Don Bacon U.S. House of Representatives from Nebraska's 2nd district | Official U.S. House Headshot
Don Bacon U.S. House of Representatives from Nebraska's 2nd district | Official U.S. House Headshot
Rep. Don Bacon (NE-02), a member of the House Agriculture Committee since 2017, announced that five of his priorities have been included in the final bipartisan 2024 Farm Bill. The bill, which has passed out of the House Agriculture Committee, aims to benefit farmers, ranchers, rural America, the food insecure, and American taxpayers.
Rep. Bacon emphasized his commitment to the next generation of farmers and ranchers. "I am excited that two of my bills about the next generation of farmers made it through markup and into the farm bill," said Bacon. "The Youth Lead Act will ensure that organizations like 4-H and FFA have funding to continue making a difference in the lives of students through vocational agricultural education."
Bacon also highlighted the SOIL Act's inclusion in the bill. "The SOIL Act will finally open the door for beginning farmers and ranchers to obtain financing by allowing producers to be preapproved for loans," he stated.
On national security concerns related to agriculture, Bacon introduced the American Agricultural Security Act of 2024. "Our national security and our agricultural industry are linked," said Bacon. He noted that this legislation would fund research on cyber, biological, physical, and trade threats to American agriculture.
Additionally, Bacon discussed his support for the AFIDA Improvements Act included in this year's farm bill. This act addresses national security concerns regarding foreign purchases of U.S. farmland by entities such as the Chinese Communist Party.
Regarding nutrition assistance programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), Bacon stated: "No Administration, current or future, should be allowed to arbitrarily change the level of benefits SNAP recipients receive without data-driven information." He added that household income for those working while on SNAP is projected to increase due to changes in earned income deductions.
The 2024 Farm Bill also includes Rep. Bacon’s SNAP Staffing Flexibility Act aimed at addressing application backlogs caused by economic downturns and inflation.
"In addition to giving the food insecure tools they need to lift themselves out of poverty, we are increasing Congressional oversight and cracking down on SNAP fraud," said Bacon.
The 2024 Farm Bill will now proceed to the floor of the House of Representatives.
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