Congressman Frank Lucas
Congressman Frank D. Lucas (OK-03) released the following statement after voting to pass the House Reconciliation package, also known as President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill”.
“Passing the House Republicans’ reconciliation package was not just a follow through on our promise to advance President Trump’s agenda, it was also necessary for Oklahoma,” said Congressman Lucas. “Included in this bill are key provisions that our cherished agriculture industry depends on, such as expanding the farm safety net and investing in critical programs. This historic piece of legislation also secures vital funding for the FAA Academy in OKC and prevents a disastrous tax hike on Oklahomans. Failing to pass this bill would have been negligent for Oklahoma and for the entire country.”
BACKGROUND
The reconciliation package invests more than $60 billion into farm country. Below are some of the notable provisions:
- Reference prices across all covered commodities will be increased by 10% to 20% and starting in crop year 2031, there will be a 0.5% increase in reference prices yearly to account for inflation.
- Extends mandatory funding for several important conservation programs that are utilized in Oklahoma like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCCP).
- Allows producers to be compensated for 100% of their livestock’s fair market value if a federally protected species kills them. Currently, producers can only receive 75% of the value of that animal, but this package ensures producers are compensated fairly and don’t pay the price for following the law.
- Invests $125 million annually to assist qualifying institutions with the costs of constructing or renovating agricultural research buildings to conduct research in agriculture and food sciences.
- Extends and invests in important market access programs that open foreign markets for the agricultural industry.
There are also several other key provisions that Rep. Lucas advocated for:
- Prevention of a 24% tax hike on Oklahomans, the largest in history.
- Prevents the Death Tax from hitting over 2 million family-owned farms who would otherwise see their limitation cut in half. Ensures that family-owned farms and ranches can be passed down to the next generation.
- A permanent increase to the Section 199A Small Business deduction from 20% to 23%.
- A 5-year reinstatement of 100% bonus depreciation.
- Caps the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s funds to 5% of the Federal Reserve’s total operating expenses. Under current law, the CFPB can draw down 12%.
- $1 billion in funding for air traffic controller recruitment, retention, training, and advanced training technologies.
Congressman Tom Cole
Today, Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after voting in favor of the House Republican Reconciliation bill, also known as the One Big, Beautiful Bill, which will codify President Trump’s agenda:
“Last November, we were given a clear mandate by 77 million Americans who voted for change. The American people overwhelmingly voted for a secure border, the resurgence of American energy dominance, strong national security, an extension of the Trump tax cuts, and a more efficient federal government that roots out fraud, waste, and abuse of taxpayer dollars. Now, today, in passing this Reconciliation bill, House Republicans have codified President Trump and the American people’s full agenda,” said Congressman Cole.
“This legislation will deliver resources to secure our border and complete the border wall, make generational investments in America’s defense, and unleash our domestic energy potential, which will lower costs, create jobs, and protect national security. It will provide permanent tax relief for families, workers, and mom-and-pop businesses by making the 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent and protecting the average taxpayer from a 22 percent tax hike,” said Congressman Cole.
“Despite the lies that dishonest Democrats engaging in fearmongering are spreading, the One Big, Beautiful Bill will actually strengthen, secure, and sustain Medicaid by reestablishing Medicaid as a program that provides vital healthcare to vulnerable Americans and stopping the subsidization of illegal immigrants and capable adults who are just choosing not to work. Therefore, this is not Republicans cutting Medicaid. It is common-sense policy that will simply root out waste, fraud, and abuse within the program,” said Congressman Cole.
“I am proud to have voted for the Republican Reconciliation legislation today, as it fulfills the promises we made to the American people, and I encourage the United States Senate to help us to deliver the result that the majority of Americans voted for,” said Congressman Cole.
Congresswoman Stephanie Bice
Today, Congresswoman Bice voted in favor of the One Big Beautiful Bill, legislation which helps unleash American energy, provides tax cuts to Oklahoman families and businesses, and helps President Trump fully secure our border, and safeguard our country. This legislation, which is being considered as part of reconciliation, now heads to the Senate for consideration.
