By Lily Hawkins, Policy Director

Congress Returns for 2026

An important election year begins with another shutdown possible at the end of the month unless lawmakers pass remaining 2026 spending measures or agree on another stopgap funding bill. National healthcare policy is still a sticking point. If there is another shutdown the USDA shouldn’t be affected because the funding legislation for USDA and FDA was passed in November. This means there isn’t a risk of interruptions to SNAP benefits this time around.

House Ag Committee Chair GT Thompson says he wants to pass legislation this month to reauthorize key programs not included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed last July. This could be difficult given the attention that will go to the possible shutdown.

This work takes place as 2026 elections approach. All 435 members of the House face reelection, along with 33 Senators.

Farm Bill Advocacy Continues

With the inclusion of many agriculture provisions important to large-scale commodity growers in the Big Beautiful Bill Act and the suspension of key incentives that would encourage moving towards a full Farm Bill, movement toward a new bill remains uncertain.

Despite the uncertain timeline, OFA and allied organizations continue to advocate for the inclusion of key policies for organic in any future Farm Bill.

OFA is working for a Farm Bill that supports organic farmers by:

• Improving organic integrity
• Funding increased organic research
• Making USDA programs like credit and crop insurance work for organic farmers
• Expanding the Organic Certification Cost Share Program to better serve small and underserved producers
• Providing assistance for organic dairy farmers
• Increasing organic infrastructure
• Preventing organic import fraud

Read about all the marker bills OFA is supporting here, and take action here by asking your legislators to continue working toward a comprehensive Farm Bill.

Domestic Organic Investment Act (DOIA) Introduced

Last month, the Domestic Organic Investment Act (DOIA) was introduced. The bill aims to strengthen the U.S. organic industry by shifting reliance away from foreign imports and toward local production through investments in market development.

While the U.S. organic market surged to over $71 billion in 2024, domestic production hasn’t kept pace. Since 2011, organic imports have jumped from $1 billion to nearly $6 billion. This gap is partly due to a lack of local facilities to process, store, and move organic goods efficiently.

The DOIA creates a USDA grant program to help American farmers and businesses modernize their operations. The goal is to strengthen domestic organic supply chains and reduce the need to rely on imports.

The bill would:

• Expand Capacity: Build more storage, processing, and distribution hubs for domestic goods.
• Modernize Tech: Upgrade manufacturing, tracking, and IT systems to meet high certification standards.
• Market Growth: Help U.S. producers reclaim market share currently dominated by imported ingredients and feedstuffs.
• Support Local Stakeholders: Prioritize the needs of American farmers and businesses through annual USDA strategic goals.