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WHY
IT'S IMPORTANT
Congress failed in 2023 to pass a new farm bill, an omnibus
legislative package passed every five years.
The House bill would have to be reconciled with a Senate bill
led by Democrats and without strong bipartisan support, the
House version has a slim chance of becoming law.
Further delay of a new farm bill could create uncertainty for
farmers and people relying on food aid, Agriculture Secretary
Tom Vilsack warned on a Wednesday press call.
Federal hunger aid for the poor like the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) and farm programs are currently
operating under a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill
passed last September.
CONTEXT
The House bill - which passed out of the committee 33-21 with 4
Democratic votes - expands farm commodity supports, shrinks SNAP
funding, and reallocates nearly $20 billion from the Inflation
Reduction Act intended for climate-smart farm practices.
House Agriculture Committee chair Glenn "GT" Thompson said at
the Thursday committee meeting that the bill "bolsters every
aspect of American agriculture."
Democrats in the House and Senate have said cuts to food aid and
reallocating the climate funds are red lines in negotiations.
"This bill is misguided, and in some aspects, it is
mean-spirited," said the committee's top Democrat, David Scott.
Farm commodity groups have expressed support for the House bill,
while environmental and hunger groups have opposed it.
KEY QUOTE
"Despite areas of common ground, it is now clear that key parts
of the House bill split the Farm Bill coalition in a way that
makes it impossible to achieve the votes to become law," said
Senate Agriculture Committee chair Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat,
in a statement on the bill's passage.
(Reporting by Leah Douglas; editing by Rod Nickel)
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