Senate Democrats, led by Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow, unveiled their version of the 2024 Farm Bill early last week, but has faced significant resistance and push back from Republican lawmakers during the current lame-duck congressional session.
Former U.S. Ambassador Kip Tom, also a farmer and was a potential candidate for Agriculture Secretary, believes the bill is unlikely to pass this year or even early next year. Stabenow, a lame-duck senator not seeking reelection, will hand over leadership of the Senate Agriculture Committee to Senator John Boozman.
Tom gave some of his thoughts on the new bill, and advocated for shifting the Farm Bill’s emphasis back to agriculture and supporting farmers and producers, as the proposed bill by Stabenow had 83% of its budget currently funding food assistance programs, leaving only 17% for agricultural support.
He suggests enhancing crop insurance to provide more reliable support for farmers and restructuring food assistance programs.
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