Agriculture and Rural Life

Farm payments and crop insurance

67 public statements from 2026 candidates · 2 related bills

§1The range of views

Why this matters: These programs help farms survive bad harvests and low prices, and they cost taxpayers money, so they matter to rural economies and the federal budget.

Drafted by AI, then checked for neutral wording in a separate AI review. It describes the question and the main positions, not any candidate's view. Facts link to their sources.

Federal programs that pay farmers when crop prices or revenues fall, help pay for their crop insurance, and give one-time aid after disasters or trade disputes.1,2,3

  1. Expand price supports, crop insurance or emergency aid
  2. Keep the programs at current levels
  3. Cut payments, such as with tighter limits for the largest farms
  4. Phase out price-support payments and rely on crop insurance

These options describe policies, not people. The order is not a ranking.

§2What candidates have said

Why this matters: Statements candidates made publicly, summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Candidates who haven't spoken publicly on this issue aren't listed.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Expand price supports, crop insurance or emergency aid (11)

  • Sarah McBride DE-AL
    Her campaign website says she cosponsored the Farm and Family Relief Act to reverse cuts to agriculture in the 2025 budget law and provide emergency relief for farmers.4
  • Matt Day GA-2
    His campaign website’s Joseph Farm Plan says it would enact a Farm Income Parity Act that ties prices to inflation-adjusted benchmarks from the 2012 farm bill, create a National Ag Pricing Board to audit commodity pricing and enforce farmer-favorable floor pricing, and launch a national farm equipment loan program.5
  • Andy Barr KY Senate
    His campaign website says he helped expand crop insurance to record levels.6
  • Charles Booker KY Senate
    His campaign website says he supports the $12 billion farm aid package stalled in the Senate and a new farm bill.7
  • John "Drew" Williams KY-1
    His campaign website proposes rapid-response relief payments for small and family farms harmed by droughts, floods, severe storms or major trade disruptions, and expanded insurance options for diversified and specialty crop farms.8
  • Julia Letlow LA Senate
    Her campaign website says she would pass a strong farm bill, protect crop insurance and expand disaster assistance for farmers.9
  • Lauren Jewett LA-1
    Her campaign website says she will push Congress to deliver a Farm Bill as fast as possible and expand crop insurance and disaster assistance options for specialty crops such as strawberries and dairy products.10
  • Christian Vukasovich MI-5
    His campaign website says he supports expanding crop insurance and disaster protection for family farms, along with stronger antitrust enforcement against concentrated agribusiness and lower costs for fuel, fertilizer, equipment and repairs.11
  • Brad Finstad MN-1
    His campaign website says he championed the FARMER Act, which it says widens access to crop insurance and lowers costs for local producers, and that federal farm policy should be written by farmers, for farmers, without creating burdensome obstacles.12
  • Michelle Fischbach MN-7
    The record page lists co-sponsoring a bill giving premium support to some crop insurance plans.13
  • Alani Bankhead MT Senate
    Her campaign website says she would create new safety nets for family farmers and ranchers, such as FDIC-style crop insurance and low-interest loans, and pass the farm bill.14

Keep the programs at current levels (1)

  • Todd Achilles ID Senate
    His campaign website says he would protect crop insurance and the Farm Bill programs Idaho producers rely on.15

Cut payments, such as with tighter limits for the largest farms (2)

  • Moshe Y. Landman MD-6
    His campaign website says fossil fuel and large agribusiness subsidies should be eliminated as part of reducing the federal deficit.16
  • Abdul El-Sayed MI Senate
    His campaign website says he would cap individual farm subsidy payments at $250,000 a year and redirect the money to family farmers and specialty crops.17

Statements that don't match one option (53)

