Stabenow would delay farm bill to 2025 to prevent SNAP and climate cuts - Successful Farming

Stabenow would delay farm bill to 2025 to prevent SNAP and climate cuts
News Stabenow would delay farm bill to 2025 to prevent SNAP and climate cuts Senate Agriculture chairwoman Debbie Stabenow said she would delay the new farm bill, already five months overdue, to 2025 rather than accept cuts — sought by Republicans— in SNAP and climate funds. By Chuck Abbott Chuck Abbott Title: Contributing editor. Experience The slow-talking son of an Illinois farm family, I have covered U.S. food and agriculture policy in its many forms since 1988, from farm bills (six so far) and crop insurance reform to school lunch, ag research, biofuels and the Dietary Guidelines. Successful Farming's Editorial Guidelines Updated on February 28, 2024 Photo: Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images Senate Agriculture chairwoman Debbie Stabenow said she would delay the new farm bill, already five months overdue, to 2025 rather than accept cuts — sought by Republicans— in SNAP and climate funds. “Tell you what: If we get to the end of the year [and] instead of a farm bill, I have protected nutrition for children and families in this country, I’m okay with that,” said Stabenow on Tuesday. “God, you’re tough,” responded Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, seated next to Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat, on a dais during a White House conference on hunger. “That’s great.” The so-called four corners of the farm bill, the leaders of the Senate and House Agriculture committees, have been at an impasse for months, mired in disputes over crop subsidy spending, SNAP, and climate funds. Republicans want to increase reference prices, making it easier to trigger crop subsidy payments, and would use climate funds to pay for it. They also want to eliminate a provision for a review every five years of the Thrifty Food Plan, used to determine the cost of a healthy diet and whether to adjust SNAP benefit levels. Stabenow was the first of the farm bill leaders to say the farm bill could be a year away. Congress has extended the life of the 2018 farm law, which expired last Oct. 1, through this fall. House Agriculture chairman Glenn Thompson, always optimistic about farm bill prospects, said earlier this month that he hoped to move a bill in the House in the near term. He also said an extension of the 2018 farm law was possible. “A lot of things [are] out of my control,” he said. “So that’s where we are. We’re in a stare-down,” said Stabenow, who will retire at the end of the year. “If that means we continue the policies of the 2018 farm bill, which are pretty good, if I do say so myself, then that’s okay.” “That’s okay with me because we aren’t going backwards on feeding people. And we’re not going to go backwards, by the way, on the climate conservation money that we also have there, that is so critical and hitting farmers over the head every single day in terms of the climate crisis,” said Stabenow. The new farm bill would cost around $140 billion a year. SNAP would account for 80 cents of each $1 in outlay. To watch a video of the White House conference, including Stabenow’s remarks, click here. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit