USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack says time is nearly up and it must be decided if there will or won’t be a new farm bill this year. He told members of the American Farmland Trust that action is needed.
Vilsack says as a shortened lame-duck session of Congress quickly approaches, time is limited for work on the farm bill.
The Ag Secretary argues the opposing sides—Republicans for ‘more farm in the farm bill’ versus Democrats against reducing food stamp benefits—must find a middle ground.
Vilsack earlier criticized the House GOP-led farm bill for its unpaid costs and reducing SNAP benefits. He instead called Senate Ag Chair Debbie Stabenow’s framework “more realistic, and more reasonable” by addressing the farm safety net without harming SNAP.
With time running out, and the uncertainty of who will be in the majority and who will hold the White House next year, Vilsack says the time for a farm bill is now.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