Congresswoman Bice issued the following statement:
“The One Big Beautiful Bill is an opportunity to extend tax relief for Oklahomans, preventing them from facing a nearly $1200 tax hike next year. This legislation supports families, finishes President Trump’s border wall, and provides additional resources to further secure and safeguard our nation. While this process has been long, I appreciate all the thoughtful debate and will continue engaging with my colleagues as we move forward.”
The legislation will:
Keep the Border Secure- Make the largest investment in border security in a generation; finish the border wall; and give our border patrol agents and immigration enforcement agencies the resources they need to detain and deport illegal aliens.
Grow Our Economy & Cut Taxes- Prevent the largest tax increase in American history; eliminate taxes on tips and overtime; provide tax relief for seniors, job creators, small businesses, and farmers
Make Our Government More Efficient- Reduce the size and scope of government; root out waste, fraud, and abuse; bring bloated and inefficient programs back to their initial intent; and enact historic savings to put our nation on a sound fiscal trajectory Restore America’s Energy Dominance- Empower American energy producers; dismantle burdensome Green New Deal regulations; reform the permitting process; and boost our energy security.
Top House Agriculture Democrats
Today, leading Democrats of the House Agriculture Committee slammed the $300 billion in food assistance cuts included in the Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill after it was voted out of the House along party lines.
“The Republicans’ budget will make America hungrier, poorer and sicker. Parents struggling to afford groceries for their families and seniors living on fixed incomes will have their food taken away if this bill becomes law,” said Ranking Member Angie Craig (MN-02). “At a time when grocery prices are going up and retirement accounts are going down, we must protect the basic needs programs that help people afford food and health care. As a mother and someone who needed food assistance at periods in my own childhood, I condemn this attempt to snatch food off our children’s plates to fund tax breaks for large corporations. I call on my Senate colleagues to stop this attack on working Americans that takes food away from families and threatens a full, five-year bipartisan farm bill.”
“Making the deepest cuts to food assistance in history just to fund tax breaks for the wealthy isn’t just bad policy—it’s shameful. In Northeast Ohio, one in five households rely on SNAP. I grew up in one of them, so this isn’t abstract—it’s personal,” said Vice Ranking Member Shontel Brown (OH-11). “This bill punishes people for being poor and makes it even harder for them to afford groceries. Combined with Trump’s tariffs, which are already driving up food prices, it’s a one-two punch to working families. This isn’t about fiscal responsibility — it’s just a cruel transfer of wealth from those who have the least to those who already have the most. The Senate should reject this bill and return to the bipartisan farm bill process that has served our country for decades.”
“Depriving hungry children and struggling families to further line the pockets of billionaires is a moral abdication,” said Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05), ranking member of the Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee. “When you enter a classroom on a Monday morning and see a child with their head down because they have not had a decent meal since you saw them last, or you find yourself packing extra in your own lunch because you expect a student to ask — it changes you. I will not vote for a bill that takes food from hungry Americans and I remain committed to fighting against any legislation that increases food insecurity.”
The partisan budget bill decimates the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in a series of devastating cuts. The independent Congressional Budget Office estimates that at least 3 million Americans will lose access to food assistance as a result. Cutting food assistance will also have a negative material impact on the economy by reducing the money spent on food.
Slashing SNAP by $300 billion will cost America’s farmers around $30 billion in lost income, threaten more than 27,000 retailers nationwide and imperil nearly 400,000 jobs and $20 billion in direct wages throughout the food supply chain. All of the House Agriculture Committee’s Republican members voted to cut food assistance.
American Farm Bureau
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the House passage of the reconciliation bill.
“Farm Bureau applauds the House passage of H.R.1, which modernizes farm bill programs and extends and improves critical tax provisions that benefit America’s small farmers and ranchers.
“Updated reference prices will provide more certainty for farmers struggling through tough economic times. Making business tax deductions permanent and continuing current estate tax exemptions will ensure thousands of families will be able to pass their farms to the next generation.
“We urge the Senate to work together and swiftly pass legislation to deliver much-needed relief to America’s farm and ranch families.”
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
Today, several key priorities championed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) moved one step closer to becoming law when the U.S. House of Representatives passed their reconciliation bill. The bill includes key cattle health, disaster recovery, and tax priorities crucial to the success of America’s cattle farmers and ranchers.
