Trump Wins GOP Hemp Fight as Senate Rejects Budd Amendment
Trump called Budd Tuesday night after the North Carolina Republican filed his amendment to allow the restrictions to take effect as originally scheduled.
Conservative senators tried to stop the White House from delaying a ban on intoxicating hemp products. They lost.
The Senate voted 61-32 early Saturday to table Sen. Ted Budd’s (R-NC) amendment stripping the delay from a government funding bill, preserving a White House-backed provision that pushes implementation of the new hemp restrictions from Nov. 12 until Dec. 11. The broader continuing resolution then passed 90-6 and now heads to the House.
The vote caps several days of Republican infighting after President Donald Trump personally called Budd as the administration worked to secure more time to develop a federal approach to THC products. The White House says the additional month is needed to work on a regulatory framework, including potential medicinal uses.
Trump called Budd Tuesday night after the North Carolina Republican filed his amendment to allow the restrictions to take effect as originally scheduled. According to a Senate aide, Trump discussed establishing federal regulations for hemp but did not directly ask Budd to withdraw the amendment.
Budd made clear Wednesday that the pressure was coming from more than one direction:
“I’ve been asked by lots of people to stand down on this amendment.”
He questioned why the administration suddenly needed more time after having months to prepare for the law.
“So why all of a sudden pop up for some seemingly innocent delay?”
Budd accused the White House of potentially preparing to “jam this on some must-pass” spending legislation later in the year and push the restrictions back again.
The underlying law dates to a funding package Trump signed in November 2025. Congress rewrote the federal definition of hemp to close what became known as the 2018 Farm Bill loophole, a textbook case of statutory drafting coming back to bite regulators.
The original law defined hemp by its delta-9 THC content alone. Manufacturers subsequently built products around delta-8 THC and other intoxicating cannabinoids that could still qualify as hemp so long as they remained below the federal delta-9 threshold.
Under the new definition, now delayed until Dec. 11, total THC concentration would be measured rather than delta-9 THC alone. It also excludes final hemp-derived cannabinoid products containing more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per container and products containing certain synthesized or manufactured cannabinoids.
The change could remove a large number of intoxicating hemp products now sold openly in gummies, candies, beverages and other forms. Federal health officials have previously warned about products resembling familiar snack brands and their accessibility to children.
That became one of Budd’s central arguments before the Senate vote.
“These products are made to look exactly like something a kid would want. Emergency Departments have seen a 461-percent increase in cases of pediatric cannabis poisoning. Most of those were children four years old or younger.”
Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Budd had pressed the issue during a closed-door Senate GOP lunch, with Cotton referring to the products as “gas-station marijuana candy.” Budd’s amendment ultimately could not muster enough support to overcome the White House-backed delay.
“Other Republicans defended giving the administration more time, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), whose state has a significant hemp industry, and Sens. Steve Daines (R-MT) and Tim Sheehy (R-MT).”
Critics of the delay have also pointed to a reported connection between the policy and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, whose son-in-law reportedly owns a company that sells intoxicating hemp products.
The Senate vote settles the immediate Republican showdown, but not the underlying question that Budd raised.
The continuing resolution expires Dec. 11, the same date to which the hemp restrictions would now be delayed if the House approves the Senate bill and Trump signs it. Budd has already warned that another must-pass spending package could provide an opportunity to seek another extension.
For now, however, the White House got the month it wanted. Budd and his allies got a recorded vote and lost it 61-32.
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Comments
Is anyone else sick & tired of government trying to “do something” about intoxicating products?
Alcohol is every bit as bad as any drug and probably kills more people besides. The 18th amendment was a complete failure, turning formerly law abiding citizens into criminals over night.
George Washington grew hemp. This government would toss the father of our country in prison under current thinking.
The federal government largely does far more harm than good. The regulation of recreational drugs is one of those things.
I feel terrible for those afflicted with addiction and those who have died from overdoses. But in my mind, criminalizing drugs has only made the problem worse.
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