Overviews for a new Farm Bill were released earlier this week by leaders of both the U.S. House and Senate Ag Committees.
Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15)—who serves as Chair of the House Agriculture Committee—said he plans to mark-up the bill this month while speaking with reporters from the National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) this week in Washington, D.C.
“We’re going to do a markup on this Farm Bill on May 23rd in the House Act committee and it is, in its structure, it is a strong bipartisan bill,” he said.
Thompson also released the following statement after sharing a title-by-title overview of the bipartisan policies and priorities included in the 2024 Farm Bill.
“This bill is a product of an extensive and transparent process, which included soliciting feedback from members of both political parties, stakeholder input from across the nation, and some tough conversations,” said Thompson. “Each title of this farm bill reflects a commitment to the American farmer and viable pathways to funding those commitments and is equally responsive to the politics of the 118th Congress. The Committee on Agriculture will markup this bill on May 23, and I hope for unanimous support in this endeavor to bring stability to producers, protect our nation’s food security, and revitalize rural America.”
Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)—Chair of the U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee—told NAFB reporters that she’s counting on bipartisan support for the bill.
“We don’t get a farm bill done unless it’s bipartisan, period,” she said. “I’ve been involved in six farm bills. This is the third one I’ve led in the Senate, and I know how to get these done. And I know that you do that by keeping the broad Farm bill coalition together, and that means commodities and conservationists and foresters, and environmentalists and nutrition folks and local governments and bioenergy. And I mean, it’s all of it,” she said. “So, what we’re doing today is putting out not a framework. A bill. This is a bill.”
She said she’s serious about getting the bill done.
“You know that we’re stuck right now on some negotiations. I hope this helps free that because our farmers need the certainty of a five-year farm bill. I think rural communities need that as well,” she said. “So, we’re doing this within the context of three major goals: keeping farmers farming; keeping families fed; and keeping rural communities strong. That’s the framework that we are using.”
The 2018 Farm Bill is currently under a one-year extension that expires on Sept. 30.
Click HERE for the new Farm Bill overviews that were released by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).
