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RANKING MEMBER OF HOUSE AG COMMITTEE: REPUBLICANS ARE ABANDONING BIPARTISANSHIP IN FARM BILL
Apr. 19, 2024
Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., the ranking member of the House Committee on Agriculture as it appeared on www.Agri-Pulse.com.
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| Rep. David Scott |
Why are farm bills traditionally one of the most bipartisan pieces of legislation Congress considers? It is because, when crafted properly, a farm bill offers something that can appeal to any Member of Congress. It helps our farmers grow the crops that supply America and the world. It provides critical assistance to help America's most vulnerable citizens feed themselves when hit by hard times. It also promotes America's agricultural exports, conservation practices for healthy soil, research to enhance America's agricultural production, and so much more.
For this farm bill, House Republicans are abandoning bipartisanship to follow the same partisan ideological strategy that led to the failures of farm bills on the House floor in 2014 and 2018. They continue to insist, as reiterated in Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson's recent op-ed, on draconian cuts to future SNAP benefits, cuts which I have repeatedly warned him jeopardize Democratic support for his farm bill. Sadly, my warnings have fallen on deaf ears.
To fund the farm bill, Republicans plan to extract around $30 billion in benefit cuts through changes to the Thrifty Food Plan -- the formula used to determine SNAP benefits -- and also prohibit the Agriculture Secretary from using any of his discretionary authority to use funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC).
These funds have been used to support farmers during hard times, including providing payments for livestock and crop production losses resulting from natural disasters, keeping farmers afloat during trade wars, and ensuring our agricultural system could weather a global pandemic.
Agriculture Committee Democrats want a bipartisan farm bill that invests in critical farm safety net programs without eliminating the Secretary's ability to use the CCC when our farmers need it.
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