For the first time since the U.S. House passed a sweeping farm bill, Mississippi’s lone “no” vote is speaking out.
Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson took to social media Wednesday morning, arguing the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 “does the opposite of what Republicans promised working families and farmers.” Thompson joined most Democrats in opposing the measure, while nearly all Republicans – including Mississippi Reps. Trent Kelly, Michael Guest, and Mike Ezell – supported it.
In his post, Thompson brought up the point of contention that led most Democrats to voting against the bill: $187 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, included in President Donald Trump’s broader tax cut and domestic policy package signed into law last summer.
“Instead of strengthening opportunity, it weakens support for SNAP and makes it harder for families to put food on the table,” Thompson wrote. “I voted no because I will not support a bill that cuts or restricts SNAP assistance and turns its back on the people who depend on it.”
Supporters of the roughly $390 billion bill believe it provides both short- and long-term relief at a time when producers face mounting challenges, including high diesel costs, ongoing trade and material uncertainty, and sharp drop-offs in grain prices.
Beyond SNAP changes, the bill includes a subsidy boost by $60 billion, expansion of crop insurance and risk management tools, and a higher loan limits. It also expands rural broadband access and extends authorization for conservation programs, agricultural research, and rural development grants.
The farm bill recently landed in the Senate, where it awaits action from the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry before it can head to the full floor for a vote. Thompson is hopeful his cross-chamber counterparts will remove the SNAP cuts before sending a bill of its kind to the president’s desk for the first time since 2018.
“Now it’s up to the Senate to decide whether they will fix it or let this harm stand,” he wrote.
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