Equal Treatment for Farmers Act

Bill Number

H.R. 8374

Origin Chamber

House

Congress

119th Congress, Session 2

Policy Area

Agriculture and Food

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2026-04-20: Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.

Last Updated

2026-05-20T08:07:02Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose

The Equal Treatment for Farmers Act (H.R. 8374) aims to remove all references to "socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers" (typically defined in federal law as members of certain racial or ethnic minority groups) from U.S. agricultural laws and prohibit the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from using race or gender as a basis for preferences in its programs. This promotes equal treatment in farm support programs.

Key Provisions

• Short Title: Names the bill the "Equal Treatment for Farmers Act."
• Section 2: Amends or repeals dozens of specific provisions across 15+ federal laws, including:
• Federal Crop Insurance Act.
• Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946.
• Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act.
• Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990.
• And others related to crop insurance, loans, conservation, research, and rural development.
• Actions include striking definitions, paragraphs, or phrases mentioning "socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers"; redesignating subsections; and repealing entire sections.
• Section 3: Bans any USDA program from giving preferences, priority, or extra benefits based on race or gender, overriding other laws.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Removes Targeted References: Eliminates mentions of "socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers" from loan priorities, conservation funding set-asides, outreach programs, committee nominations, and insurance subsidies—replacing them with neutral categories like "beginning farmers," "veteran farmers," or "limited resource farmers."
• Retains Some Preferences: Keeps support for beginning farmers/ranchers, veterans, and limited resource operators but strips race/ethnicity links.
• Repeals Specific Items: Deletes entire sections (e.g., section 355 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act) and a 2023 appropriations provision.
• Alters Funding Allocations: Adjusts set-asides (e.g., from 5% for socially disadvantaged to only beginning farmers in conservation programs).

Potential Impacts

• Government Agencies: USDA must revise program rules, application processes, and outreach to eliminate race/gender preferences, potentially simplifying administration but requiring updates to regulations and guidance.
• Citizens/Farmers: Levels access to loans, grants, insurance, and conservation aid for all farmers regardless of race or gender; may reduce benefits for minority farmers previously prioritized but expand eligibility for others.
• No Clear International Relations Impact: Focuses on domestic agriculture policy.
• Budgetary: Could shift federal funding allocations within USDA programs without increasing overall spending.

Main Stakeholders

• Farmers and Ranchers: All U.S. producers, particularly minority/socially disadvantaged (lose specific preferences), beginning farmers, veterans, and limited resource operators (retain some benefits).
• USDA and Agencies: Implements changes across loan, insurance, and conservation divisions.
• Rural Communities: Affected by programs for heirs property, rural development, and conservation.
• Taxpayers: Indirectly through reallocated farm subsidies and supports.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal/Constitutional: Aligns programs with equal protection principles under the U.S. Constitution by prohibiting race- or gender-based preferences, potentially reducing legal challenges over discrimination claims.
• Implementation: Requires USDA rulemaking; no new funding authorized.
• Political: Introduced by a bipartisan but mostly Republican group; signals push for race-neutral policies in agriculture amid debates on equity vs. equality.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Harris, Mark [R-NC-8]

Cosponsors (26)

Rep. Harris, Andy [R-MD-1], Rep. Boebert, Lauren [R-CO-4], Rep. Wied, Tony [R-WI-8], Rep. Harrigan, Pat [R-NC-10], Rep. Fine, Randy [R-FL-6], Rep. Brecheen, Josh [R-OK-2], Rep. Clyde, Andrew S. [R-GA-9], Rep. Miller, Mary E. [R-IL-15], Rep. Perry, Scott [R-PA-10], Rep. Ogles, Andrew [R-TN-5], Rep. Steube, W. Gregory [R-FL-17], Rep. Collins, Mike [R-GA-10], Rep. Nehls, Troy E. [R-TX-22], Rep. Carter, Earl L. "Buddy" [R-GA-1], Rep. Letlow, Julia [R-LA-5], Rep. Burchett, Tim [R-TN-2], Rep. Self, Keith [R-TX-3], Rep. Roy, Chip [R-TX-21], Rep. Norman, Ralph [R-SC-5], Rep. Moore, Barry [R-AL-1], Rep. Van Orden, Derrick [R-WI-3], Rep. Cline, Ben [R-VA-6], Rep. Smith, Adrian [R-NE-3], Rep. Baird, James R. [R-IN-4], Rep. Moore, Tim [R-NC-14], Rep. Rouzer, David [R-NC-7]

Recent Actions

• 2026-04-20: Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
• 2026-04-20: Introduced in House
• 2026-04-20: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

• Equal Treatment for Farmers Act — issued 2026-04-20 — PDF (16 pages)