NATSO Urges Congress to Address Key Industry Provisions in Farm Bill
The House Agriculture Committee voted 34-17 on March 5 to advance H.R. 7567, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 — also known as the farm bill — to the House floor for a full vote.
The 800-page, multiyear bill authorizes programs of significant consequence to NATSO’s members and the consumers they serve. It provides the statutory framework for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) and has historically authorized programs that support the production, distribution, and retail infrastructure for renewable fuels derived from agricultural commodities.
In total, 153 amendments were introduced, and more than three dozen were included in the final bill after nearly 20 hours of debate. The Senate has not yet released its version of bill text or scheduled a time for a Committee markup of its own bill.
Among the amendments that failed to advance was an amendment offered by Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.) that would have allowed the year-round sale of E15. The committee voted 25–21 that the E15 language was not germane to the Farm Bill. House Ag Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson stated that E15 policy is under the purview of the Energy and Commerce Committee, not Agriculture.
Ahead of the House Agriculture Committee’s markup, NATSO urged the Committee to address several provisions of importance to travel centers, truck stops and fuel retailers.
Specifically, NATSO asked the Committee to remove language that would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop a department-wide strategy to advance the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Federal biofuels research and strategy policies should be technology-neutral and feedstock neutral to avoid increasing emissions and fuel costs.
NATSO said this provision should either be removed from the bill or expanded to direct USDA to promote all low-carbon renewable fuels, rather than directing federal resources toward any single transportation use case.
NATSO called for additional funding for the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP). HBIIP has been a critical tool for expanding the infrastructure necessary to bring higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel, such as E15, E85, and B20, to consumers at the pump.
NATSO urged the Committee to retain provisions that would permanently authorize online purchasing within SNAP as well as permanently prohibit states and state-contracted electronic benefit transfer (EBT) processors from levying processing fees on SNAP-authorized retailers.
NATSO remains disappointed that the farm bill does not include the Hot Foods Act of 2025, H.R. 2512, introduced by Representative Grace Meng (D-NY), which would amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to permit SNAP benefits to be used to purchase hot foods and hot food products ready for immediate consumption at authorized retailers. The current prohibition on using SNAP benefits to purchase hot foods is an outdated restriction that does not reflect the realities of modern food retail or the needs of consumers.
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