Statement of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin Regarding Passage of Farm Bill

Statement

Statement of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin Regarding Passage of Farm Bill

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) made the following statement following today's passage of the Farm Bill:

"The farm bill will make significant investments in nutrition, conservation, and renewable energy programs. However, the final version fell short of my expectations for reform of our commodities programs and underfunded key priorities like agricultural research and rural development.

The nutrition title of the farm bill will provide $373 million in additional funding over the next 10 years to more than 158,000 Illinois households that face hunger. The bill also significantly expands a program that provides free fruits and vegetables to schoolchildren and increases funding for food banks and soup kitchens.

In order to make our commodity support programs work better for both producers and taxpayers, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and I proposed a voluntary Revenue-Based Safety Net that was included in the final bill. The program will provide a revenue guarantee to producers when market conditions require it. At this time of high prices, the program provides producers a risk-management tool they can really use.

While we missed an opportunity to establish sensible payment limits and to invest in rural America, we made important commitments to nutrition and conservation."

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