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Illinois Congressman says farm bill needs to stay the farm bill

The House Agriculture Committee is set to consider its portion of the budget reconciliation bill, which includes elements of the farm bill, Tuesday evening. Congressman Eric Sorensen (D-IL) says this isn’t how a farm bill is done. “We need to make sure that the farm bill stays the farm bill,” he says. “We can’t afford to have the value of the farm bill be stripped away, forced through reconciliation, and then we have just pieces left that we have to put back together.”

He tells Brownfield the farm bill has always been bipartisan. “It should be no different today,” he says. “People have to understand it’s shameful today that we don’t have both sides working. We have one side that says it’s my way or the highway. It’s never been that way.”

During the National Association of Farm Broadcasting’s Washington Watch last week, House Ag Committee Chairman Glenn GT Thompson said the Ag Committee’s portion of the budget reconciliation package would include a “down payment” on the farm bill, leaving a pared-down version of the legislation for Congress to tackle later. 

The House Ag Committee was tasked with cuts of $230 billion over 10 years.  The budget package is projected to include steep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which are expected to help pay for increased funding for commodity programs, crop insurance, and other elements of the farm bill.  

The House Ag Committee is scheduled to begin markup Tuesday at 7:30 pm.

AUDIO: Illinois Democratic Congressman Eric Sorensen