Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey issued the following statement on House passage of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R. 7567) on a 224-200 vote.
“ICBA and the nation’s community bankers congratulate the House of Representatives on passage of the farm bill. This is an important step to completion of a new farm bill, though further modifications are needed to ensure a balanced U.S. agricultural credit system.
“A five-year bill allows community banks and their farm and ranch customers a robust set of tools to ensure agriculture’s long-term viability and to engage in sound business planning. This is important given that community banks provide approximately 80% of all loans extended by private-sector banks to the nation’s farmers and ranchers.
“ICBA supported enhancements to the commodities title and crop insurance programs that were adopted separately in the OBBBA. These changes will strengthen the farm safety net and provide producers with risk management tools to mitigate severe weather-related losses and help producers repay production loans. ICBA also supports enhancements to USDA’s guaranteed loan programs, including higher loan limits and prompt loan approvals and other helpful provisions.
“However, the expansions of the Farm Credit System’s authorities to engage in broad non-farm financing activities far outside of its mission as a government-sponsored enterprise to serve agriculture need to be reined in to ensure the rural credit market is not tilted away from private-sector, tax-paying community banks to an out-of-control GSE. The FCS was established with a GSE mission to serve agriculture and should stick to that mission.
“ICBA strongly supports passage of a farm bill that protects producers, strengthens rural communities, and ensures a fair, balanced agricultural credit system. This bill represents a positive step in that direction, particularly if further changes are made.”