“Cattle farmers and ranchers need Congress to invest in cattle health, strengthen our resources against foreign animal disease, support producers recovering from disasters or depredation, and pass tax relief that protects family farms and ranches for future generations,” said NCBA President and Nebraska cattleman Buck Wehrbein. “Thankfully, this reconciliation bill includes all these key priorities. NCBA was proud to help pass this bill in the House and we will continue pushing for these key policies until the bill is signed into law.”
The reconciliation bill includes provisions that are crucial to the success of cattle producers and will:
- Reimburse cattle producers for loss due to depredation by federally protected predators.
- Expand access to the livestock forage disaster program for producers experiencing drought.
- Continue funding the feral swine eradication program.
- Bolster the “three-legged stool” that protects the cattle industry from foreign animal disease, including the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program (NADPRP), the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN), and the National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank (NAVVCB). The NAVVCB currently houses emergency supplies for responding to a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.
Additionally, the bill includes key NCBA tax priorities that protect the legacy of family farms and ranches for future generations, such as:
- An increase to the estate and gift tax exemption amounts to $15 million per individual and $30 million per couple, adjusted for inflation annually. The package also makes this exemption permanent.
- Preserved stepped-up basis.
- A permanent increase to the Section 199A Small Business deduction from 20% to 23%.
- Expanding the limitation on Section 179 expensing from $1 million to $2.5 million.
- Reinstating the 100% bonus depreciation for five years.
- Extending the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2023.
“The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association extends our gratitude to all the members of Congress who voted yes on this reconciliation package,” said NCBA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane. “America’s farming and ranching families sorely need the provisions in this bill to succeed. We strongly urge the Senate to swiftly pass this bill and deliver a win for our nation’s cattle producers.”
Growth Energy
Growth Energy, the nation’s largest biofuel trade association, issued the following statement after the House passed its budget reconciliation bill:
“We’re grateful to our champions on Capitol Hill who have worked hard to preserve and extend rural priorities, like the 45Z clean fuel production tax credit. This budget reconciliation package would give farmers and ethanol producers the freedom and flexibility to deliver for the American people. It ultimately delivers on the President’s agenda—it’s good for rural communities, good for innovation, good for investment, and good for American energy dominance,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “We urge the Senate to protect the 45Z tax credit and get this bill onto the President’s desk, so we can unlock billions of dollars of investments in new markets for farmers and U.S. clean energy innovation.”
National Pork Producers Council
National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) President Duane Stateler, a pork producer from McComb, Ohio, released the following statement on the reconciliation package that passed the U.S. House of Representatives.
“America’s pork producers are one step closer to more certainty with the House’s reconciliation bill passage, which includes necessary legislation to keep farms afloat during uncertain times. At the same time, we will keep pressure on Congress to pass a five-year farm bill, which includes a fix to California Proposition 12.”
NPPC urges the Senate to advance the following provisions to ensure pork producers can continue to farm and have more certainty to pass down their farms to the next generation.
- Preserving necessary resources to protect the nation’s food supply through foreign animal disease (FAD) prevention, including:
o National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank
o National Animal Health Laboratory Network
o National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program
o National Veterinary Stockpile
- Increasing market access programs for U.S. pork.
o The Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development Program (FMD) build export markets for U.S. agricultural products through generic marketing and promotion and the reduction of foreign import constraints. For every $1 spent on MAP and FMD programs, U.S. agriculture saw $24.50 in export gains and contributed to the creation of 225,800 full-and part-time jobs across the U.S. economy.
- Maintaining resources for the feral swine eradication to protect the health of our herds.o Established in the 2018 Farm Bill, the hugely successful Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program helps address the threat feral swine pose to agriculture, ecosystems, and human and animal health, especially through FADs like African swine fever.
- Making the Qualified Business Income Deduction permanent, allowing producers to make organizational decisions for their business not based solely on tax liability.
- Making Bonus Depreciation permanent at 100% to provide producers with flexibility to plan cash flows for major asset acquisitions.
- Changing the way the Business Interest Expense Limitation is calculated to avoid harming producers relying on borrowing to make improvements or normalize cash flow in poor market conditions.
- Making the Estate Tax Exemption increase permanent to prevent new tax exposure for family-owned farms.
- Substantially increasing the expensing limitations of Section 179 to provide producers flexibility in planning cash flows around major asset acquisitions.
