“Wake Up Republicans!” You Too Are Perversely Impacted by The Inadequacies of the Republicans’ Farm Bill Just Passed in the House.

Yesterday Congresswoman  Chellie Pingree (D-ME),  a longtime organic farmer and member of the House Agriculture Committee, released the following statement after the House passed Republicans’ Farm Bill:

“At a time when farmers are struggling in the face of rising costs and the President’s reckless tariffs, food insecurity is on the rise and families are paying more for food than they ever have before, this Farm Bill fails to meet the moment.  From failing to address desperately needed food assistance and cutting conservation fudning, to providing massive subsidies to big agribusinesses and not including any resources for farmers in Maine and across the country impacted by PFAS contamination. the Republican Farm Fill champions corporate interests over the well-being of small and mid-sized farmers, consumers and rural communities.  Once again they’ve failed the American people.

While I’m relieved that we were able to remove language that would have shielded giant chemical companies like Bayer from liability for harms caused by toxic pesticides, this bill does little to addess the very real pain that millions of people across the country are feeling right now.  Republicans talk a big game about being the champions of rural America.  About helping hadworking families.  About how they’re trying to ‘Make America Healthy Again.’ But when it comes time to talk that walk, they go where their corporate donors tell them to go  — every time.  This Farm Bill is no different.

How do we expect Americans to eat heathier food when we refuse to support the very farmers who are working so hard to bring those options to market?  Why are we giving more subsidies to giant corporations when family farms are struggling to get by?  Why are we treating conservation, climate-smart solutions, nutrition and public health as optional, instead of essential?  It’s truly baffling to me.

We have the resources, technologies and people power to create the mos productive and susainable agriculture sector anywhere in the world.  Instead of tapping into that boundless potential, this bill merely keeps the status quo:  unconditional support for Big Ag; swill for everyone else — including the hundreds of thousands of families who feed this country every day.  For these and many other reasons, I could not support this Farm Bill.  I remain hopeful that the Senate will put forth a more workable version of this traditionaly bipartisan, must-pass legislation that meets the moment for our farmers, families, and rural America.

THE FARM BILl: Protects Republicans’ SNAP cuts; Ignores States’ Ability to Set Their Own Food Production Standards; Cuts Conservation Funding; Includes no Money for Specialty Crops and, finally, Has no Additional Farm Assistance