Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026

Floor Speech

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Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Chair, I rise today not merely to speak about a piece of legislation, but to speak about a moral covenant, one that binds this Nation to those who till its soil; who rise before dawn and labor until dusk; and who ask not for charity but for fairness; not for sympathy, but for justice.

The farm bill in its truest sense is not simply about crops and commodities. It is about the people. It is about the dignity of work, and it is about whether America will honor the hands that feed her.

I come today to lift my voice in support of my amendments number 98 and 206, but also to lift a greater truth: that public policy, if it is to be righteous, must be rooted in both economic wisdom and moral clarity.

My first amendment directs the Secretary of Agriculture to report to the Congress on the increased costs that American farmers are facing due to rising costs of diesel and fertilizer prices. These costs are a direct result of President Trump's unilateral action to embroil the United States in a protracted war with Iran.

We cannot, Mr. Chair, turn a blind eye to the burdens facing our farmers. When diesel prices rise, it is not an abstraction. If there is a tractor that sits still when fertilizer costs soar, it is not theory. It is a field left barren.

When global conflict disrupts the fragile balance between the supply and demand between our trade and our partners, it is not distance. It is deeply personal to the farmer whose livelihood hangs in the balance.

A nation that depends upon its farmers must not ignore its cries. We must not pass legislation in the darkness of night when the lights are turned off and when we can use the truth of the light to let the American people see what is being proposed. To demand a full accounting of these rising costs is not a partisan act. It is an act of responsibility. We must hear the cries of the farmers for their food, for their fuel, and for their fertilizer. It is the least that we can do for those who give us our daily bread.

There is a deeper issue before us. It is one that touches the very soul of this legislation. My second amendment increases civil rights accountability for employees and officials of the United States Department of Agriculture.

Before I proceed, I must pause and pay tribute to a man of great conscience and steadfast courage, my friend and our friend and colleague, Chairman David Scott. Congressman Scott stood as a bridge between policy and principle. He understood that agriculture is not merely an economic enterprise, but that it is a human enterprise. He worked tirelessly in these Halls to ensure that the laws governing our land will reflect the highest ideals of justice and equality.

Today, we labor to strengthen civil rights protections within this farm bill because we know that the history of the United States Department of Agriculture has not always been a story of fairness.

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Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Chair, I thank Ranking Member Craig for the additional time.

For too long, there were farmers--Black farmers, Brown farmers, and women farmers--who knocked on the doors of opportunity and were turned away not because of the content of their character but because of the color of their skin.

We say today with clarity and conviction: No more. No more shall discrimination hide behind bureaucracy. No more shall injustice wear the mask of procedure. No more shall farmers be made to feel like a stranger on their own land.

Accountability is not about punishment. It is progress. It is the foundation upon which trust is built. If this government is to ask its citizens to believe it, then it must prove itself worthy of that belief.

My amendment is not radical. It is a righteous piece of legislation. It affirms that those entrusted with public service must also be held to public standards, Mr. Chair, and that justice delayed shall not become justice denied.

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Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Chair, the farm bill is not just a legislative document. It is a moral document. It speaks to who we are as a nation. It declares what we value, and it reveals whether we are willing to match our words with our deeds.

We will stand with the farmers struggling under rising costs. We will stand with the farmers seeking justice at the hands of this government.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for gracing me with more time.

We will stand for fairness, for accountability, and for the dignity of work. We will not remain silent in the face of inequity and inequality.

I submit to you today, Mr. Chair, that the time for silence has passed. Let us build a farm bill that feeds not only the body, but feeds the soul of America.

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