Senate passes 2013 Farm Bill; House vote is less sure
The U.S. Senate passed the farm bill with overwhelming bipartisan support, 66-27. The bill finances programs as diverse as crop insurance for farmers, food assistance for low-income families and foreign food aid. The Senate passed a similar bill last year, but the House failed to bring the bill to a vote. The last farm bill that was passed by both chambers, in 2008, was extended until Sept. 30. The Senate version of the bill does not include sugar reform.
“The Senate voted to support 16 million American jobs, to save taxpayers billions and to implement the most significant reforms to agriculture programs in decades,” states Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. She was a co-author of the bill with Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), the ranking Republican on the committee.