It was two years overdue but the 2013 Farm Bill is making a steady course toward President Obama’s desk. The House passed the bill on Wednesday. It now goes to the full Senate, which is expected to take action as early as today.
The bill cuts spending by nearly $1 trillion over the next decade. It’s a historic piece of legislation, in that it eliminates direct annual subsidies to farmers, which have been a mainstay of the agriculture industry for decades. The bill also imposes a one percent cut on food stamps, which analysts say could only worsen the plight of millions of Americans living in poverty.
Alan Garner is the District Five director of the Michigan Farm Bureau, which covers five mid-Michigan counties. Justin Rumenapp is a spokesman with the Center for Civil Justice in Flint. They offer their takes on what the new bill means.