Moving Forward on the Farm Bill

I was honored to be appointed to the House-Senate conference committee on the Farm Bill on Saturday. A conference committee is created to resolve the differences between legislation passed by the House and Senate. While both the House and Senate strengthened crop insurance and moved to more market-based policies, there are still some differences we’ll have to bridge. For instance, while the House was able to save $40 billion from food stamps by closing loopholes and reinforcing work standards, the Senate only made $4 billion in cuts. The House also structured commodity support a bit differently than the Senate. Nevertheless, I think we can find consensus and pass long-term policy. I was really pleased that my Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) was included in both bills, and I’m confident it will be included in the final legislation. SCO allows farmers to purchase insurance for shallow losses that could drive a farm out of business over time.

I’m looking forward to starting work on our conference committee. Our farmers and ranchers are being asked to produce more food and fiber than ever before to feed and clothe our country. They put a lot on the line to do that every year, risking droughts, floods, and uncertain markets. We ask a lot of our farmers and ranchers. Let's give them a five-year farm bill to help them meet those demands.

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