| Monroe News Star | - |
Cotton
supports were overhauled in the Farm Bill to pay out when farmers have
losses. / News-Star file photo. Written by. Staff and wire report.
Senate sends Farm Bill to Obama
Feb. 4, 2014 7:39 PM
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Cotton supports were overhauled in the Farm Bill to pay out when farmers have losses. / News-Star file photo
WASHINGTON
— After years of delays and contentious negotiations that threatened to
derail the Farm Bill, Congress completed its work on a new five-year
package that now heads to the White House where President Barack Obama
will sign it into law Friday.
The Senate voted 68-32 Tuesday on a $500 billion Farm Bill that will end direct payments to farmers, expand the popular crop insurance program and cut spending on food stamps for some poor Americans by 1 percent.
The Farm Bill, which had been mired in Congress for nearly three years, was passed in a dizzying blur of action. It took just over a week for the legislation to be introduced by House and Senate negotiators and approved by lawmakers in both chambers. The House passed the bill by a 251-166 vote last week.
“This is not your father’s Farm Bill. It’s a new direction for American agriculture policy,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “It’s time to get it to the president for signature.”
Obama said while the Farm Bill “isn’t perfect,” it contains many of the reforms championed by his administration that “will make a positive difference not only for the rural economies that grow America’s food, but for our nation.” The White House said the president will sign the legislation Friday at Michigan State University and discuss its importance to the economy.
Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Mike Strain applauded passage of the bill.
“For more than a year, we have struggled to gain stability for the nation’s farmers while a long-term Farm Bill was in limbo. I am happy to hear our congressional leaders have finally resolved their differences and voted in favor of a five-year Farm Bill. It was certainly overdue.
“The legislation is an extremely important piece of legislation for the U.S. farmer and rancher as it sets the course for the largest industry in Louisiana and America. The Farm Bill promotes an economically healthy U.S. agricultural sector that is in and of itself one of the foundations of our economy,” Strain said.
The Senate voted 68-32 Tuesday on a $500 billion Farm Bill that will end direct payments to farmers, expand the popular crop insurance program and cut spending on food stamps for some poor Americans by 1 percent.
The Farm Bill, which had been mired in Congress for nearly three years, was passed in a dizzying blur of action. It took just over a week for the legislation to be introduced by House and Senate negotiators and approved by lawmakers in both chambers. The House passed the bill by a 251-166 vote last week.
“This is not your father’s Farm Bill. It’s a new direction for American agriculture policy,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “It’s time to get it to the president for signature.”
Obama said while the Farm Bill “isn’t perfect,” it contains many of the reforms championed by his administration that “will make a positive difference not only for the rural economies that grow America’s food, but for our nation.” The White House said the president will sign the legislation Friday at Michigan State University and discuss its importance to the economy.
Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Mike Strain applauded passage of the bill.
“For more than a year, we have struggled to gain stability for the nation’s farmers while a long-term Farm Bill was in limbo. I am happy to hear our congressional leaders have finally resolved their differences and voted in favor of a five-year Farm Bill. It was certainly overdue.
“The legislation is an extremely important piece of legislation for the U.S. farmer and rancher as it sets the course for the largest industry in Louisiana and America. The Farm Bill promotes an economically healthy U.S. agricultural sector that is in and of itself one of the foundations of our economy,” Strain said.
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