What Is a “Skinny” Farm Bill—and Is It a Bad Thing?
August 20, 2025 | Source: The Equation | by Melissa Kaplan
August recess has arrived in Washington, DC, after a hectic few months of legislative activity that included a huge budget bill signed into law in July. Congress has left town until September, but that doesn’t mean nothing is happening in agricultural policy. House Agriculture Committee chairman G.T. Thompson (R-PA) has said he wants to introduce a new “skinny” farm bill as soon as this fall, and activity and speculation around this anticipated legislation is already ramping up.
What is he talking about?
How we got here
A quick refresher: In July 2025, President Trump signed a massive budget bill that slashed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which more than 40 million people rely on to help feed themselves and their families. The bill used money from these SNAP cuts to pay for additional farm subsidies on certain commodity crops, which largely benefit the wealthiest farmers in the country.