Grassley Leads Bipartisan, Bicameral Letter to Farm Bill Conferees on Payment Limit Amendment

Statement

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, along with Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Reps. Mark Meadows of North Carolina and Ron Kind of Wisconsin, wrote a letter to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts of Kansas and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, and House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway of Texas and Ranking Member Collin Peterson of Minnesota, urging them to maintain the payment limit provisions passed by the Senate in the final 2018 Farm Bill.

"The Farm Bill is an $860 billion spending bill that impacts every single American. While there are significant differences between the House and Senate bills, there is one area where overwhelming bipartisan, bicameral agreement exists -- allowing only one additional manager per farm entity to be eligible for $125,000 in farm subsidies of $250,000 if the manager is married," the lawmakers wrote. "We do not believe the farm safety net should provide unlimited payments to farmers year after year."

The 2018 Farm Bill is currently being debated by a bicameral Conference Committee. Language in the Senate's Farm Bill more closely aligns with the needs of small and family farmers, and curtails the abuse of certain subsidy payments. The House bill lifted payment limits, allowing for more corruption and misuse of taxpayer dollars.

Grassley has been an outspoken advocate for real and enforceable limits for farm subsidies for years. Grassley's payment limitation amendment, which focuses assistance to those who truly need help, passed both the House and Senate during the 2014 Farm Bill debate but was killed in the Conference Committee.

The current Farm Bill expires on September 30, 2018.