Senate Passes Long-Stalled Farm Bill

[jonjon]

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday passed the long-awaited farm bill, ending two years of partisan rancor and stalled negotiations and clearing what is expected to be the last hurdle for the nearly $1 trillion spending measure.

The bill was passed with strong bipartisan support, 68 to 32. The legislation now heads to the desk of President Obama, who is expected to sign it.

“Many people said this would never happen in this environment, but Congress has come together to pass a major bipartisan jobs bill,” said Senator Debbie Stabenow, Democrat of Michigan and chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “This effort proves that by working across party lines, we can save taxpayer money and create smart policies that lay the foundation for a stronger economy.”

The nearly 1,000-page bill reauthorizes hundreds of programs for agriculture, dairy production, conservation, nutrition and international food aid.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill will cost $956 billion and reduce spending on farm subsidies and nutrition by $16.6 billion over the next 10 years. But lawmakers said the savings would be much higher, around $23 billion, when sequestration cuts to agriculture programs were factored in.

Among the biggest changes in the bill are cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps, the expansion of the crop insurance program and the elimination of direct payments to farmers. Direct payments have cost about $5 billion a year, and have been paid to farmers regardless of whether they grew crops.

Spending on the food stamp program will be reduced by about $8 billion over the next decade, and will account for about 1 percent of the total spending in the bill. The reduction in spending will affect about 1.7 million people, who will have their benefits reduced by about $90 a month, according to the budget office. The bill’s proponents said the measure closed a loophole exploited by 16 states that helped food stamp recipients get more in benefits than they should have.

But antihunger advocates said the cuts would increase the number of people in need of food, even though the bill adds about $205 million to food banks.

“These cuts will be absolutely devastating,” said Sheena Wright, the president of the United Way of New York City. “Two hundred million can in no way plug a nearly $9 billion hole.”

The bill adds $7 billion to the crop insurance program, a government-backed insurance subsidy that dates to the Dust Bowl. Taxpayers pay about 62 percent of the premiums. Some of the savings from the elimination of direct payments will be added to the crop insurance program. Proponents of the program said it provides a better safety net for farmers and ensures that they get help only in cases when they need it, such as a natural disaster.

27COMMENTS

But critics of the crop insurance program, such as Vincent H. Smith, a professor of agriculture at Montana State University, and conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation, said the program had morphed from a safeguard against natural disasters into income support for farmers.

The bill also makes changes to the international food aid program and contains several conservation measures supported by environmental and hunting groups. And it adds money to combat fraud in the food stamp and crop insurance programs.

“Given all the complexity and competing interests, I think they did an adequate job,” said Dan Glickman, a former agriculture secretary and member of Congress.

 

Mike Lee describes the evil contained in this legislation. 

 

 

 

[MyLadiesDaddy]

It must have some secret way to imprison people who can read the constitution,

or several ways for our dictatorial oppressive government to steal more of our money.

Are we ever going to UNITE and do something about a government so evil that most

Are afraid of what they say on the internet?

[vietnam1969]

              THIS HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR SOME TIME NOW SO COMES AS NO SURPRISE TO ME AT ALL. EVERYONE MAY GET USED TO THE IDEA IF THINGS AREN'T VOTED IN TO PASS----0 WILL JUST USE HIS EXECUTIVE ORDER  AND GO AGAINST ANYONE WHO STANDS IN HIS WAY. WONDER WHEN ENOUGH WILL BE ENOUGH?

Edited February 5, 2014 by vietnam1969