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Senator Joni Ernst Addresses Farm Bill During Several Stops In The Region

June 30, 2023 Steve Schwaller

(Undated)– Senator Joni Ernst made a number of stops this week throughout northwest Iowa, including one in Fonda where she addressed the Farm Bill that’s making its way through Congress…

“The Farm Bill five years ago, the cost of that Farm Bill, was just over $800 billion. And this year’s Farm Bill, just five years later, is projected to be $1.5 trillion. Yes, $1.5 trillion, with a T, dollars.”

However, despite the increase, Senator Ernst did point out that only about 14% is farm programs, while the rest is SNAP and Food Assistance. She thinks that the bill would have a hard time passing the legislature if it wasn’t attached to SNAP…

“I am confident about getting a farm bill done in the Senate. We are very bipartisan when we work on the ag issues in our committee. I do worry about the pushback and what we might get from the House because it’s really an unusual situation in the House where you do have those that want to support farm programs but we also have those that do not believe we should subsidize crop insurance; we shouldn’t, I mean yeah, just no additional assistance.”

Ernst reiterated that the Senate will have to find a way to negotiate around those obstacles, but she understands the value of these programs. Ernst says controlling cost will be crucial.

(Courtesy Community First Broadcasting station KAYL in Storm Lake)

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