Farm Bill: Claiming 'Victory' and Blaming Democrats for Legislation That Never Received a Floor Vote

Agriculture / Legislative Process Source: Press Releases, Public Statements MISLEADING

Why This Matters for NY-23

The April 2024 frost destroyed 75% of Chautauqua County’s grape crop — an estimated $220 million in losses. Langworthy celebrated that his GRAPE Act was included in the Farm Bill as a “major victory.” But the Farm Bill never received a floor vote, never became law, and NY-23 farmers never got the crop insurance protection they were promised. Committee passage isn’t victory; enacted law is victory. Farmers got press releases while still lacking federal relief.

Statement

Source: Press Releases, Public Statements Reported by: Langworthy.house.gov, Observer Today, Post-Journal

May 24, 2024: “I’m proud to have fought for Western New York and the Southern Tier to have a seat at the table… I look forward to supporting it on the House floor.”

May 17, 2024: Langworthy touted that his six sponsored bills were included in the Farm Bill text, calling it a “major victory” for NY-23 farmers.

January 10, 2025: “I was disappointed we couldn’t get bipartisan cooperation to get the Farm Bill passed in the last Congress.”

The Legislative Record

The 2024 Farm Bill (Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024):

  • Passed House Agriculture Committee: 33-21 (May 23, 2024)
  • Received floor vote: NEVER
  • Became law: NO
  • Langworthy’s six bills became law: NO

Timeline:

  • May 23, 2024: Committee passage
  • May 24, 2024: Langworthy press release celebrating
  • May - December 2024: Speaker Mike Johnson never scheduled floor vote
  • January 3, 2025: 118th Congress ended, bill died
  • January 10, 2025: Langworthy blames Democrats for failure

The Bills That Didn’t Become Law

Langworthy’s six bills included in the Farm Bill text:

  1. H.R. 565 - GRAPE Act (crop insurance for freeze damage)
  2. H.R. 3550 (dairy pricing formula)
  3. H.R. 3638 (maple syrup producer support)
  4. Three additional agriculture provisions

Status of all six: Never enacted into law because the Farm Bill never passed.

Why It Didn’t Pass

Committee Vote Breakdown:

  • Yes: 33 (all Republicans)
  • No: 21 (19 Democrats + 2 Republicans)
  • Only 4 Democrats voted yes

Democratic opposition focused on:

  • Partisan SNAP work requirement provisions
  • Cuts to nutrition programs
  • Lack of meaningful Democratic input in drafting

Republican leadership decision: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) never scheduled the bill for a floor vote despite:

  • Republican majority in the House
  • Ability to bring bills to the floor
  • Langworthy publicly calling for floor action

The April 2024 Frost: Still Unaddressed

What happened: April 18-19, 2024: Devastating frost hit NY-23

  • Chautauqua County: 75% of grape crop destroyed
  • Estimated $220 million in losses
  • Cherry, apple, peach orchards also affected

Langworthy’s response: Visited affected farms, issued press releases, highlighted the GRAPE Act as the solution.

The problem: The GRAPE Act was in a Farm Bill that never passed. NY-23 growers got press coverage but no actual federal relief.

As of December 2025: Growers still have no expanded crop insurance for freeze damage because the GRAPE Act never became law.

The Pattern of “Committee Victories”

Langworthy has a pattern of claiming legislative victories at the committee stage:

DateClaimActual Result
May 2024GRAPE Act “major victory”Bill never passed House floor
May 2024Dairy pricing “secured”Provision never became law
May 2024Maple syrup support “delivered”Provision never became law

Committee passage ≠ Law

The legislative process requires:

  1. Committee approval ✓ (accomplished)
  2. Floor vote ✗ (never happened)
  3. Senate passage ✗ (couldn’t happen without House vote)
  4. President’s signature ✗ (couldn’t happen without Senate passage)

Who Actually Blocked the Farm Bill?

Langworthy’s January 2025 claim: “I was disappointed we couldn’t get bipartisan cooperation to get the Farm Bill passed in the last Congress.”

The facts:

  • Republicans held House majority (controlled floor schedule)
  • Republican Speaker chose not to schedule vote
  • Bill was crafted without meaningful Democratic input (hence 19 of 21 Democrats voted no in committee)
  • No Democratic actions prevented floor vote—Speaker simply didn’t schedule it

If Republicans wanted floor vote: They could have held one at any time between May and December 2024.

What NY-23 Farmers Actually Got

Press releases: Multiple announcements about Langworthy’s “fight” for farmers

Actual policy changes: Zero

Federal assistance for April 2024 frost damage: None from the GRAPE Act (which didn’t pass)

Dairy pricing reform: No changes (provision didn’t pass)

Maple syrup producer support: No changes (provision didn’t pass)

The 2025 Context

A new Farm Bill must be negotiated in the 119th Congress.

Langworthy’s six bills are not automatically included in the new bill—they would need to be reintroduced and included in new Farm Bill text.

As of December 2025:

  • No new Farm Bill has passed
  • NY-23 farmers still lack the protections Langworthy claimed to have “secured” in May 2024

Questions This Raises

  1. Why did Langworthy characterize committee passage as a “major victory” when the bill never received a floor vote?

  2. Why blame Democrats for lack of “bipartisan cooperation” when the Republican Speaker never scheduled the vote?

  3. Did claiming victory at the committee stage mislead NY-23 farmers about whether they had federal protections?

  4. After the April 2024 frost devastated crops, why didn’t Langworthy push Republican leadership to bring the Farm Bill to a floor vote?

  5. When Langworthy says he “fought for” and “secured” provisions for farmers, does that mean committee passage or actual enacted law?

Sources

Congressional Record:

  • Congress.gov: H.R. 8467 - Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024
  • Roll Call vote: House Agriculture Committee markup

Langworthy Statements:

  • Langworthy.house.gov: Press release celebrating Farm Bill committee passage (May 24, 2024)
  • Langworthy.house.gov: Statement on Farm Bill failure (January 10, 2025)
  • Langworthy.house.gov: GRAPE Act introduction and frost damage response (May 2024)

Langworthy’s Bills:

  • H.R. 565 - GRAPE Act (118th Congress)
  • H.R. 3550 - Dairy pricing legislation (118th Congress)
  • H.R. 3638 - Maple syrup support (118th Congress)

Local Impact:

  • Observer Today: Coverage of April 2024 frost damage
  • Post-Journal: Chautauqua County grape crop losses (April-May 2024)
  • CCE Chautauqua County: Agricultural damage assessment

Legislative Analysis:

  • Congressional Research Service: Farm Bill process and timeline
  • House Agriculture Committee: Farm Bill markup materials

Note: This entry documents publicly available information from congressional records and official statements. Readers may draw their own conclusions.

In Plain Language

Here’s how a bill becomes law:

  1. Committee approval ✓ (happened)
  2. Floor vote ✗ (never scheduled)
  3. Senate passage ✗ (couldn’t happen without House vote)
  4. President’s signature ✗ (couldn’t happen without Senate)

Langworthy’s six bills passed step 1. He celebrated that as a “major victory.” But steps 2-4 never happened — Republican Speaker Mike Johnson simply never scheduled a floor vote.

Who did Langworthy blame? Democrats, for lack of “bipartisan cooperation.” But Republicans controlled the House floor schedule. They could have brought the bill up any time between May and December 2024.

The April frost devastated NY-23 farms. The GRAPE Act was supposed to help. But claiming “victory” at committee passage, then blaming Democrats when your own party’s leadership doesn’t schedule a vote, isn’t delivering for farmers — it’s press release politics.

Last updated: December 30, 2025