Senator Debbie Stabenow joins David Fair and Lisa Wozniak as our guest on the 1st Friday Focus on the Environment on WEMU 89.1 FM. Our topic? The Farm Bill, stalled in the House even before the government shut down.
Listen to the full discussion here:
On Monday of this week, the Existing farm bill expired. Under the leadership of Democratic Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow, a new farm bill has been drafted and passed by the Senate. The measure is considered by some to be a major reform package, that will do away with some archaic methodologies and move the business of agriculture forward. The US House though, took the measure, and divided it into two parts, removing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and setting that up as a separate measure. The Snap program is what provides foor stamps for those in need. It usually amounts to about 80-percent of the farm bill. When the house sent it back to the Senate as two seperate measures, the senate refused to go along. And, at least for now, we appear stuck. If the farm bill fails to pass this time around, the bill will be held off for another year, and some are warning the consequences could be dire.
