Senate Ag Committee fails to advance a Farm Bill that would fail farmers and food systems
The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy has released a statement from Ben Lilliston, Director of Climate Change and Rural Strategies, in response to the Farm Bill voted down by the Senate Agricultural Committee today:
“Today’s failure to pass a Farm Bill out of the Senate Agriculture Committee was largely due to a stalemate around the essential anti-hunger program SNAP. But across the board the Senate’s draft fails to meet the moment for farmers and our food system, which is facing severe headwinds. We need a much bolder Farm Bill that expands access to hugely popular farm conservation programs instead of cutting them, and reforms unfair, highly concentrated markets contributing to high costs and low prices for farmers. We need to invest in climate resilience as drought, heatwaves, and wildfires affect farmland around the country. And we need to stop the violent raids targeting essential food and farmworkers.
This Congress continues to ignore the actual challenges facing farmers and our food system, and those problems won’t magically disappear with another status quo Farm Bill.”
The bill was voted down in a 10-11 party-line vote, and the Committee is expected to revisit the bill in September. For more info and insights into the actions of the Trump administration, follow along at www.iatp.org/tracking-trump-administration
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Based in Minneapolis with offices in Washington, D.C., and Berlin, Germany, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy works locally and globally at the intersection of policy and practice to ensure fair and sustainable food, farm and trade systems. To learn more, visit: www.iatp.org.
