Top House Ag Republican Wants Enhanced Safety Net

The top Republican on the House Ag Committee wants a stronger safety net for U.S. farmers.  Pennsylvania Republican Glenn Thompson wants Congress to strengthen crop insurance and farm subsidy programs so producers don’t have to rely on stop-gap federal aid to survive challenges like trade wars, natural disasters, and COVID-19.

“The need for a reliable farm safety net is paramount,” says Thompson. He will likely become the committee chair in January when Republicans gain a slim majority in the House.  According to Agriculture.com, almost 80% of federal agriculture funding has moved through bailout programs since 2018.  Farm groups want higher reference prices, a factor in calculating subsidy payments, and more protection under the federal crop insurance program.

Some industry experts say a status-quo farm bill is possible because of the small majorities in the House and Senate and a potential lack of new funding sources for the Farm Bill.

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