House Farm Bill Proposal, Conferees Meet for First Time

Senator Chuck Grassley today made the following statement after House and Senate farm bill conferees met for the first time.  Grassley is the only working family farmer on the Senate Agriculture Committee.

 

“If the House really wants a farm bill, they didn’t start out very well today.  The Senate made investments in nutrition, energy and conservation all while providing important agriculture tax relief.  Not only did the House leave out important tax provisions for young and beginning farmers, they also neglected to include relief from the self-employment tax on CRP payments for the disabled and retired. 

 

“Quite frankly, the House has left the retired and disabled behind and it doesn’t appear they have any intention to pick them up.  By leaving this provision out, the House is guaranteeing that farmers who try to do the right thing by enrolling land in conservation programs will be trapped in the CRP program and will see their social security payments or disability payments slashed.  This is truly unfair to those least able to protect themselves.

 

“The agriculture industry needs more than just subsidies.  It needs a balanced bill that does justice to important priorities like crop insurance, farm payment reform and tax relief.  I don’t think the Senate will stand for this irresponsible proposal.”