Perdue remains confident farm bill will pass by deadline

Sen. Pat Roberts often refers to how Kansas farmers “pull themselves up by their bootstraps” during hardscrabble times.

But in a period of tough commodity prices and drought, they also need certainty and predictability from the government to make a living.

It became the theme of the day—from the farm bill to trade—during U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue’s visit to Kansas May 30.

“This issue is certainty and predictability, we are in a rough patch,” Roberts said, who was joined by Perdue and Sen. Jerry Moran, R-KS, at a farm forum in an old stone barn at River Creek Farms, east of Manhattan. “This is a bad time. We are in the fifth year in a row of low farm prices. Farm income has dropped 52 percent. Who else in the economy has gone through that and still has gone out of their way to do what we do?”

Roberts, who is chairman of the Senate Ag Committee, said he had a target date of June 6 to introduce a farm bill in the Senate with full debate possible the following week.

But passing a farm bill, which expires Sept. 30, has already hit roadblocks. The U.S. House voted down its version last month when Republicans had an inner-party fight over immigration and the Democrats were opposed to changes to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program work requirements. Meanwhile, Roberts said the House bill probably couldn’t get the 60 votes needed to pass the Senate.

About 80 percent of the legislation—which costs taxpayers $489 over the last five years—is SNAP. Perdue said while the program brings heated debate between both parties, he thinks most Americans agree about work requirements.

“If people are going to take the benefit and generosity and compassion of the American taxpayer, they ought to be trying to move themselves from dependency to independency. That is either not have a job or be trained or in training to have a job.”

Perdue stressed crop insurance needs to be maintained at its current level, adding crop insurance helps ensure an affordable food supply.

Moran said crop insurance is one of the more important components of a farm bill safety net. He hoped to see fixes to Agriculture Risk Coverage, or ARC, and the Price Loss Coverage, or PLC, two more programs authorized in the 2014 farm bill that offer certainty.

Perdue finished the day touring the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility with Roberts and Moran, then headed to another invitation-only forum with Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer on the Kansas State University campus. He finished the night by addressing the Kansas FFA convention.

Perdue said he has heard similar issues in the 40 or so states he has visited so far in his national tour. Among the top concerns are an illegal workforce, government regulations, trade and the farm bill.

At the end of the evening, Perdue said he would take back what he heard in Kansas to President Donald Trump. He noted the president knows the importance of a farm bill to rural America, and he wants it on his desk before the September deadline.

It will take a bipartisan effort to get those 60 votes needed in the Senate, Roberts said during the forum in the stone barn. But Roberts is optimistic lawmakers will meet the deadline, too.

He said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, has promised not to use a parliamentary rule that would limit consideration.

That is amazing, Roberts added.

“This is a time when if a jackrabbit hopped across the floor of the United States Senate, Chuck Schumer would either shoot it or file cloture on it.

“We will get to 60 votes,” he said. “We will put this farm bill together.”

Amy Bickel can be reached at 620-860-9433 or [email protected].