[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 99 (Wednesday, June 12, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4027-S4028]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                               Farm Bill

  Mr. President, now, on one final matter, it is no secret that 
American farmers face a lot of uncertainty: unstable markets, volatile 
weather, and a projected record drop in farm income. All these things 
make a job that is inherently difficult even more precarious.
  As one producer in my State put it, ``Farming is risky and margins 
are tight.''
  Certainty and stability oil the engine of American agriculture, which 
is why farm families in Kentucky and the rest of rural America look to 
the farm bill to provide support and safeguard our food supply. 
Unfortunately, with the farm bill's September expiration fast 
approaching, Senate Democrats don't seem to be in any rush to address 
farmers' immediate needs.
  The Agriculture Committee's majority has yet to introduce a bill, set 
a markup, or secure a single minute of floor time with the Democratic 
leader. The committee has a long tradition of bipartisanship. There is 
no reason our colleagues can't show some good faith and start working 
to advance serious legislation. It is time to get to the table.

  Yesterday, Ranking Member Boozman put forward a Republican farm bill 
framework that would give our colleagues a good place to start. The 
ranking member's plan reflects the actual reality of owning and 
operating a farm today, and it addresses the biggest bone of contention 
among American producers: less fluff and more farm in the farm bill, 
from bolstering the farmer safety net, to expanding our competitiveness 
in world markets, to providing new producers with means to get off the 
ground.
  I have served on the Agriculture Committee my entire time in the 
Senate. I know drafting this legislation is certainly not easy, and I 
am grateful to the ranking member for his work on this important issue. 
I hope that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will look to this 
framework for guidance as we work to deliver certainty and stability to 
America's farmers.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, as a member of the Senate Agriculture 
Committee and a resident of a State whose literal lifeblood is 
agriculture, the farm bills that Congress takes up every few years are 
one of my top priorities.
  I have had the chance to help craft four, now, farm bills during my 
time in Congress, and my No. 1 goal is always to ensure that each bill 
accurately reflects the needs and priorities of the men and women on 
the ground, the ones who are doing the hard work of feeding our 
country.
  As I travel around my State of South Dakota, I always take special 
note of my conversations with agriculture producers, and many of the 
bills that I introduce for inclusion in the farm bill are based on 
these conversations.
  The current farm bill will expire later this year. With deadlines 
approaching and updates needed to a number of farm programs, Congress 
needs to focus on advancing the next farm bill.
  This is all the more important given the headwinds farmers and 
ranchers are currently facing. With net farm income projected to 
decline by 25 percent this year and with input costs projected to hit a 
record high, it is especially important that we make sure farmers and 
ranchers have the support they need to carry on with their vital work.
  Last month, the House Agriculture Committee marked up its draft of 
the next farm bill, and the bill passed the committee with the support 
of not just Republicans but several Democrats as well. Yesterday 
morning, Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman 
released his farm bill framework to build off the House's work and 
hopefully move this process forward in the Senate.
  Progress in the Senate has been hamstrung by Senate Democrats' 
insistence on prioritizing things like climate over the needs of 
farmers and ranchers. I am hoping that the recent efforts by the House, 
along with Senator Boozman's framework, will move deliberations along 
and refocus our efforts on farmers and ranchers instead of Democrats' 
climate obsessions.
  In preparation for this next farm bill, I introduced a number of 
pieces of legislation that I hope to get included in

[[Page S4028]]

the final bill. These bills are based on the conversations I have had 
with farmers and ranchers as I travel throughout South Dakota as well 
as events I have held to hear from ag producers about their priorities 
for the farm bill.
  I am very pleased that the framework Senator Boozman has put out 
contains measures from a number of the bills I introduced. That 
includes elements of my Conservation Reserve Program Improvement Act--
legislation I introduced to make the Conservation Reserve Program a 
more effective option for producers--as well as my CRP Flexibility Act, 
which would provide additional drought flexibilities for CRP contract 
holders.
  It also includes my Crop Insurance for Future Farmers Act, which I 
introduced with Senator Klobuchar to help make crop insurance more 
affordable for young farmers, as well as measures from my Expediting 
Forest Restoration and Recovery Act and my Rural Internet Improvement 
Act.
  It includes a section modeled off my bipartisan Strengthening Local 
Processing Act to increase the processing options available to 
livestock producers and expand small meatpackers' capacity.
  Importantly, this framework would make improvements to the 
Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage Programs, which are 
essential elements of the farm safety net.
  I am tremendously grateful to Senator Boozman for his work on this 
framework and his efforts to move the farm bill process forward.
  I hope that my Democratic colleagues will approach pursuing a 
bipartisan agreement on this legislation with a new seriousness. As I 
said earlier, their focus on nonfarm priorities has slowed progress on 
this farm bill. I hope the House's recent work and Senator Boozman's 
efforts will encourage them to focus on what should be in the substance 
of any farm bill--namely, the farm.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  The Senator from Oklahoma.