The House on Wednesday passed a bill allowing the year-round sale of an ethanol blend known as E15, after a bitter feud among Republicans over legislation that has long been a top priority for lawmakers in farm states.
The vote was 218 to 203, marking a rare moment of bipartisanship in an otherwise deeply polarized Congress. Ninety-five Democrats crossed party lines to support the bill, enough to overcome the opposition of 90 Republicans, many of whom represent districts with small oil refineries, and others who belong to the far-right Freedom Caucus who tried mightily to kill the measure.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where it faces an uncertain fate. Still, the passage of the measure to broaden the availability of E15, a gasoline blend made from the corn-based fuel ethanol, was a boon for several Midwestern Republicans locked in tight races in this year’s midterm elections.
“Today is a major victory for Iowa farmers, consumers and American energy independence,” Representative Zach Nunn of Iowa, who has led the push for year-round E15, said in a statement after the vote. “There were plenty of forces in Washington trying to prevent this vote from ever happening, but we held the line, demanded a vote and delivered results.”
The Clean Air Act restricts the summertime sale of E15, which consists of 15 percent ethanol and can contribute to smog. But both Democratic and Republican administrations — including the Trump administration this year — have issued temporary waivers during periods of high gas prices. The blend can be more affordable at the pump because corn is cheaper to produce than regular gasoline.
The biofuels industry and corn growers have unsuccessfully lobbied Congress to alter existing law to allow for year-round sale of the blend. But Republican opponents have thwarted several efforts to pass year-round E15, causing intraparty tensions and frustration with House leadership.
An effort to include year-round E15 in a bipartisan spending package in late 2024 failed, after opposition from Elon Musk helped tank the measure. A similar attempt to tack on the provision to another funding bill in January was also stymied. And in late April, infighting among Republicans over the issue almost derailed the passage of the farm bill, a major piece of legislation that sets agricultural policy.
Last month, E15 opponents threatened to torpedo the farm bill if the ethanol measure was attached to it, prompting leaders to decouple the two. That infuriated farm state Republicans, who secured an agreement for a separate vote on E15 this week.
“There was a group of us that really felt our farmers were not being represented,” Representative Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin said in an interview this week, describing the group’s efforts as “drawing a line in the cornfield.”
President Trump and Vice President JD Vance have both traveled to Iowa in recent months to urge the passage of year-round E15. But their support was not enough to assuage some Republican critics.
In an opinion essay in The Hill this month, two members of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus argued that the measure imposed exorbitant compliance costs on small refiners, and amounted to a “corporate bailout” for the ethanol industry. An estimate by the Congressional Budget Office that the bill would add more than $2 billion to the deficit over the next decade provided additional grist for detractors.
But for corn farmers, year-round E15 would provide a much-welcomed income boost at a time of high fertilizer and diesel costs, disruptions to export markets, and low demand and crop prices.
“Passage of this bill is essential to the success of corn farmers and rural communities, particularly as our growers face their fourth year of net losses and struggle with high input costs,” Jed Bower, the president of the National Corn Growers Association, said in a statement.
And for some politically vulnerable Republican lawmakers who represent areas that produce corn and other ethanol feedstock, the bill’s passage may provide a potent campaign talking point as they appeal to voters for re-election. At least four competitive House races feature Republican incumbents who pushed for the passage of year-round E15, as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and some Democratic challengers have continued to seize on the issue.
Linda Qiu is a Times reporter who specializes in fact-checking statements made by politicians and public figures. She has been reporting and fact-checking public figures for nearly a decade.
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