"House Republicans’ new farm bill proposal is drawing opposition from a coalition of left- and right-wing groups that agree on little else.
The proposed version of the $1.5 trillion omnibus unveiled last week by House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) includes several priorities of big agribusiness — proposals that frustrated both right-aligned groups such as the Heritage Foundation and left-leaning ones including the Environmental Working Group amid progressives’ and populists’ broader dislike of what they see as crony capitalism at the U.S. farmstand.
The bill faces a tough road in the House, where Republicans hold only a narrow majority and both Democrats and some GOP lawmakers have pushed back against provisions included in the proposal.
As it goes to markup this week, several key areas of shared left-right opposition will be front and center.
The principal bone of contention is that Thompson’s proposed legislation contains tens of billions of dollars in subsidies that would overwhelmingly go to a few thousand of America’s wealthiest cotton, rice and peanut farmers — money that would likely come from either climate funding or food aid."
Saul Elbein reports for The Hill May 21, 2024.
SEE ALSO:
"Hemp And Marijuana Go To War" (Politico)
"SNAP Benefits Fall Short Amid Rising Grocery Costs, Study Finds" (Axios)
Advertisement 