  • Amanda N. Pusczek AL-4
    Her campaign website says she would shift federal crop insurance and disaster aid toward small, independent farms by capping the amount any one farm business can receive each year.18
  • Jeff Wadlin AR Senate
    His campaign website says he supports strong crop insurance and a long-term Farm Bill, and says aid may be justified when natural disasters or federal policies cause extraordinary losses but repeated bailouts show the system is failing.19
  • Hallie Shoffner AR Senate
    Her campaign website says the Farm Bill should expand market access and strengthen risk management for farmers, and that she would help farmers diversify through regional food systems.20
  • Steve G. Parsons AR-1
    His campaign website says the U.S. should eliminate its sugar subsidies and quotas, which it says keep U.S. sugar prices about double those in the rest of the world, and, in its account of his October 2026 debate, says much of the money in federal farm programs goes to the largest farms and points to New Zealand, which ended farm subsidies in 1984.21,22
  • Eric Jones CA-4
    His campaign website says farm subsidies should be shifted toward small and mid-sized family farms, that farm bill support for specialty crops such as fruits, nuts, vegetables and wine grapes should match their share of the value of U.S. agriculture, and that federal crop insurance should be reworked to fit those crops.23,24
  • Mike Thompson CA-4
    His campaign website lists among his accomplishments writing the law that created the Emergency Relief Program, which it says provided $10 billion to help farmers recover from wildfires, droughts and other disasters.25
  • Adam Gray CA-13
    His campaign website says he was one of 14 Democrats to help pass the Farm Bill and that he secured a commitment from the House Agriculture Committee chairman on billions of dollars in economic assistance for specialty crop growers.26
  • Dwayne L. Romero CO-3
    His campaign website says Congress must pass a robust Farm Bill to support family farms, ranches and small agriculture businesses.27
  • Jahana Hayes CT-5
    Her campaign website says she will keep working to make sure Connecticut farmers have access to federal crop insurance programs.28
  • Kat Cammack FL-3
    Her campaign website lists among her accomplishments voting for a disaster relief package that it says made more than $600 million available to Florida farmers hit by four hurricanes, and leading a request from Florida's whole congressional delegation for a federal disaster declaration after a February freeze damaged crops.29
  • Darren Soto FL-9
    His campaign website says he fought for funding for farm capital, water supply and disaster relief while on the Agriculture Committee and voted for the bipartisan 2026 Farm Bill.30
  • Scott Franklin FL-18
    His campaign website says that as Vice Chair of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee he is advancing disaster assistance through block grants to Florida farmers, supporting citrus recovery efforts, and investing in research and disease mitigation.31
  • Curtis Gibson FL-18
    His campaign website says he will fight for smarter support for growers and stronger pathways to replant resilient citrus.32
  • Sanford Bishop GA-2
    His campaign website says he fought against a budget proposal that would have ended compensation to cotton and peanut farmers for storage costs, says balancing the budget should not come at the expense of farmers, and lists fighting for strong emergency federal disaster assistance for Southwest Georgia farm communities among his priorities.33
  • Maura Keller GA-3
    Her campaign website says she will ensure safety nets, fair prices and resources that foster independent farming investment.34
  • Shawn Harris GA-14
    His campaign website says he would support farmers who grow food rather than only commodity crops and would give small and medium-sized farms the same access to EQIP dollars for farm maintenance projects such as fencing and wells as larger farms have.35
  • Christina Bohannan IA-1
    Her campaign website says she will work to pass a Farm Bill that provides fair crop insurance rates to protect against extreme weather.36
  • Michael Bridgford IA-1
    His campaign website says he will vote to safeguard crop insurance programs and raise loan limits for beginning farmers in a Farm Bill that protects independent family operations.37
  • Kaylee Peterson ID-1
    Her campaign website says federal grants and USDA subsidies should go strictly to family-owned Idaho farmers and local businesses.38
  • Nikki Budzinski IL-13
    Her campaign website says Congress must provide stability and support for agricultural communities and that she fought for a Farm Bill that would deliver relief and long-term certainty for farmers.39
  • Jennifer Todd IL-15
    Her campaign website says she will protect the crop insurance programs farmers rely on and support investments in sustainable, practical farming practices.40
  • Mary E. Miller IL-15
    Her campaign website says she worked to fund crop insurance programs.41
  • Darin LaHood IL-16
    His campaign website says he supports a Farm Bill that gives farmers certainty, protects crop insurance as a critical safety net, and expands opportunities for young, new and veteran farmers.42
  • Kelly Thompson IN-3
    Her campaign website says she would expand grants, tax incentives, low-interest loans and direct payments for farmers' regenerative practices, and help cover transition costs through grants, financing, USDA technical assistance, conservation payments and crop-insurance incentives.43
  • Brad A. Meyer IN-9
    His campaign website says federal support should shift from large corporate farming operations to independent family farms, and lists permanent disaster relief and expanded Whole Farm Revenue Protection insurance among his proposals.44,45
  • Tracey Mann KS-1
    His campaign website says crop insurance is critical in helping farmers manage risks unique to agriculture.46
  • Lauren Reinhold KS-1
    Her campaign website says she would reform farm subsidies to prioritize family operations over industrial agribusiness and support new farmers through federal loan guarantees and incentives for land transfers.47
