News Release: Today is a great day for Idaho’s agriculture and forest industries throughout the state. I joined a bipartisan majority in the U.S. Senate and voted to approve the House-passed Agricultural Act of 2014 conference report, commonly known as the Farm Bill. While far from perfect, this bill is a far-cry from the status quo and will help producers continue providing a safe and abundant food supply. In all, the Farm Bill consolidates the number of conservation programs by half, slashes $23 billion in federal spending by ending direct payments and streamlines other duplicative federal programs. Unfortunately, an opportunity was missed to enact even more reforms that extend to the bottom-line spending. Specifically, Idaho and American agriculture producers have stepped up to make sacrifices that will lower spending and contribute to deficit reduction, but the nutrition title, which comprises approximately three quarters of the bill’s total price tag, should have received much more scrutiny. The importance of the Farm Bill to Idaho cannot be overstated. But, even with its passage, we must continue to find ways to implement further market-based reforms that create an environment for growth, eliminate unnecessary obstacles for producers and continue to reduce the budget deficit.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Feb 2014 22:48:13 +0000
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