Senate Moves Forward in Farm Bill Process

Senate_in_sessionThe Congressional Budget Office has released an updated score for the Senate’s version of the farm bill from 2014 to 2023. The CBO says the bill would save 18-billion over 10-years compared with the continuation of programs in the 2008 Farm Bill. This is different from the originally estimated 24.4-billion in savings that included 6.4-billion due to sequestration. The entire Senate began its consideration of the Senate Ag Committee’s 2013 Farm Bill Monday. Senate Ag Chair Debbie Stabenow told her fellow Senators the bill is critical to the 16-million Americans whose jobs rely on a strong ag economy. Stabenow says ag has been one of the bright spots as the U.S. economy gets back on track – and it’s one of the few areas with a trade surplus – which means jobs and opportunities for growth all across America. She appreciates the way the Senate has gotten to this point in a bipartisan way and looks forward to working with her colleagues to pass this bill as soon as possible.

The Obama Administration says it supports Senate passage of the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013 and looks forward to working with Congress to address some of its concerns before final passage. The Administration wants the new bill to promote a variety of things – including rural development and ag research – along with contributing to reducing the national deficit. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says USDA looks forward to working with the Senate to achieve significant deficit reduction by building on farm program reforms.

 

Source: NAFB News Service

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