YourVoice.Now Summary
Corporate BenefitsTransparency & AccountabilityFarmers would get less federal help for dams, ponds, and waste lagoons — and a lower $150,000 payment cap.
Corporate Benefits
For 25 kinds of projects, like dams, irrigation pipelines, land clearing, and waste lagoons, the program would pay at most 40 percent of the cost instead of 75 percent. Farmers would pay the rest. Beginning, veteran, and some other farmers could still get more.
One person or business could get no more than $150,000 in total from the program, down from $450,000. The law writes this cap for contracts signed in fiscal years 2014 through 2023, and the bill changes only the dollar amount.
Transparency & Accountability
Each year, the Agriculture Department would tell Congress how much it spent on each type of project in each state. It would also show spending by the size of each farm.
More about this bill
If you farm or ranch and use EQIP, you could get less federal help for some projects. EQIP is a farm program that helps pay for conservation work. The bill cuts the federal share to 40 percent, down from 75 percent, for 25 kinds of projects. These include dams, ponds, access roads, land clearing, irrigation pipelines, and farm waste storage and treatment lagoons. Most other projects would still be paid at up to 75 percent. Beginning, veteran, and some other farmers could still get higher rates under current law. The bill also lowers the most one person or business can get from the program, from $450,000 to $150,000. The Agriculture Department would have to report to Congress each year on where the money goes. The report would break spending down by type of project, by state, and by farm size.
Congressional Summary
EQIP Improvement Act of 2025 This bill modifies payment limitations and reduces the federal cost share for certain projects authorized under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). As background, this Department of Agriculture program provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers and forest landowners to address natural resource concerns. Specifically, the bill limits the total payments available to a person or legal entity under EQIP to $150,000 over a specified five-year period. (A $450,000 statutory limit was in effect for FY2019-FY2024, and a regulatory contract limit of $450,000 currently applies.) The bill also reduces the maximum federal cost share to 40% (from 75%) for the costs associated with planning, installation, or maintenance for specified conservation practices (e.g., access roads, dams, and waste storage facilities).
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-06-25
- Date Added
- 2026-10-06
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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