WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on a conference call with reporters on Wednesday strongly criticized a draft farm bill written by House Republicans, saying it would damage the coalition that has traditionally united around farm bills and “makes it very real that we may not be able to pass a farm bill.”
The massive five-year bill, which would govern agriculture, nutrition, commodity and environmental protection programs, is scheduled to begin discussion Thursday morning in the House Agriculture Committee, led by Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson, Republican of Pennsylvania.
The bill is already on track to clash with the Democratic-controlled Senate over disagreements over anti-hunger and environmental programs, and the bill is sure to pass in the House, where Republicans hold a slim 217-213 majority.
Vilsack expressed frustration over an eight-month delay in the $1.5 trillion package and said he had “deep concerns” about the bill Thompson unveiled last week. In the House, lawmakers who fought over spending and the speakership last year passed an extension to the 2018 Farm Bill, which expires Sept. 30.
“I’m grateful for the hard work people are doing. I’m grateful that they listened to rural people,” said Vilsack, a former Iowa governor.
“But I’m concerned that the proposals that are being pushed by Republicans on the House Agriculture Committee are really designed in a way that doesn’t create a path to passing the bill. Unfortunately, I think it’s paving the way for gridlock, which will cause further delays.”
Cuts to nutrition and disaster preparedness programs
Vilsack said he opposed provisions that would cut spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which provides food assistance to more than 40 million low-income families.
The liberal Center for Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that the bill could cut as much as $30 billion over 10 years by limiting future renewals of the Thrifty Food Program, which sets benefit levels. Vilsack puts the figure at $27 billion.
Draft farm bill unveiled in U.S. House of Representatives sparks battle with Senate
“Historically, there’s been a coalition that has been central to getting the farm bill through and understands the importance of addressing nutrition programs and agriculture programs,” Vilsack said. “This is essentially a rift in the coalition that is absolutely necessary to get the farm bill through… The fact that we’re crossing that line really raises the possibility that we won’t be able to get the farm bill through.”
He also took issue with parts of the House bill relating to the Commodity Credit Corporation, which runs a variety of agricultural programs.
The bill would limit USDA’s ability to use Section 5 of the CCC, tying the agency’s hands in responding to natural disasters that strike farmers and forcing the department to rely on Congress to enact disaster assistance, Vilsack said.
“There’s no guarantee that these bills will pass,” Vilsack said. “Secondly, Congress often doesn’t fully fund these bills, as it did for the 2023 disaster emergency.”
He said Thompson is proposing “essentially eliminating the ability of the Secretary of Agriculture to utilize the CCC in the face of, for example, a market-distorting natural disaster.” He also said he believes the bill overstates the savings that would be gained.
Vilsack said he preferred a farm bill proposed by Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., calling it “more realistic” and “workable.” Stabenow, who has released an outline of her bill but not the text, includes provisions such as expanding eligibility for nutrition programs such as SNAP.
The chairman defended the proposal.
In a statement after the call, Thompson pushed back against Vilsack’s comments, saying his bill would make a “historic investment” in agriculture.
“It’s clear from this last-minute push that, if left unchecked, the Secretary of State is determined to use all of the borrowing authority he has been given to circumvent Congress,” he said. “The committee reaffirms Congress’ authority over the Commodity Credit Corporation, which will rein in reckless administrative spending and provide funding for important bipartisan priorities in the farm bill.”
“The sudden outrage over the use of the CCC as compensation is just the latest partisan attempt to divide the committee and slow the passage of the Farm Bill.”
In its press release on Wednesday, the committee also cited statements from several individuals praising Thompson’s proposal, including the president of the American Federation of Agriculture Associations, the CEO of the National Conference of State Legislatures, the CEO of the National Association of State Agriculture Departments and leaders of various commodity and trade associations.
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