Sponsors (11)
The bill creates a substantial, dedicated $5 billion program to deliver quicker, more tailored financial relief to specialty crop producers after disasters, but it imposes a sizable federal cost and risks uneven distribution and administrative uncertainty that may favor larger operations.
Establishes a dedicated $5.0 billion fund (available until expended) to provide sustained specialty crop disaster assistance without requiring immediate annual appropriations.
Specialty crop producers receive direct emergency payments based on prior-year (or multi-year average) sales multiplied by a payment factor, delivering quick cash relief after adverse events.
Payments are calibrated to account for specialty crops' higher market value and input costs, which can make aid more closely match producers' actual losses.
Taxpayers bear a $5.0 billion federal cost to fund the program, which could increase budget deficits or crowd out other spending priorities if not offset.
Payment limits and exemptions risk concentrating larger payments with bigger operations (or those with ≥75% income from farming), potentially reducing equity and under-serving smaller specialty producers.
Broad Secretary discretion to define adverse events and set payment factors could create uncertainty and inconsistent access to aid across producers and regions.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a USDA-run specialty crop emergency direct-payment program and provides $5 billion for FY2027 to compensate affected specialty-crop producers.
Official title: Amend the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to establish a specialty crop emergency assistance framework, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 23, 2026 by Ben Ray Luján · Last progress June 23, 2026
Creates a new federal program to make direct emergency payments to specialty-crop producers who suffer losses from adverse events, including economic crises or market disruptions. The Department of Agriculture will set a formula that uses prior-year (or multi-year average) sales times a payment factor, apply payment limits, and follow existing notification and eligibility rules where appropriate. Appropriates $5 billion to USDA for fiscal year 2027 (available until expended) to carry out the new specialty crop emergency assistance framework and permits USDA to use Commodity Credit Corporation authority to administer payments.