Omaha City Wire

Washington - Last week, House Agriculture Chairman Glenn “G.T.” Thompson (R-PA) released his draft of the 2024 Farm Bill. This legislation is the result of nearly two years of work. Rep. Don Bacon (NE-02), who has served on the Agriculture Committee since 2017, highlighted some of his priorities in the bill.

American farmers and ranchers are experiencing a significant decline in net farm income alongside record inflation. According to Bacon, administrations have used the Commodity Credit Corporation as an alternative to establishing lasting trade relations, resulting in 70 percent of direct support to producers coming from outside traditional farm support programs from 2018 to 2022. The new farm bill will repeal the President’s Section Five authority, saving $107 billion.

"Government payments cannot and will not replace the free market," said Bacon. He emphasized that Congressional intent is being asserted by forcing administrations to take accountability for their failures while preserving crop insurance and commodity support programs essential for rural communities.

The bill proposes increasing reference prices for commodities like corn, soybeans, wheat, and sorghum to keep up with inflation and economic uncertainty. It also plans to double investment into the Marketing Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) programs that promote agricultural trade.

“When it comes to the issue of trade, this administration has been totally silent,” said Bacon. “Biden is the first President since Jimmy Carter to not establish a single new trade agreement."

On conservation, Bacon criticized the Biden Administration’s "Inflation Reduction Act" (IRA) for its stringent climate restrictions on conservation programs. Congress plans to reallocate those funds into programs like EQUIP and CSP without such restrictions.

Rep. Bacon expressed his passion for supporting future generations of farmers and ranchers. The Youth Lead Act ensures funding for organizations like 4-H and FFA, while the SOIL Act aims to help beginning farmers obtain financing by allowing preapproval for FSA Loans.

“Our national security and our agricultural industry are linked,” said Bacon. He introduced the American Agricultural Security Act of 2024 included in this year’s farm bill which provides funding for research on threats to American agriculture from adversaries like China.

Bacon also addressed SNAP benefits, stating no administration should arbitrarily change benefit levels without data-driven information. His SNAP Staffing Flexibility Act aims to address application backlogs by allowing states to hire outside contractors during periods of high demand.

“Ensuring that their applications are processed promptly is important to getting people the assistance they need,” said Bacon.

The Ag committee will “markup” the 2024 Farm Bill on Thursday, May 23.