Farm Committee Leadership Faces Major Turnover Ahead of Midterms

Leadership changes are expected in both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees following the midterm elections. Multiple senior members are stepping down or facing internal challenges that will reshape the committees' dynamics in the coming Congress.

In the House, Ranking Member Angie Craig of Minnesota will not return to Congress after losing her Senate nomination earlier this year. Her departure leaves the top Democratic role vacant, with Representatives Shontel Brown of Ohio and Jim Costa of California currently competing to replace her.

The Senate Agriculture Committee also faces a major shift in its Democratic leadership. Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar is running for governor of Minnesota. If she wins that race, she will leave the Senate, positioning Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey to assume the committee's top Democratic post.

Several other Senate members are exiting the chamber, including Joni Ernst, Mitch McConnell, Dick Durbin, and Tina Smith. Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama is also leaving the Senate to run for governor, having not sought reelection to his current seat.

On the Republican side of the House Agriculture Committee, Chairman G.T. Thompson has reached his six-year leadership limit. He is seeking a waiver to remain in the role, but Vice Chairman Austin Scott of Georgia is challenging him for the chairmanship.

Congress must still address unfinished legislation before the current term ends on January 3, 2027. The farm bill remains awaiting a vote by the full Senate. Economists suggest lawmakers may fold its remaining provisions into a year-end legislative package rather than passing another temporary extension. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley has proposed the defense spending bill as one possible vehicle to advance those provisions.