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S. 4860 · 119th Congress · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

New Federal Aid Program for Specialty Crop Farmers

CHILE Act of 2026

Sponsored by Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM) ·
9 cosponsors
  • Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO] (D-CO)
  • Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ)
  • Sen. Fetterman, John [D-PA] (D-PA)
  • Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO] (D-CO)
  • Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME] (I-ME)
  • Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA)
  • Sen. Slotkin, Elissa [D-MI] (D-MI)
  • Sen. Warnock, Raphael G. [D-GA] (D-GA)
  • Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR)

Deep dive June 27, 2026

This bill creates a federal assistance program for farmers who grow fruits, vegetables, nuts, and other specialty crops. If an adverse event hurts their production or sales, the U.S. Department of Agriculture can pay them direct aid based on their past crop sales. Payment caps apply, but farmers who earn most of their income from farming can qualify for a higher cap of at least $900,000.

What to know

  • The bill sets up a new program that lets the Secretary of Agriculture pay specialty crop farmers after a disaster or market disruption.
  • Payments are based on each farmer's past specialty crop sales, multiplied by a factor the Secretary chooses.
  • Most farmers face a standard annual payment cap set by existing farm law.
  • Farmers who get 75 percent or more of their income from farming, ranching, or forestry can receive a higher cap, at least $900,000 per year.
  • Any similar specialty crop aid the Secretary offers must be run through this new program framework.
  • Actual payment amounts are not guaranteed and depend on available funds and the Secretary's decisions.

Heads up

4 buried provisions

Provisions we flagged do not match the bill's stated purpose, or repeat language from bills that did not pass on their own.

Secretary decides what counts as an adverse event (Section 2, new Sec. 197(b))

Why we flagged this

The bill lets the Secretary of Agriculture decide what counts as an "adverse event." This includes any "economic crisis or market disruption." These terms are not defined. The Secretary controls a $5 billion fund using this broad power. That gives one official wide say over who gets paid.

Show the exact bill text
The Secretary shall establish a framework to provide direct assistance to producers of specialty crops the production of which is impacted by an adverse event (including an economic crisis or market disruption), as determined by the Secretary, in accordance with this section.
Payment factor set by the Secretary (Section 2, new Sec. 197(c)(2))

Why we flagged this

The size of each payment depends on a "payment factor" the Secretary picks. The bill sets no formula, cap, or floor for this factor. That leaves a key part of how billions get spent up to one official.

Show the exact bill text
a payment factor the Secretary determines, subject to the availability of funds, to address losses of those specialty crops from that adverse event.
Payment cap removed for large farm-income earners (Section 2, new Sec. 197(e)(1)(B))

Why we flagged this

Normal farm payment limits do not apply to people or businesses that get 75% or more of their income from farming. For those entities, the Secretary sets the cap, but it cannot be less than $900,000 per crop year. That is far above the standard limit and could send large sums to big operations.

Show the exact bill text
subparagraph (A) of this paragraph shall not apply; and ... the total maximum amount of payments received, directly or indirectly, by that person or legal entity for any crop year under this section shall be set by the Secretary, except that amount may not be less than $900,000.
$5 billion appropriation with no end date (Section 2(b))

Why we flagged this

The bill gives the Department of Agriculture $5 billion that stays available until spent. There is no deadline to use or return it. Combined with the broad "adverse event" trigger, the money can be drawn on for many years and many situations.

Show the exact bill text
There is appropriated to the Secretary of Agriculture, out of any amounts in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $5,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2027, to remain available until expended, to provide direct assistance to producers of specialty crops pursuant to section 197 of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (as added by subsection (a)).

Section by section

  1. Short title of the bill

    This section gives the bill its official name. The law can be called either the 'Cultivating Horticultural Innovation in Local Economies Act of 2026' or the shorter 'CHILE Act of 2026.' This is a standard opening section found in most bills. It does not create any programs, rights, or requirements on its own.

    Who this affects

    No one is directly affected by this section alone. It simply sets the name used to refer to the law.

    Tradeoff

    This section has no policy tradeoff. It only establishes the bill's title.

    Show the exact bill text
    This Act may be cited as the Cultivating Horticultural Innovation in Local Economies Act of 2026 or the CHILE Act of 2026 .
  2. Emergency aid program for specialty crop farmers

    This section creates a new federal assistance program for farmers who grow specialty crops, such as fruits, vegetables, and nuts. If an adverse event hurts their production, including an economic crisis or market disruption, the Secretary of Agriculture can pay them direct assistance. The payment is based on the farmer's past sales of specialty crops, multiplied by a payment factor the Secretary sets. The program accounts for the higher value and higher costs of specialty crops. There are payment caps per year. Most farmers face a standard cap set by existing farm law. But if 75 percent or more of a farmer's income comes from farming, ranching, or forestry, a higher cap applies, and that higher cap cannot be less than $900,000. The Secretary must run any similar specialty crop aid through this new framework.

    Who this affects

    Farmers and other legal entities that grow specialty crops (fruits, vegetables, nuts, and similar crops). The payment limits and rules apply to both individual farmers and farm businesses.

    Tradeoff

    The program gives specialty crop farmers faster, structured access to disaster aid, but the payment amounts depend on available funds and the Secretary's judgment, so actual payouts are not guaranteed.

    Show the exact bill text
    The Secretary shall establish a framework to provide direct assistance to producers of specialty crops the production of which is impacted by an adverse event (including an economic crisis or market disruption), as determined by the Secretary, in accordance with this section.

Citations

  1. Congress.gov bill text: link (retrieved 2026-06-27)

Public record

Below is the official voting record from Congress.gov. It is not our analysis.

Source: Congress.gov

This bill has no recorded roll-call vote yet. A roll-call vote records how each member voted by name.