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The 2026 farm bill working its way through Congress includes an amendment that would allow tobacco farmers to receive more disaster and emergency funds, a move critics say is contrary to public health goals and MAHA’s vow to lower chronic disease rates.
The details: The amendment would make tobacco farmers eligible for aid from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Credit Corporation.
- Tobacco farmers have been excluded from receiving those funds since the end of the federal tobacco program in 2004.
- Tobacco farmers can already benefit from other government subsidies, such as federal crop insurance and emergency relief from Congress during the pandemic.
Why it’s important: The overall impact of the amendment would be relatively small, but it still amounts to subsidizing tobacco.
- Tobacco subsidies lower the cost of finished tobacco products, increasing the likelihood young people will try them and lowering the incentive for adults to quit.
- If included in the final bill, the amendment would be another win for the tobacco industry in this administration.
Meanwhile: Congress is also considering FY 2027 appropriations bills. A coalition of 89 public health, education, and other advocacy groups sent letters to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees urging them to provide $310 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tobacco prevention and cessation programs.
Read more: Tobacco could get a boost from the farm bill. How does that square with MAHA?; Snuffing out tobacco
Published
March 2026