An amendment that would remove a proposed delay to the federal ban on most hemp-derived THC products has been ruled germane by the Senate parliamentarian, clearing the way for it to pass with a simple majority. It could receive a vote as soon as Friday.
The amendment, introduced by U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.), would strike language from the Senate’s stopgap government funding package that would postpone the upcoming hemp restrictions from November 12 to December 11.
According to a Senate aide familiar with the parliamentarian’s ruling, the amendment was determined to be germane to the underlying legislation. That means it would require just 50 votes for approval rather than the 60-vote threshold that could have applied if senators were required to waive a procedural objection.
The ruling significantly increases the amendment’s chances of being adopted as senators continue negotiating the funding package. Budd has argued that the restrictions approved by Congress last year should be allowed to take effect as scheduled.
The existing law, signed in November 2025, changes the federal definition of hemp by imposing a limit of 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container, a standard expected to make a large portion of currently legal hemp-derived THC products federally illegal beginning November 12.
Senate appropriators included language in the new continuing resolution that would push most of those changes back until December 11, giving lawmakers roughly another month to consider a longer-term approach to regulating hemp products. The funding measure would keep federal agencies operating through the same date.
The White House has been urging senators to preserve the temporary delay, with President Donald Trump personally contacting Budd about the issue this week. Budd has continued to oppose the extension despite that pressure.
If Budd’s amendment receives 50 votes, the delay would be removed and the hemp restrictions would remain scheduled to take effect November 12.
