At its presidential convention opening today, the Democratic Party will adopt a platform that vows to support family farms, “provide a focused safety net” and encourage development of clean fuels. “We believe that in order to be effective in keeping our air and water clean and combatting climate change, we must enlist farmers as partners in promoting conservation and stewardship,” says the 55-page draft.
“We will work to build a stronger rural and agricultural economy,” says a section titled, “Investing in Rural America.” It calls for improvements in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure in small towns and rural areas, stewardship of natural resources while developing clean fuels and stronger protection for agricultural workers, including regulation of work hours, elimination of child labor and adequate housing for migrant workers.
“We will expand local food markets and regional food systems and provide a focused safety net to assist family operations that need support during challenging times,” says the platform. “We will encourage programs to protect and enhance family farms, a cherished way of life for millions of Americans.”
The document supports comprehensive immigration reform. “Democrats believe we need to urgently fix our broken immigration system — which tears families apart and keeps workers in the shadow — and create a path to citizenship for law-abiding families who are here, making a better life for their families and contributing to their communities and our country.” The Senate passed an immigration reform bill three years ago; it died in the face of Republican opposition in the House.
“Over the past three decades, America has signed too many trade deals that have not lived up to the hype,” said the Democratic platform, in urging stringent standards to assure pacts that protect American jobs, raise wages and improve national security. “These are the standards Democrats believe must be applied to all trade agreements, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership.” Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic candidate for president and Republican nominee Donald Trump have spoken against TPP.
The platform adopted last week by delegates to the Republican National Convention said farming and ranching are high-risk undertakings that “cannot be isolated from market forces … Federal programs to assist farmers in managing risk must be as cost-effective as they are functional, offering tools that can improve producers’ ability to operate when times are tough while remaining affordable to the taxpayers.”
The Republican platform said it was “a mistake” that USDA operates the $74-billion-a-year food-stamp program and said the party “will … separate the administration of [food stamps] from the Department of Agriculture.”