The Senate Tuesday afternoon approved the 2018 farm bill, titled the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. Senators, without debate, approved the bill 87 to 13, placing action on the House of Representatives to pass and send the legislation to President Trump for his signature.

Ranking Democrat of the House Agriculture Committee last week said “almost all” House Democrats support the bill. Voting against the bill were mainly Republican Senators including, Jon Kyl of Arizona, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Marco Rubio of Florida, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Jeff Flake of Arizona, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Mike Lee of Utah, Mike Enzi of Wyoming, John Barasso of Wyoming, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

Farm groups across the spectrum of agriculture expressed support for the bill and called on lawmakers to move the farm bill across the finish line. The American Farm Bureau Federation endorsed the bill while calling for final approval. AFBF President Zippy Duvall called the bill a “complete package” gives farmers and ranchers the needed tools to “weather this ongoing storm,” referring to the farm economy.

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson says passage of the bill “cannot come soon enough” as farmers and ranchers face the worst farm economy decline in more than 30 years. Johnson calls the bill a “critical step” towards providing relief.