Farm bill
McConnell aims for final farm bill vote ‘shortly after’ Labor Day
Congress could send the final version of the 2018 farm bill to President Trump for enactment in early September, a little over a month from now, if negotiators live up to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's outline. Work requirements for SNAP recipients will be the crucial issue; the House and Senate are polar opposites on the question.
Deep in the farm bill, a step forward for black farmers on heirs’ property
While debate over the farm bill has mostly centered on food assistance programs, an under-the-radar provision in the omnibus legislation could greatly assist farmers and ranchers who operate on heirs’ property—that is, inherited land that lacks clear title. The provision is particularly important to black farmers, because an estimated 40 percent of African-American owned land is located on heirs' property and as a result, those farmers have been blocked from federal farm programs.
SNAP enrollment is lowest in eight years
The USDA says monthly SNAP participation has dropped below 40 million people, continuing a long decline in enrollment. The anti-hunger group Food Research and Action Center said enrollment of 39.6 million people in April, the latest month available in USDA data, was the lowest since February 2010.
Survey: farmers support Conservation Stewardship Program
In a survey of over 800 farmers and ranchers across five states, the Center for Rural Affairs found overwhelming support for the farm bill's Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). The Nebraska-based organization, which advocates for environmental stewardship and rural communities, concluded that the CSP should continue to exist and be funded as a standalone farm-bill initiative.
White House raps Senate farm bill on SNAP work rules
The bipartisan Senate farm bill "misses key opportunities to reform" the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by forgoing tougher work requirements for poor adults who want food stamps, said the White House on Tuesday, pointing to the salient feature of the Republican-written House farm bill.
Deadline nears for House attempt to revive farm bill
The electoral circuitry to revive the Republican-written House farm bill this week looks like the mechanism of a Rube Goldberg machine. Republican leaders plan floor votes on two immigration bills, neither certain of passage, to generate support among hardline conservatives for the farm bill. A close vote is expected, just like the roll call that sank the bill a month ago.
Farmers urge King to drop amendment from farm bill
A group of farmers traveled to Capitol Hill Tuesday to deliver a 4,000-signature petition asking Rep. Steve King of Iowa to drop his Protect Interstate Commerce Act from the House version of the farm bill.
Payment limits? Ask the chairman, says Grassley.
Congress can "restore common-sense rules and fiscal integrity" to the farm program by setting a $125,000-per-person limit on farm subsidies, said seven farm advocacy groups in advance of the Senate Agriculture Committee vote today on its farm bill. Rather than give his own opinion, the sponsor of the $125,000 limit told reporters to ask chairman Pat Roberts about the chances it will become part of the bill.
What is the farm bill and why does it matter? A FERN video explainer.
With the Senate Agriculture Committee set to begin review of its version of the farm bill, FERN put together a video explainer, which unpacks this sprawling — and often misunderstood — piece of legislation that shapes the nation's food, farming, and anti-hunger programs. <strong>No paywall</strong>
Senate farm bill designed to clear 60-vote hurdle
Roughly 16 months ago, at their first hearing for the 2018 farm bill, Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts and Sen. Debbie Stabenow agreed to write a bipartisan bill that would be enacted on time, a seemingly simple goal that has eluded Congress repeatedly. With a committee vote set for Wednesday on their 1,006-page bill, the two committee leaders say they are on the verge of a major bipartisan victory.
Senate will vote on farm bill before end of June, says McConnell
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell put the farm bill and a defense bill at the top of his list for Senate passage before the Independence Day recess three weeks from now.
Toiling to get to go on a farm bill that’s status quo
The leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee are treading a surprisingly tortuous path to a bipartisan farm bill that would make no major changes in food stamps, farm supports or crop insurance. They are expected to unveil their package this month, a major advance toward enacting a farm bill before the 2014 law expires on Sept. 30.
House quietly aims for farm bill revival by June 22
Four days after defeating the farm bill, the House quietly delayed Speaker Paul Ryan's attempt to revive the bill until June 22, with GOP leaders hoping that hardline Republicans will vote for it the second time. Members of the House Freedom Caucus provided the decisive votes against the farm bill to underline their demand for a roll call on immigration controls. <strong>(No paywall)</strong>
Less leverage for farm payment reform, says Grassley
The USDA has a "glaring loophole" in its farm subsidy rules that allows people to collect up to $125,000 a year in subsidies for providing farm management, said Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, who is trying to get a tougher set of rules into law.
Farm groups disagree on farm bill checkoff amendment
Thirty-eight farm groups signed on to a letter to the ranking members of the House Agriculture Committee urging them to oppose a farm bill amendment that would more stringently regulate commodity checkoff programs.
Legislation would renew support for ‘socially disadvantaged’ farmers
Five senators and two representatives introduced legislation this week that would reauthorize and expand the Outreach to Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program, the only USDA program tailored specifically toward minority and veteran producers.
White House backs House farm bill as ‘meaningful welfare reform’
With the farm bill facing a test vote in the House today, the Trump administration called the bill "a step toward meaningful welfare reform" with its stricter work requirements for SNAP recipients. "The administration believes that work reforms like those in HR 2 are a critical component of any multi-year farm bill reauthorization," said the White House on Tuesday.
Grassley urges House to cap farm subsidies, says he expects Senate to agree
The House farm bill opens the door to unlimited subsidies, said Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley on Tuesday, urging adoption of a $125,000 per person limit available only to actual farmers. Grassley told reporters that he will seek the same limit in the Senate version of the farm bill.
Trump and Vance oppose funding bill that includes farm aid
President-elect Donald Trump called for a “streamlined spending bill” that also increases the federal debt ceiling on Wednesday as a replacement for the three-month government funding bill that congressional leaders produced the preceding day. That bill included $10 billion to offset a decline in farm income and $21 billion in disaster relief for agriculture.