The U.S. House Agriculture Committee on April 18 advanced the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, where it will next be considered by the full House.
The bill got the committee’s approval less than one week after it was introduced, and according to a statement by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, the bill is “nearly identical” to the version of the bill that was first released.
Agriculture officials respond
“Today’s vote was about America’s farmers and ranchers,” House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway, R-Texas, said in a statement. “It was about filling an obligation to lead, rather than standing on the sidelines.”
Perdue added: “I commend Chairman Conaway and the House Committee on Agriculture for passing a comprehensive Farm Bill out of the Committee today. The bill closely aligns with the Farm Bill Principles released by USDA in January and is nearly identical to the legislation first introduced last week. We are encouraged that the committee heard the voices of their constituents, who want to preserve and enhance programs contained in the 2014 farm bill, as I learned in my conversations with farmers, ranchers, foresters, and producers in 35 states in the last twelve months. As the bill heads to the floor, I hope the House recognizes the long-term certainty it provides for America’s farmers, just as it preserves nutrition programs for people who need help feeding themselves and their families. USDA stands ready to provide technical assistance as the bill progresses in the House, and we look forward to working with our friends in the Senate as well. As Republicans and Democrats have farm interests in their own districts and states, we are hopeful that the 2018 Farm Bill can move forward in a bipartisan manner.”
Key provisions of the bill, according to an email from Committee Member Kristi Noem, R-South Dakota, are:
- Making reforms to strengthen commodity programs
- Maintaining a strong crop insurance program
- Increasing CRP acreage, while capping rental rates
- Maintaining meaningful livestock disaster programs
- Establishment of real work requirements for (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) SNAP beneficiaries
Noem, in a separate email correspondence, hailed the advancement of the bill.
“I am very proud of the months-long effort that produced this legislation, and I look forward to ushering it through the House in the weeks to come,” she said.
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall, in a statement, called the advancement of the farm bill “great news,” saying it takes the U.S. “one step closer to bringing certainty to families who face the toughest farm economy in more than a decade.”
Senate to work on farm bill
The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, meanwhile, awaits work on the farm bill.
The committee’s leaders, Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, jointly issued the following statement: “We continue to be committed to working on a farm bill for all farmers and families. With low commodity prices, worsening conditions in farm country, and unmet needs in communities across the country, we need to get this farm bill right. We're working together as quickly as possible to produce a bipartisan bill that can pass the Senate and be enacted into law.”
The Senate committee has held nearly 30 hearings and business meeting during the 115th Congress, including nine hearings on all titles of the 2014 farm bill.
