Rural representatives are still seething at the series of disastrous attempts to pass the 2013 Farm Bill, and many farmers and rural residents have lost faith in Congress’ ability to pass new farm legislation.
For more than a year, the farm bill has been stuck in Congress. Last summer the Senate and the House Agriculture Committee passed drafts of the farm bill, but neither of these were brought to the floor of the House. This year, the farm bill passed the Senate, but the House defeated the bill in a heated partisan vote.
The increasingly bitter partisan nature of the farm bill debate is a relatively recent phenomenon. While previous farm bills have run into temporary hang-ups, they have never been subjected to more than a year of delays.
According to Nebraska Republican Jeff Fortenberry, the failure of the bill symbolizes the increasingly partisan nature of Congress and will only increase the public’s lack of faith in ability of the government to pass vital legislation.
“The fact that it fell apart in the end and we weren’t able to find some balanced, constructive, reasonable way to move forward, I’m afraid it does add to the cynicism toward Congress that is very high at the moment,” Fortenberry said.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer