[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the quorum call be rescinded.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.