Senate embrace framework for the farm bill

WASHINGTON ––U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR) unveiled the Senate Republican Farm Bill Framework to a wave of vocal support from his colleagues who have praised the framework’s focus on putting more farm in the farm bill as a real path forward toward a bipartisan farm bill. “Ranking Member Boozman put forward a Republican Farm Bill Framework that would give our colleagues a good place to start. The Ranking Member’s plan reflects the actual reality of owning and operating a farm today. And it addresses the biggest bone of contention among American producers: Less fluff, and more farm in the farm bill. From bolstering the farmer safety net… To expanding our competitiveness in world markets… To providing new producers with the means to get off the ground. I’ve served on the Agriculture Committee my entire time in the Senate – I know drafting this legislation is never easy. And I’m grateful to the Ranking Member for his work on this important issue. I hope that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will look to this framework for guidance as we work to deliver certainty and stability to America’s farmers.” – “I am tremendously grateful to Senator Boozman for his work on this framework and his efforts to move the farm bill process forward. And I hope that my Democrat colleagues will approach pursuing a bipartisan agreement on this legislation with a new seriousness. As I said earlier, their focus on non-farm priorities has slowed progress on the farm bill. And I hope that the House’s recent work and Senator Boozman’s efforts will encourage them to focus on what should be the substance of any farm bill – namely, the farm.” – “Farmers, especially our producers and folks in rural communities across Iowa, are long overdue for an updated farm bill, and Senate Republicans are working to deliver one. Instead of Democrats’ far left agenda that fixates on Green New Deal priorities and out of control spending at the expense of the farm safety net and producers, Republicans are truly putting more ‘farm’ in the farm bill.” – “My Republican colleagues and I have long called for more ‘farm’ in the farm bill. The Senate Republican framework clearly seeks to better support farmers… I sincerely hope this Republican framework will move the farm bill forward, so we can give farmers a safety net without holes and the certainty they need.” – “It’s past time to act and move past the outdated 2018 Farm Bill. The framework offered by Senator Boozman should help move our committee toward completing a new farm bill this year, one that is bipartisan and fiscally responsible. The framework recommends important reforms to help American farmers and ranchers handle declining incomes, market volatility, historic inflation, record-high input costs, catastrophic natural disasters, animal disease outbreaks, and global tensions. Overall, it provides answers to so many of the recommendations we’ve heard in hearings over the past few years to put more ‘farm’ in the farm bill.” --