(WASHINGTON D.C.)– In the early hours of Friday morning, the House Agriculture Committee advanced the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2024, commonly known as the Farm Bill, out of committee and forward to the full House. On a vote of 33-21, with four Democrats voting to move the bill out of committee, the House version of the Farm Bill moves forward after multiple Democratic attempts to amend the bill throughout Thursday’s markup.
According to a report from DTN’s Chris Clayton, Democrats in the committee attempted to restore “requirements that conservation money from the Inflation Reduction Act focus on climate-smart practices.” Another attempted amendment looked at “language that would keep the USDA secretary’s authority over the Commodity Credit Corporation.” A third effort by Democrats looked to “restore $27 billion in funding over 10 years to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).” And a final amendment attempt focused on language to “ensure meatpackers with USDA contracts follow child-labor laws.”
You can read the full report from DTN here: https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/article/2024/05/24/gop-members-hold-attempts-amend-farm
Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee, David Scott (D-GA) released a statement saying in part “For over a year, Democrats have engaged with the Chairman, striving for a genuinely bipartisan farm bill that meets the needs of our farmers and the families they feed. This partisan farm bill fails that test by pitting farmers against the families they feed. Instead of working with House Democrats to write a truly bipartisan bill, House Republicans spent the last year waging a relentless campaign against the very farm bill titles that would garner our support. This partisan farm bill makes the largest cut to SNAP in nearly 30 years.” Scott added, “This partisan farm bill undermines historic climate investments secured by House Democrats in the Inflation Reduction Act. This partisan farm bill eliminates a crucial tool used by Democratic and Republican administrations to aid our farmers during emergencies.”
Multiple farm groups have released statements as of Friday morning after the House Ag Committee advanced the Farm Bill. National Council of Farmer Cooperatives President Chuck Conner said “This evening’s approval of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024 by the House Agriculture Committee represents a necessary step forward towards passing a new farm bill by the end of this year. I would like to applaud Chairman Thompson for his leadership on moving this bill forward. We look forward to working with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to build the bipartisan support that will be needed to see a farm bill passed through both chambers and signed into law.”
A statement from the National Potato Council thanked the House Agriculture Committee “for including valuable specialty crop enhancements in the committee-reported bill. Tonight’s action is an important step toward reauthorizing the Farm Bill and providing the certainty that the U.S. potato industry – and all of American agriculture – desperately needs. We encourage bipartisan efforts to enact a new Farm Bill this year.”
Mark Eisele, President of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association released a statement saying “Cattle producers are thankful that the House Agriculture Committee has advanced a Farm Bill that delivers on the needs of rural America. This Farm Bill protects the cattle industry from foreign animal disease, supports producers’ voluntary conservation efforts, and safeguards our food supply, recognizing that our food security is national security. On behalf of cattle farmers and ranchers across the country, thank you to Chairman Thompson and the House Agriculture Committee for passing this bill. I hope the full House will take the next step and pass this bill soon.”
National Pork Producers Council President Lori Stevermer, a pork producer from Easton, Minn, said in a statement “The 2024 Farm Bill is a golden opportunity to address a top issue for pork producers across the country – California Prop. 12 – and I’m pleased to see the U.S. House Agriculture Committee seize the opportunity to stop a potential 50-state patchwork of differing on-farm regulations.”
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) said many of the recommendations made by corn grower leaders are reflected in the legislation and language in the bill would improve programs for corn growers across the country.
National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) President Keeff Felty made the following statement saying in part, “NAWG commends Chairman Thompson for moving the process forward and urges a bipartisan and bicameral process to enact a highly effective Farm Bill. Ultimately, for a Farm Bill to get signed into law, it will have to pass both chambers and be bipartisan. We look forward to working with all stakeholders to help get a farm bill signed into law that provides certainty and a strong safety net for producers.”
Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) President & CEO Daren Coppock said in a statement that “ARA applauds members of the House Committee on Agriculture for passing a new five-year Farm Bill out of committee, which included several of ARA’s policy priorities. This is a critical step forward to providing much needed economic certainty for America’s agricultural industry. ARA urges the House and Senate to vote to pass the five-year Farm Bill this year.”
Dairy groups such as the National Milk Producers Federation and International Dairy Foods Association also thanked the committee for progress on the Farm Bill in their statements and applauded key dairy wins in the House version of the Farm Bill.
