Bipartisan Agreement Reached on New Farm Bill; Vote Still to Come
U.S. lawmakers from both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees announced yesterday evening that they have reached a bipartisan agreement on a new five-year farm bill, officially known as the Agricultural Act of 2014. Final votes are expected in both the House of Representatives and the Senate later this week.
Summarizing the bill's changes to previous policies and funding, a New York Timesarticle said the bill "will eliminate or consolidate dozens of agriculture subsidy programs, expand government-subsidized crop insurance and cut about $8 billion from the food stamp program over the next decade." A National Public Radio blog observed that the bill "reflects the many agendas that helped to complicate its creation," and a Politico blog listed industry subgroups considered to be "winners and losers" based on whether or not the new bill favors their individual agendas.