Dear [firstname],
Some of the largest pieces of legislation we consider in Congress are Farm Bills, and last week, the House voted to pass a new Farm Bill to cover the next five years. This bill impacts so much of our daily lives, from the food we eat to the environment we live in, and even our national security. We have not had a new Farm Bill since 2018, and a lot has changed since then. So, let me tell you about the good, the bad, and the ugly in this year’s Farm Bill, and why I ultimately decided to vote against it. |
Many of the priorities I have championed on behalf of our local farmers are included in this Farm Bill. As you might know, Kennett Square is the mushroom capitol of the world, which is why I am always looking for opportunities to help our mushroom farmers thrive. I was proud to lead the Protecting Mushroom Farmers Act to help mushroom farmers access |
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crop insurance and I am excited that this Act was included as part of the Farm Bill. Changes like this, which help our local farmers succeed, are an investment not just in the farms themselves, but in all of Kennett Square and our entire community.
I was also proud that the Spotted Lanternfly Research and Development Act, which I co-lead, was passed in this Farm Bill. This important legislation unlocks more federal funding to target spotted lanternflies, keeping our farmlands and crops safer.
You may have heard me talk about the importance of biotechnology, which helps improve our food and medicine supplies and keeps us globally competitive. I introduced an amendment to the Farm Bill to fund agricultural biotech developments like turning American-grown crops into low-cost and sustainable fuels. At a time when it feels like Congress cannot agree on anything, here is the really exciting news: the House voted unanimously to include my amendment in this Farm Bill.
We were also able to secure important national security protections in this year’s Farm Bill. Farmland in the U.S. should not be owned by our adversaries abroad, and provisions in this Farm Bill help us track and cut down on that kind of foreign ownership from bad actors. |
Finally, I am glad to say that we also got one of the worst provisions from the bill removed through a bipartisan vote. In its original form, this Farm Bill would have prevented pesticide manufacturing companies from being held liable for harmful health impacts, and it would have kept states and local governments from requiring pesticide companies to list health warnings. This was one of my most significant concerns about the Farm Bill, and we are all better off now that this provision has been removed. |
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Even without these pesticide provisions and with the items I championed, this legislation has serious problems. The Farm Bill as just passed by the House cuts $1 billion from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which provides farmers with financial and technical support to implement conservation practices. These are projects like improving soil health or water quality, so that farmers can address environmental challenges and keep their land fertile and profitable. In other words, EQIP helps make sure our farmers can keep growing our food, our environment stays safe, and our economy stays stable.
Right now, farmers need relief from rising costs and support to preserve their land, especially as tariffs continue to drive up prices. But by cutting $1 billion from EQIP, this Farm Bill is doing the opposite. |
Unfortunately, farm preservation programs are not the only thing going unfunded in this bill. The Farm Bill keeps the $180 billion in cuts to SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) funding that President Trump signed into law last summer with the Republican Budget, aka the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” As you might know, these cuts mean thousands of people in our district, including kids and seniors, no longer have access to SNAP. |
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This is not theoretical or partisan. It is not just a debate on the House floor. This is a meal on the table at dinnertime – a meal that, for many families, is not there anymore. SNAP funding itself also purchases a significant portion of food from our farmers, meaning that these cuts are direct cuts to farmers’ incomes, too.
The Farm Bill could have offered us an opportunity to right this wrong, to restore funding for SNAP and help make sure our neighbors do not go hungry. My Democratic colleagues and I urged the Republican majority to take this opportunity. Regrettably, they chose not to.
Most days in Congress require me to make some hard decisions, weighing the good and the bad and trying to do what is best for all of us here in Chester and Berks Counties. While overall, this is not a bill that I could support, there are positive elements we were able to include and some of its worst provisions were struck from the bill.
Now, the Farm Bill goes to the Senate, where my colleagues have another opportunity to make the changes that this bill needs, and to send it back to the House for consideration in a better form. The fact that many representatives in the House voted no sends a strong signal to the Senate that there is still work to do. I look forward to seeing their improvements. |
After nearly two years of pushing for answers about the unmaintained Airport Road Post Office in West Chester, we finally have good news to share. My office recently confirmed that the United States Postal Service (USPS) will demolish the old post office within the next two months and rebuild a new retail facility in its place. Mail sorting and distribution will continue off-site. |
This is a great outcome for our community: postal services running smoothly in West Chester again and a clean and safe property on Airport Road.
Solving issues like this can require anything from demanding answers at the federal level to showing up and mowing the overgrown lawn ourselves. My team and I did both, and everything in between. Now, we will continue pressing for and following up on developments, and I will share more updates with you if anything changes. If all goes as planned, we will all be excited to see the Airport Road Post Office come back to life. |
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Whether you’re a mom, a grandmother, a caregiver, or a mom-like figure in someone’s life, I am wishing you a very happy Mother’s Day! This week, I have been spending time all over the district, hearing from moms (and other parents and caregivers) about their experiences. I will have more to share about these visits next week, but for now, I just want to say thank you.
Thank you for being there to take care of those you love. Thank you for doing the work, day in and day out, even when it goes unnoticed or undervalued. Thank you for being the cheerleader, the planner, the fixer, and the glue of your home. Our community thrives because of moms like you. As your representative in Congress, please know that I am always working to make sure you are cared for, too. |
Chrissy Houlahan U.S. Member of Congress
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