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Reconciliation pivotal in farm bill discussions

A member of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee says she’s gravely concerned about the effects of ongoing budget reconciliation efforts in Congress.

Nikki Budzinski, an Illinois Democrat, says this week’s expected committee markup of the legislation is pivotal for a new farm bill.

“In this markup, it’s going to be debated about $230 billion of cuts to SNAP.”  She says, “If the committee is to move forward with that, it’s really going to erode our ability to get a bipartisan farm bill across the finish line.”

She tells Brownfield, “I believe in finding government efficiencies and looking at federal spending and other opportunities to cut, but this isn’t just cutting fat.”  She says, “This is cutting down to the bone and this is going to really hurt a lot of our farmers and our rural communities.”

Budzinski says producers need the certainty of a new, five-year farm bill. 

The latest extension expires at the end of September.  

AUDIO: Rep. Nikki Budzinski