Armstrong updates Farm Bill progress
Steve Hallstrom
Special to The Farmer
North Dakota Congressman Kelly Armstrong is hoping a new Farm Bill will get passed before he leaves office in January. And while he’s optimistic, Armstrong tells The Farmer that a second extension of the 2018 bill may be the end result.
Both the House and Senate Ag Committees have crafted versions of the bill, but both chambers left Washington for their annual August recess last week with neither full body having voted on them. The current bill expires September 30.
The Farm Bill is one of the most complicated and expensive undertakings that Congress will see in any five-year period. It was last signed by President Trump in 2018, and after delays and disagreements between Democrats and Republicans, a one-year extension was signed by President Joe Biden in mid-November.
The bill supports the ag economy and provides food aid for more than 40 million low-income Americans, but also deals with a myriad of topics ranging from forestry to credit to farm program payments.
The current farm bill is projected to cost approximately $500 billion before the sixth-year extension ends, with the new edition expected to soar past $1 trillion for the first time.
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