GOP governors push for farm bill reauthorization, calling 2018 bill ‘outdated’ • Idaho Capital Sun

Idaho Gov. Brad Little joined governors from 16 other states on Monday in signing a joint letter calling on Congress to reauthorize the farm bill and provide “immediate financial support” to the agricultural sector.

During a visit to Idaho, agricultural politicians call on Congress to pass a farm bill

“Our nation’s agriculture is in trouble, and unless meaningful support is provided soon, the nation’s well-being is at risk,” the letter said.

The farm bill was last passed in 2018, and after failing to get it reauthorized in the usual five-year plan in 2023, Congress extended the 2018 law through the 2024 fiscal and crop year.

Congress again failed in the 2024 regular session to pass a new farm bill that would provide funding for farm and food programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Now U.S. lawmakers are considering the option of passing another extension of the bill or rushing to finalize a new version during the lame-duck session before the extension’s final terms expire at the end of the year and new members are sworn in in January become. 3.

The group of GOP governors is calling on Congress to pass a new version of the massive bill rather than extending the “outdated” 2018 bill for another year.

The letter said the current agricultural law had allowed farmers to “operate within a framework that is no longer sustainable.”

The governors cited inflation, high input costs, high interest rates, natural disasters and agricultural trade deficits as “strong headwinds” faced by the sector since the expiry of the 2018 farm law.

“Another one-year extension will leave farmers operating under an outdated plan as they continue to face evolving challenges in today’s agricultural landscape,” the letter said.

In mid-November, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, released an updated version of the Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act from earlier this year that could serve as the basis for a new farm bill if passed .

According to the summary, the updates include $39 billion in new resources for farmers, families participating in the SNAP program and rural communities.

Republican lawmakers have not supported the bill. House Republicans reportedly rejected it, with U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas calling it “not a sincere or transparent effort to address the urgent needs of rural America.”

In their letter, the governors called on Congress to “fulfill its commitment to protect and revitalize the agricultural industry before it is too late” by reauthorizing the bill rather than extending it.

“If a country cannot feed itself, provide for itself, or fight for itself, it cannot survive,” the letter said. “It is imperative that the United States not become dependent on other countries for food supplies while we have the world’s best farmers and ranchers right on our doorstep.”

Governors who signed the letter include Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Idaho Governor Brad Little, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb , Idaho Governor Kim Reynolds, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, Mississippi Governor . Missouri Governor Tate Reeves, Montana Governor Mike Parson, Nevada Governor Greg Gianforte, Ohio Governor Joe Lombardo, Oklahoma Governor Mike DeWine, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Utah Governor Spencer Cox and West Virginia Governor Jim Justice.

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