Fischer on Senate Floor: Pass the Farm Bill

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, spoke on the Senate floor in support of the Agricultural Act of 2026, also known as the Farm Bill. Earlier this month, the Senate Agriculture Committee advanced the bill , which includes several of Fischer’s priorities: securing permanent year-round E15, expanding access to precision agriculture tools, improving tribal nutrition programs, and protecting federal conservation funds from foreign exploitation. Fischer urged her colleagues to pass the Farm Bill and provide America’s farmers and ranchers the stability they need. Click the image above to watch a video of Fischer’s remarks. Click here to download video. Fischer’s Senate floor speech as prepared for delivery: M. President, The last time Congress passed a full Farm Bill was 2018. Eight years ago. That law expired in 2023. We should have passed a new bill then, but Congress has only passed short-term extensions. A lot has changed over the past eight years. The farm economy looks vastly different. To be frank, America’s farmers and ranchers are struggling. Drought, high input costs, and low yields have made it a trying time. I heard some of these concerns firsthand in August during a livestock roundtable in Crawford, Nebraska. I also heard this at our state fair, where I listened to ag producers from across Nebraska. These producers are in dire need of a modern Farm Bill. We owe it to them – the people who feed, fuel, and clothe us all – to enact policies that promote stability and markets to sell their products. I keep this goal front and center as a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. I’m proud to say that – last week – we advanced the Farm Bill out of committee. We are one step closer to giving America’s farmers and ranchers the long-term certainty they need. But I am disappointed in how long it took to get here. We first tried to move the Farm Bill in July. The Ag Committee took a vote, but it failed. Every Republican voted yes. Every single Democrat voted no. This was particularly disappointing given that this year’s Farm Bill includes numerous priorities led by Democrats. Republicans worked in good faith to include their legislation to help producers in their states. I’m proud of the bipartisan priorities in this bill. I worked with Chairman Boozman to build policies that support a safe, steady supply of food, fuel, and fiber. Importantly, our bill includes locking in permanent year-round E15. This is one of the most direct ways Congress can provide relief without subsidies — by strengthening domestic demand for corn and ethanol. We cannot continue to operate on the current waiver system. For eight years now, we’ve needed a presidential waiver for E15 to be sold during summer time. These waivers have been granted every year. But this uncertainty makes it harder for producers and retailers to invest and plan. Permanent year-round E15 would create a consistent, predictable market. It would allow farmers, ethanol plants, and fuel stations to operate with confidence. Our biofuels producers and retailers need certainty. They deserve a stable market 12 months out of the year. I’ve been fighting for this for more than a decade. It is long overdue. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation circulating around E15. Let me be clear: this is not a government mandate. It simply gives fuel retailers the choice to sell E15 at their gas station. It gives consumers the choice to fill up with E15 at the gas pump and save some money. And the Environmental Protection Agency confirmed that E15 is completely safe in cars made in 2001 or later. E15 expands domestic fuel options using American-grown corn. This reduces vulnerability to global supply shocks. A more diverse energy mix of oil, gas, renewables, nuclear, and biofuels makes the United States harder to pressure and more resilient in times of conflict or disruption. In addition to E15, this year’s Farm Bill includes my Precision Ag Package – three bills that will help America’s producers harness the full potential of precision agriculture. We need to make it more affordable for our farmers and ranchers to access these cutting-edge tools. In turn, we can help their operations become more productive, efficient, and less resource intensive. This Farm Bill also includes my legislation to prevent future food shortages in tribal nutrition programs. By incorporating input from tribes on contracting decisions, we can strengthen this important resource for communities that depend on it. Additionally, I secured a provision to safeguard federal conservation funds from being exploited by America’s adversaries. This will protect U.S. taxpayers and our domestic manufacturers from being taken advantage of. Finally, I am pleased to see Senator Ricketts’ FENCE Act included – a bill that I co-sponsored. It will give farmers and ranchers flexibility to use virtual fencing as they rebuild and recover from natural disasters. This is especially helpful after the historic, devastating wildfires that blazed across Nebraska earlier this year. All these provisions are needed. Together, they make the 2026 Farm Bill a strong piece of bipartisan legislation that truly serves our farmers, ranchers, and rural America. As a committee, we did the work. We agreed to include good bills from both Democrats and Republicans. We built strong bipartisan support for year-round E15. We offered a fair compromise on SNAP cost-share concerns. We compromised on many items. Now, we need to get this done. Let’s pass the Farm Bill. Let’s give America’s farmers and ranchers the stability they need. To my colleagues: please join me. Let’s get it over the finish line. Thank you, M. President. ###