Crawford, Boozman To Confer On Farm Bill

This weekend, House Congressional leaders named conferees to House-Senate negotiations on a new Farm Bill, a move that will likely bring resolution to a contentious battle over American agriculture policy.

Agriculture programs expired on Oct. 1 and farm leaders have been warning that the effects of the expiration would be catastrophic for farmers if not dealt with soon.

First District Cong. Rick Crawford (R) was named as a conferee to the House-Senate committee this weekend.  U.S. Senator John Boozman (R) was previously named to the committee.

Earlier this year, the Senate passed a comprehensive Farm Bill that had the backing of the state’s major agricultural interests, but the House went a different route.

After a failed vote on a comprehensive bill, the House split the Food Stamp program out of the larger Farm Bill and eventually passed both measures on sharply divided party line votes.

The contentious issue involving the Food Stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, has been the subject of heated debate. The House wants to cut $40 billion from the program over the next 10 years, while the Senate has passed legislation to slice $4.5 billion in a much shorter time period.

With the House separating out the food stamp portion of the Farm Bill for the first time in decades, it now has two bills that must be considered in tandem with a comprehensive Senate counterpart.