[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 89 (Wednesday, May 22, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3820-S3821]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               FARM BILL

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, now on the farm bill, tomorrow, House 
Republicans will mark up their partisan farm bill that, frankly, 
completely misses the mark.
  The farm bill should support the farmers who grow our food. It should 
protect our land. It should invest in jobs for rural communities big 
and small to rebuild their economies. The farm bill should provide 
lifesaving hunger assistance for the millions of Americans who rely on 
programs like SNAP, and it should extend SNAP benefits to our friends 
in Puerto Rico who have been excluded from this program for decades, 
and it will expand it to them.
  It is sad to see that rather than working together to get a serious 
farm bill passed, House Republicans are playing games and pushing a 
one-sided, insufficient partisan bill.

[[Page S3821]]

  Senate Democrats, on the other hand, have released a farm bill 
proposal that maintains a bipartisan coalition and invests in all of 
the areas I mention. So I commend Chair Stabenow for her work.
  Let me be clear: A purely partisan farm bill that departs from the 
longstanding spirit of bipartisanship has no future in the Senate. And, 
unfortunately, I might add, it seems to be where this House--the 
Republican House leadership and party--always goes. They always retreat 
to a corner of partisanship. They are not interested in improving the 
lives of American people. They are just interested in scoring political 
points to a narrow group back home, the MAGA group that seems to have 
such power in the party.
  So I hope that doesn't happen on the farm bill. It has always been 
bipartisan. House Republicans, come on. Wake up. Do you want to help 
our farmers? Work together with Democrats and pass a bipartisan bill.

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