Republicans roll out text of farm bill without Democratic priorities

Senate Republicans unveiled the text of a sweeping five-year farm bill on Tuesday afternoon that omits Democrats’s stated top priority.

Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), the chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said in a statement that this legislation would “increase investments for rural communities and foster a more resilient agriculture sector.”

“I’m proud to put forward this discussion draft that reflects the input and priorities of Republicans, Democrats, and most importantly, rural America,” Boozman wrote. “This bill is built for the people who feed America, and I look forward to continuing conversations with my colleagues about how we can best serve them and the communities they call home.”

The Senate bill is very similar to the lower chamber’s version of this legislation, and it would expand resources for rural farmers and boost investment in federal farm loan programs.

The House passed its farm bill at the end of April, overcoming GOP infighting about provisions related to pesticides and a proposal to include legislation supporting year-round sales of E15 ethanol fuel. The year-round ethanol fuel sales bill was later passed in the lower chamber in May.

The Senate bill largely avoids controversial sticking points related to pesticides and animal confinement standards.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) warned earlier on Tuesday that the inclusion of the Save Our Bacon Act could tank Democratic support for this bill. The legislation, introduced by GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson (Iowa), seeks to remove California’s new requirements to address cruel living conditions for livestock in other states that are later sold to the state.

The Democratic leader called this bill “a giveaway to Big Ag and meat monopolies” in a social media post on Tuesday afternoon.

“Congress should be lowering food costs, not rewarding the monopolies driving them up,” Schumer wrote. “The Save Our Bacon Act does not belong in the Farm Bill, and I will fight to keep it out.”

While the Senate farm bill omits Hinson’s legislation, the bill does not reverse a requirement that will soon force states to cover some Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) costs, a key Democratic demand. Senate Democrats have vowed to oppose any farm bill that does not include this measure.

“Senate Agriculture Committee Democrats have been clear that a Farm Bill must meet the needs of both farmers and families across America,” the panel’s Democratic members said in a statement shared with The Hill on Tuesday.

“This bill does not address the devastating cuts to SNAP or the shift to state taxpayers passed into law as part of HR 1,” they continued. “We appreciate that bipartisan provisions have been included in the discussion draft and stand ready to work with Republicans to negotiate a bipartisan Farm Bill that both meets the moment and can be successful on the Senate Floor.”

In a recent interview with a local Arkansas radio station, Boozman said he is “working very closely” with the committee’s ranking member, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, to swing Democrats in favor of this legislation. The bill needs at least seven Democrats to pass, assuming that all Republicans back the measure.

“Hopefully, at the end of the day we’ll get them all on board and we’ll have a product that we can all be very proud of and, most importantly, a product that will help our farmers and keep them in business,” Boozman said.

Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Penn.), the chair of the House Agriculture Committee, said that he was “encouraged” by the Senate bill text in a Tuesday statement shared on social media.

“I look forward to working with Chairman Boozman and getting a farm bill to President Trump’s desk soon,” Thompson wrote.

Updated at 4:16 p.m. EDT