Obama, Rural Lawmakers On Collision Course Over Farm Bill

President Obama’s budget puts him on a collision course this year with rural state lawmakers over farm policy.

The five-year farm bill expires in September, making it one of the few bills with a shot of passing Congress before the election.

Farm state lawmakers want to nail down a farm bill on time partly to avoid deeper cuts to farm programs in a lame-duck session where a grand deficit bargain may be negotiated.

Obama’s budget seeks $32 billion in cuts to farm payments over ten years and members of the agriculture committees from both parties are crying foul.

Obama’s budget mirrors Rep. Paul Ryan’s 2012 plan by finding savings from eliminating direct payments that go to farmers no matter how much they produce and reducing crop insurance.

Eliminating direct payments is widely supported in the agriculture community, but rural state Democrats and Republicans this week came out against the $7 billion in cuts to crop insurance.

“I am encouraged the president agrees that direct payments are an indefensible program of the past, but do not agree with further cuts to crop insurance, which is a critical risk management tool,” Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) said in a statement this week.

“This budget reinforces the need for Congress to pass a strong, fiscally responsible farm bill immediately this year,” she added.

“This proposal shows a lack of perspective and understanding in how agriculture can realistically contribute,” House Agriculture Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) said. He called for greater cuts to food stamps and other entitlements as opposed to crop insurance.

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[Food stamp programs (now called 'SNAP') account for nearly 80% (yes, EIGHTY PERCENT) of the farm bill funding. --Editor]