Tagged: farm bill

Congress has less than two weeks  to act before the current farm bill expires.

Dozens of federal programs are included in the bill -- everything from  crop insurance to food aid for the poor.

Spending on food aid is one of the reasons that House Republican leaders have refused  to call the measure for a vote. U-S Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) is among  many farm-state politicians of both parties who have been  critical of that decision.

There’s more than one drought choking the country. On Capitol Hill, there’s a drought of ideas – and compassion – about farmers, rural America and the needy.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois said a new farm bill will have to cost less and return to its primary goal of helping farmers during tough times.
 
He calls the current payment system ”lopsided.”
 
Durbin said, “The direct payment system is paying many farmers a lot of federal money at a time when prices were very, very high. We're going to have to change that and farmers know it.”

He is confident the new bill will save money and still protect farmers.

The current farm bill expires at the end of this year.