Midlands Democrats, GOP unite to send farm bill forward (corrected)

Source: Omaha World Herald

By Joseph Morton

WASHINGTON — It's not often that the ideologically diverse group of Nebraska and Iowa U.S. senators back the same policy approach.

But in an illustration of the old adage that farm politics are more regional than partisan, the four joined together Thursday to help the Senate Agriculture Committee send a farm bill forward.

Committee approval came despite opposition from southern Republicans who say the bill would leave their rice and peanut growers without an adequate safety net, and one Democrat from New York with concerns about cuts to nutrition assistance, more commonly referred to as food stamps.

At the heart of the bill are changes to federal crop subsidy programs. The bill would end direct payments, subsidies that go to farmers based on historical production without regard to current prices or yields.

FULL story at link.



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