Recently the House Agriculture Committee stood firm on the promise against reopening the Farm Bill to new crop insurance cuts. The High Plains Journal reports that leaders feel that the proposed cuts to crop insurance in the budget agreement would undermine a critical risk management tool for American agriculture producers and consumers. According to the National Agricultural Law Center’s Ag & Food Law Blog, the “budget proposal called for premiums at 8.9% for crop insurers. It would have saved the federal government an estimated $3 billion, but potentially hurt the viability of the federal crop insurance program and the financial health of the crop insurance industry.”
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan stated, “I oppose any efforts to cut or reopen farm bill programs. It is particularly disappointing to see cuts to crop insurance in the budget agreement…These types of cuts only undermine the economic certainly the farm bill provides. The farm bill made meaningful reforms to help reduce the deficit. Any attempts to reopen any part of the farm bill to more cuts would be a major set-back for rural America and our efforts to create jobs.”