Following today’s Senate Agriculture Committee vote to advance its draft Farm Bill to the Senate floor, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy has released the following statement:
Earlier this afternoon, the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee passed its Farm Bill out of committee by a 12-11 party-line vote, with all Committee Democrats voting no on the draft. Over a month ago, this same Farm Bill failed by a similar party-line vote of 10-11, reflecting the broader party sentiments within the Senate. Instead of using the additional time to improve the bill, which fails to adequately extend essential funding for hunger relief, Committee Republicans made no changes, and were only able to attain passage by bringing back all absent members for a vote.
IATP maintains that this Farm Bill does not do nearly enough to help farmers in need. Input costs remain high, and bankruptcy rates in large swaths of U.S. farm country continue to increase. A more serious approach to building local food systems is needed, considering the damage that has been done to export-oriented agriculture by the administration’s tariff and trade policies.
IATP thanks the members of the committee who have stood in support of people who rely on SNAP benefits across the United States. If passed as written, this proposed Farm Bill will not address imminent SNAP cuts and will lead to more hungry people in every state and territory, while devastating local government budgets. These cuts are being proposed even as consumer prices overall have risen by more than 30% since the beginning of 2019. Food prices are projected to continue to rise, and food shelf visits in Minnesota have reached an historic high for the fourth year in a row. The federal government should provide a stable safety net for people struggling to afford the food that sustains them. Instead, this bill would increase those burdens.
Cuts to conservation programs also come at a particularly damaging time. As input costs remain high, public conservation programs can help farmers find cost-effective alternatives that improve water quality and soil health. Instead, we will continue to see a high percentage of farmers being shut out of these historically successful, oversubscribed conservation programs.
We appreciate that this bill includes text on mandatory country of origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef. Consumers want to support domestic agriculture, and having accurate information that allows them to make better choices is a positive development. We also appreciate that the funding of local food procurement was included in this bill, and that preemptions to state animal welfare standards were kept out.
While this Farm Bill has passed out of committee, it seems unlikely that it has the support of the 60 senators needed to pass the full Senate. We urge the committee to try again with a bill that actually meets the moment.
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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.
