Some 392 groups, ranging from bankers and equipment makers to farmers and antihunger activists, asked the Senate and House Budget committees to forgo any cuts in Agriculture Department programs. The 2014 farm bill is barely a year old and calls for $23 billion in cuts over 10 years, mostly in public nutrition, conservation and traditional farm subsidies. The letter says “no additional cuts to (USDA) programs should be considered, at least until these policies have time to take plae and be thoroughly evaluated.”
The letter comes two weeks after the House Agriculture Committee sent a letter to the Budget Committee to make a similar argument. Food stamps and crop insurance are the most likely targets if the Republican-controlled Congress decides to cut USDA funding.