  • Sharice L. Davids KS-3
    Her campaign website says she is committed to promoting reliable crop insurance and advancing agricultural research, and lists a Farm Bill listening tour and work on Farm Bill reauthorization among her actions.48
  • Zach Dembo KY-6
    His campaign website says farmers need to be protected by protecting crop insurance, expanding water resources and reforming the tax code to protect family farms.49
  • Jay J Bowman KY-6
    His campaign website says Congress should pass the 2026 Farm Bill to lock in long-term support for Kentucky farms.50,51
  • "Jamie" Davis LA Senate
    His campaign website says he would pass a farm bill with reference prices that reflect what it costs to plant a crop, and protect crop insurance and disaster aid.52
  • Conrad Cable LA-4
    His campaign website says the Farm Bill should be rewritten to support family farms rather than mainly giant corporations, including by expanding local food networks, backing USDA fresh food stores and tying federal dollars to fair pay and fair prices.53
  • Gordon Heslop LA-4
    His campaign website says he has a plan under which farmers' input purchases would be paid by the government and repaid from crop sales with no interest, with any debt still unpaid after two years written off.54
  • Michael Echols LA-5
    His campaign website says USDA disaster and commodity assistance are helping farmers stay afloat but that more must be done, including wider access to 90/10 guaranteed loans, and that farmers need stability and a fair marketplace rather than handouts.55
  • Nancy Wallace MD-8
    Her campaign website says Congress should end farm bill subsidies for the grains used in snack foods and for large agribusiness, and provide a fair market for fruits and vegetables.56
  • Jack Bergman MI-1
    His campaign website lists among his accomplishments voting in 2026 for the Farm, Food, and National Security Act, which it says strengthens the farm safety net, specialty crop programs and crop insurance. It also says that after the 2025 ice storm he worked with the USDA and local growers to bring federal aid to farmers.57
  • Ray Pooley MI-9
    His campaign website says family farmers should be less dependent on costly chemicals, government handouts and monopolies, and criticizes tax breaks that favor big agribusiness.58
  • Erik Osberg MN-7
    His Agriculture and the Farm Bill priority says he wants a full, updated Farm Bill that protects crop insurance and shores up the programs farmers depend on.59
  • Trina Swanson MN-8
    The priorities page says she will fight for a farm bill that works for the district's varied farms, and that she would back dairy farmers with a safety net that reflects current feed, fuel and equipment costs.60
  • Bethany E Mann MO-3
    Her campaign website says that rather than subsidizing big agribusiness, the government should help farmers get fair crop prices through loans for production costs, buying back crops when prices are low, and should pay farmers to conserve farmland.61
  • Jordan Herrera MO-4
    His campaign website says the local farm economy should be rebuilt rather than only subsidizing the largest operations, and lists protecting small and mid-sized farms among his Farm Bill priorities.62
  • Missi Hesketh MO-7
    Her Farmers and Natural Resources page says she would amend the federal crop insurance program so beginning and veteran farmers and ranchers receive a higher rate of premium assistance, by raising an added amount from 10 to 15 percentage points in each of the first two reinsurance years.63
  • Michael D Eisenhauer MT-2
    His Issues page says conventional bailouts will not fix farmers' underlying problems, that some short-term farm aid is needed as a safety net to prevent more bankruptcies, and that the federal government might have to guarantee a minimum price for some agricultural products.64
  • Dan Osborn NE Senate
    His campaign website says crop insurance subsidies favor large farms and should be adjusted, through the agents' commission formula, so small farms have the same opportunities.65
  • Nik Sandman NE-1
    His campaign website says he supports parity pricing, under which farmers would receive the cost of production plus a fair profit, rather than government subsidies that he says favor corporate agriculture.66,67
  • Denise Powell NE-2
    Her campaign website says she would push to use tariff revenue to fund Farmer Bridge Assistance programs, which support farms affected by disruptions.68
  • David J. Else NE-3
    His campaign website says he will push for continued strong agriculture that does not rely on government subsidies, adding that it is better to sell crops than to store them.69
  • Macey Budke NE-3
    Her agriculture plan says she would push for the next Farm Bill to align crop insurance, disaster policy, livestock risk tools and producer cash flow around long-term stability, with more durable support for smaller and midsize operations.70
  • Robbie Mahrou NH-2
    His campaign website says he would fight subsidies for large agribusiness that push family farms out.71,72
  • Ramon Mora Jr. NJ-2
    The Healthcare Agenda page lists reducing or rebalancing subsidies for corn used for high-fructose corn syrup in favor of subsidizing fruits and vegetables, and the Issues page lists reprioritizing crop subsidies to lower the prices of healthy foods.73,74
  • Martin Zamora NM-3
    His campaign website lists advocating for New Mexico producers to have more access to federal farm support programs among his agriculture priorities.75
  • William B. Redpath OH Senate special
    His campaign website calls for ending all farm subsidies and corporate welfare, immediately or over no more than 10 years.76,77
  • Rachel Fetty Anderson WV Senate
    Her campaign website says the government should protect farmers from market instability, foreign takeovers of land and monopolies, and should offer low-interest loans and buyback programs to farmers at risk of losing their land or equipment.78

§3Related bills

Why this matters: Bills from 2023–2026 that bear on this issue, with how Congress handled them.