NSAC's Blog
Senators Stand Up for Historic Farm Program Reforms
November 5, 2013
In a letter to Senate Agriculture Committee Leadership, a bipartisan group of eleven Senators voiced their strong support that a final farm bill retain common-sense reforms to commodity program payments.
Both the House and Senate versions of the farm bill contain these historic reforms that place a hard cap on the total commodity payments a producer can receive each year — a significant departure from the current law, which allows for unlimited payments. Moreover, both bills ensure that payments reach working farmers by closing existing loopholes in current law.
These common-sense reforms have strong bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. Given the significant bipartisan and bicameral support these reforms enjoy, the Senators make clear they would object to any changes to these provisions during the farm bill conference.
Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Tim Johnson (D-SD) led the bipartisan letter, with Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Al Franken (D-MN), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mike Johanns (R-NE), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), and Jon Tester (D-MT) joining in support.
NSAC applauds these Senators for their continued support of these significant reforms that benefit beginning farmers, rural communities, and taxpayers alike.
For more information on these reforms, see the farm program integrity pages on our website.
Categories: Commodity, Crop Insurance & Credit Programs, Farm Bill