Senator Joe Donnelly is emphasizing the importance of passing a long-term farm bill that not only provides help to the agriculture community but also helps reduce the deficit.
The 2008 farm bill expired in January, though Congress quickly extended it to October. A five-year farm bill passed the U-S Senate Agriculture Committee last week and Senator Joe Donnelly says he’s hoping it will hit the Senate floor soon.
Donnelly says the Senate bill reduces the national deficit by $23-billion and that’s accomplished, in part, through cuts to food stamps. He says, as a member of the Senate Ag Committee, he worked to ensure the cuts were strategically made.
He says food stamp spending will likely be one of the biggest points of contention between the Senate and House version of any farm bill, as the proposed House cuts are deeper. For Indiana Public Broadcasting, I’m Brandon Smith.
