Farm-bill coalition asks Congress, don’t cut us now, don’t cut us later

More than 500 groups across the farm, agribusiness, anti-hunger, rural-development and land-stewardship spectrum asked lawmakers in a letter to exempt farm-bill programs from spending cuts this year or next. Often called the farm-bill coalition, the groups said it would be “extremely difficult, if not impossible” for Congress to enact the 2018 farm bill if funding is cut from current levels.

“It is so important you ensure the committee processes for the farm bill can proceed with some budget flexibility,” said the letter to the leaders of the Senate and House Budget and Appropriations committees. While the letter referred directly to the 2018 farm bill, a small-farmer group said it also argued against raids on funding that was earmarked under the current farm law. “These (funding) decisions should be left to the House and Senate Agriculture committees to make next year as part of the normal farm bill process,” said the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.

The letter precedes work by the budget committees to set spending targets for federal programs and drafting by the appropriations committee of funding bills for the government. With the new administration promoting a tax cut, more defense spending and a major expansion of infrastructure construction, funding for federal programs will be under scrutiny to avoid large deficits.

As part of the 2014 farm law, spending on crop subsidies, stewardship and food stamps was pared slightly. The 2014 law is estimated now to cost substantially less than the $100 billion a year that was initially forecast. “Budget cuts in that bill should be recognized as agriculture’s contribution to deficit reduction,” said the coalition letter.

The largest U.S. farm group, the American Farm Bureau Federation, said it joined Bread for the World, Feeding America, the Food Research & Action Center, the National Association of Counties, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership in spearheading support for the letter.

Farm bills are panoramic legislation, ranging from farm subsidies and stewardship to food stamps, ag research and rural economic development. Traditionally, support is needed from farm groups, conservationists, environmentalists, and the food and anti-hunger sector to generate congressional support. The House defeated a farm bill for the first time in 2013 after conservative Republicans demanded the largest cuts in food stamps in a generation.

Exit mobile version