WASHINGTON, July 2, 2013 – More than 500 agriculture-related organizations wrote a letter today to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, urging him to bring the farm bill (H.R. 1947) back to the House floor as soon as possible.
The letter, signed by the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Farmers Union along with 530 organizations, said, “This important legislation supports our nation’s farmers, ranchers, forest owners, food security, natural resources and wildlife habitats, rural communities, and the 16 million Americans whose jobs directly depend on the agriculture industry.”
The House rejected the bill June 20 on a 195-234 vote and amidst much finger-pointing.
“Farm bills represent a delicate balance between America’s farm, nutrition, conservation, and other priorities, and accordingly require strong bipartisan support,” the letter said. “It is vital for the House to try once again to bring together a broad coalition of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to provide certainty for farmers, rural America, the environment and our economy in general and pass a five-year farm bill upon returning in July.”
Also, the groups objected to the concept of splitting the nutrition title from the rest of the farm policy bill.
Separately, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) sent a letter to Boehner and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., asking them to work together to bring the farm bill back to the floor as soon as possible.
“This is critical legislation that should not be allowed to continue to drift further into uncertainty,” the letter said. “Nor should it be split up into narrower component parts, a move that dooms its completion.”
#30
For more news, go to: www.Agri-Pulse.com