light output ahead of a scheduled session day.
• coordinatedThree Democratic releases — from Luján, Slotkin, and the Smith/Baldwin/Murphy rollout — independently cited Iran war costs on the same day, marking the 200-day milestone.
• coordinatedTuberville and Hawley each filed data-center legislation on the same day targeting ratepayer costs and opportunity zone tax treatment respectively, arriving from different angles at the same tech-accountability frame.
• silent breaksSen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC — named in the SEED Act's legislative vehicle title (Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026) — has been silent for 65 days in this archive.
• recessSenate is in session with no recess; the next recess — a pre-election state work period — is 18 days away.

Quiet desks

Senators with no release in two weeks or more.

• Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC65d
• Sen. Alan Armstrong, R-OK63d
• Sen. Roger F. Wicker, R-MS57d
• Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY41d