The 2014 Farm Bill after much haggling and many votes is on its way to President Obama’s desk for signature after passing the U.S. Senate Tuesday on a 68-32 vote. The bill had earlier been passed by the House of Representatives.
Senator Jerry Moran of Manhattan voted for the bill and issued the following statement:
“Congress has taken a lesson from farmers and ranchers and finally finished what it started. While not ideal, this bill reduces farm program and food stamp spending by $16.6 billion and provides agriculture producers with the long-term certainty they need to produce food, fiber and fuel for our country and the world. The Farm Bill provides Kansas farmers and ranchers with the strong, stable crop insurance and disaster programs they need to remain confident when facing Mother Nature.”
Voting against the bill was Senator Pat Roberts who simply said: “We can do better for Agriculture”, adding “I understand that compromises were made, but I cannot support a bill that marches backwards towards producers making decisions based off of government subsidies, retaliation against our livestock producers, and once again agriculture taking a disproportionate cut in spending compared to federal nutrition programs.”
The bill financially reassures farmers who have been faced with adverse weather and unstable markets even though most of the cost of $100 billion a year benefits the Food Stamp Program. There’s no word on when the President will sign the bill.
