U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro, is introducing the Bridge the Gap for Rural Communities Act (H.R. 5710), legislation that hopes to help farmers bridge the safety net gap until the updated farm provisions in the Working Families Tax Cut Act take full effect next year.
The legislation suspends the payment limitation for the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program and the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) program for the 2025 crop year and provides farmers the option to elect by December 1 if they want a 50% partial payment by the end of the year instead of waiting until October 2026.
“Sadly, we have already lost farmers, and without action we are on the precipice of losing many more,” said Crawford. “This bill is not a silver bullet, but it will give farmers and agriculture lenders breathing room as they work through operating loans for next season. Anything we can do to keep farmers in the field for at least one more year to bridge the gap to the full benefits of the Working Families Tax Cut Act must be done.”
U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Louisiana, is a co-sponsor of the bill.
“Our commodity producers need more timely support at a time of increasing pressure on the farm economy,” said Letlow. “Our bill will provide much needed flexibility to Louisiana growers, easing cash flow concerns and putting them in a stronger position for the next planting season.”
The bill hopes to address the farming crisis, fueled by high input costs, low commodity prices, trade and tariff uncertainties, and the lack of a new Farm Bill.
The budget bill passed earlier this year contains provisions of a new Farm Bill, such as PLC changes, but they won’t go into effect until later next year.
That is where Crawford thinks the Bridge the Gap for Rural Communities Act will help.
“While this legislation will not fix the farm economy, it stands alongside other efforts, including the push for emergency relief payments by Chairman Thompson, Chairman Boozman, and President Trump, to give farmers some space to make it to the next year and save some on interest expense,” he said. “It also allows agriculture lenders who have unfortunately had to carry over farm loans from year-to-year an opportunity to put something more concrete on their balance sheet as they look at what to do for next season’s operating loans.”
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, has yet to call the House back into session during the federal government shutdown, so the timetable for considering the measure is uncertain.