On April 30, 2026, the House of Representatives passed the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R.7567) by a 224-200 vote. The bill seeks to reauthorize the Farm Bill and includes several provisions that would impact day-to-day operations of tree care companies. Throughout House consideration of the legislation, TCIA engaged alongside national coalition partners on pesticide preemption provisions relevant to pesticide users and applicators, while continuing to monitor wildfire risk reduction and utility vegetation-management provisions important to the tree care industry.

Background

The Farm Bill was first passed in 1933 to set price controls on agricultural products and uplift struggling farmers. Over time, the scope of the law greatly expanded. In addition to food-assistance programs, the bill’s modern iteration contains policies governing agriculture, nutrition, conservation, horticulture and rural development.

Congress evaluates the bill for reauthorization every five years, with the last version enacted in 2018. The 2018 version was set to expire in September 2023, but Congress was unable to pass a five-year reauthorization due to partisan divides. Instead, since 2023, Congress has passed temporary extensions every fiscal year to prolong the 2018 bill while continuing to debate reauthorization.

Congress most recently passed a one-year extension in the funding bill to end the late 2025 government shutdown, enacting funding for the bill through September 30, 2026.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson (R-PA) introduced the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 in February. The House Agriculture Committee passed the bill out of committee by a 34-17 vote, with all Republicans and seven Democrats on the committee supporting the legislation.

Title VIII Programs – forestry

Title VIII programs support forestry management facilitated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest Services (FS). The 2026 bill contains three noteworthy provisions regarding wildfire-risk-reduction efforts and utilities’ vegetation-management plans.

• Section 8401 requires the development of a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for managing high-priority hazard trees within 300 feet of roads, trails and recreation sites, which streamlines the hazard-tree removal process. Notably, the 2026 version expands the project size limitation of the exclusion to 6,000 acres.
• Section 8406 creates a categorical exclusion under NEPA for utilities’ vegetation-management plans, which similarly streamlines the hazard-tree removal process.
• Section 8417 would allow electric utility companies to cut and remove trees or other vegetation near distribution and transmission lines on National Forest System lands to reduce fire risk without requiring timber sales.

Title X programs – horticulture

Title X authorizes funding for programs that support the production of specialty crops, USDA-certified organic foods and locally produced foods. Relevant to the tree care industry, this portion of the bill originally included three provisions regulating the use of pesticides. TCIA engaged alongside coalition partners in support of language that would have prevented local governments from imposing pesticide requirements where EPA or state regulators already oversee pesticide use. Supporters argued the provisions would promote greater regulatory consistency for commercial applicators and tree care companies operating across multiple jurisdictions.

• Section 10205 would have reinforced national preemption of state-law labeling and warning requirements beyond EPA-approved labels, prohibiting state and local governments from imposing additional or different labeling requirements.
• Section 10206 would have preempted local pesticide regulation by barring localities from imposing or maintaining any requirements related to the sale, distribution, labeling, application or use of pesticides where EPA or the state regulates.
• Section 10207 would have provided that EPA-label-consistent use is lawful “notwithstanding any other provision of law,” and would limit additional permitting or approval requirements.

The pesticide provisions became a major point of debate during House consideration of the bill. While TCIA’s engagement primarily related to the local preemption language in Section 10206, critics broadly grouped all three provisions together, characterizing the package as a “liability shield” for manufacturers that would limit state authority and restrict certain litigation avenues, particularly amid ongoing glyphosate-related litigation. The issue also drew support from lawmakers aligned with the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement, which has increasingly focused on pesticide policy and chemical exposure issues, contributing to bipartisan support for amendments striking the provisions.

On April 30, Rep. Anna Luna (R-FL) introduced an amendment to strike these provisions from the bill. The amendment passed in a 280-142 vote, with 73 Republicans joining Democrats in support. As a result, none of the three pesticide provisions were included in the final House-passed bill.

Next steps

The House passed its Farm Bill reauthorization, which the Senate received on May 19. On June 23, Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman, R-Ark., released the Senate version, which largely tracks the House bill.

TCIA will continue engaging with coalition partners and keeping members apprised of updates related to Farm Bill reauthorization efforts.

Bailey Graves is a senior associate at Ulman Public Policy, TCIA’s Washington, D.C.-based advocacy and lobbying partner.