Pressure on to finish farm bill

(DesMoines Register) – A day after the Senate passed a five-year, $500 billion farm bill for the second consecutive year, top agriculture officials put the onus on the House not to drop the ball again.

Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley told reporters on Tuesday that the farm bill remains in the same position as last year when the full Senate and the House Agriculture Committee passed legislation, only to see the full House fail to complete legislation. The farm bill later died in Congress, forcing lawmakers to extend the 2008 farm bill through Sept. 30 of this year.

“The House will need to pass a bill by the end of this month if there is any hope of working on the differences between the House and the Senate before our August summer break,” Grassley said.

“If we saw anything last year it was that letting the farm bill expire creates even greater uncertainty and anxiety for those who care about farm legislation,” he said. “It’s touch and go” whether the farm bill will get out of the House, he added.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, confirmed Monday shortly before the Senate vote that his chamber would begin discussing the farm bill later this month and vowed a “vigorous and open debate.”

The House could begin work on the farm bill as soon as next week.

The Senate passed the farm bill by a 66-27 vote. The bill expands crop insurance programs, cuts farm subsidies by $17 billion and consolidates conservation programs.

The biggest difference between the House and Senate bills is in food stamps, where the Senate has proposed cuts of $4 billion compared with about $20 billion in the House. The divide is expected to be a sticking point in farm bill discussions during the next few months.

“The House of Representatives once again has an important opportunity to continue toward passage of a food, farm and jobs bill, and I am encouraged by indications that the House will follow regular order and consider a bill,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

“However, I remain deeply concerned that the House version contains dramatic reductions in support of nutrition programs that are critical for the well-being of millions of working families, while also benefiting farm and rural economies,” he said.

The number of Americans receiving such assistance has jumped to about 48 million people, a record for the popular program. Food stamp rolls have soared almost 20 million since 2008.

Vilsack said last week about 92 percent of Americans receiving food stamps are either senior citizens, people with disabilities, children or working moms and dads of those kids.

Despite some concerns over the food stamp reductions, farm groups largely support the Senate bill.

“We are very pleased at the progress made during this vital step in the farm bill process, but we also know that much work lies ahead,” said Jerry Kozak, head of the National Milk Producers Federation. “Prompt action in the House is necessary so that farmers won’t spend the last half of this year like they spent 2012: expecting a harvest that never materializes.”