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Craig: farm bill coalition at risk

The ranking member of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee says the damage to the farm bill coalition in Congress could have lasting impacts on future farm bills.

Angie Craig says separating parts of a five-year, 12-title farm bill, and using reconciliation to reduce spending for key programs was the wrong approach.

“It really sets a bad precedence for the future.”

In the past, she says lawmakers found compromise on farm and nutrition programs, but that didn’t happen this time.

“It’s like that (nutrition) title of the farm bill has just been pushed to the side, and that is not a good omen for a future farm bill coalition moving forward.”

She tells Brownfield…

“What is it going to take to get us back? Boy, it’s really hard to see getting back to that coalition, especially if Republicans come for more Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cuts in another reconciliation bill.”

Congress is considering at least one additional reconciliation package beyond the major reconciliation legislation signed into law last year.

The U.S. House passed a farm bill at the end of April, and Craig says she’s watching to see how the U.S. Senate approaches nutrition and other issues, like Proposition 12, as farm bill work continues.