Ag Committee Fights for Safety Net

The House Agriculture Committee sent a formal letter to the House Budget Committee indicating that it will not support any further cuts in U.S. Department of Agriculture programs or the safety net for farmers. This correspondence is in response to President Obama's proposal to save $1 billion a year on farm payments.

House Ag Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (Minn.) said the apparent message from the administration is that big banks are good but big farms are bad. Ranking Member Frank Lucas said with commodity prices plunging, it is important to maintain the safety net for farmers and ranchers. Leaders of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee joined their House counterparts in saying there should be no cuts.

Reprinted from Red River Farm