Food and agriculture are at the top of government shutdown concerns this week, as top Senate leaders point to the danger of letting funding lapse on Saturday for USDA and a handful of other agencies.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on the first of the next two shutdown deadlines.
“A shutdown of the Agriculture Department would threaten higher food costs for all Americans, threaten critical services for farmers in rural communities, from home ownership programs to food banks, and delay access to critical programs, just as spring is arriving,” said Schumer.
Those critical services for farmers include ARC and PLC and highly subscribed conservation programs.
“American farmers and ranchers, like the Kentuckians visiting Washington this week, expect us to take the challenges they face in feeding our nation, seriously,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
Emily Buckman, Director of Government Affairs with American Farm Bureau, asks if Congress can’t do its basic job of funding the government, what does that mean for getting a farm bill done?
“If we’re truly thinking about getting a farm bill done, time is of the essence, because the current extension that was offered for the farm bill is September 30th. We cannot forget that it is an election year. Obviously, we’re still in the first quarter, dealing with appropriations, but once fiscal ’24 appropriations are taken care of, we’ve got to think about fiscal year ’25,” said Buckman.
“If we don’t get action by the Ag committee in March, I don’t think we’re going to have a five-year farm bill this year,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA).
Grassley cited continuing disagreements over farm vs. nutrition funding and AFBF’s Buckman on House policy riders on spending bills that could spill over into farm bill talks.
Source: NAFB News Service.
