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Washington D.C. – The Senate Agriculture Committee failed to advance a bipartisan Farm Bill Thursday after lawmakers reached an impasse over nutrition funding.
Minnesota Senator Tina Smith says she could not support the bill because it did not delay proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which she says would shift about 140 million dollars in administrative costs to Minnesota counties over the next two years.
Smith says she will continue working with colleagues on a bipartisan compromise. She also says she wants any final Farm Bill to include year-round sales of E-15 gasoline and additional support for farmers and rural communities.
The Minnesota Farm Bureau is expressing disappointment after the Agriculture Committee failed to advance the bill. Farm Bureau President Dan Glessing says the measure included several priorities for Minnesota farmers, including year-round sales of E-15.
Glessing says farmers have pushed for the legislation for more than three years and that delaying action creates continued uncertainty for the agricultural industry. He is urging lawmakers on the committee to work together and move the farm bill forward.
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