Lawmakers are working to deliver additional financial support for farmers as economic pressures continue across agriculture. Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee Chairman John Hoeven says the proposal builds on the current Farmer Bridge Assistance Program and could total tens of billions of dollars. “So the initial bill that we pulled together is about $17 billion. It includes, say, give or take $3 plus billion for specialty crop, and then there’d be some additional weather assistance, but for what I would call the traditional ag piece, including specialty crop in that $17 billion range, and then you’ve probably got another at least nine.” Hoeven says the approach has shifted toward a broader supplemental package rather than using reconciliation, with discussions ongoing at the highest levels. “We’re working on adding to the Farm Bridge Assistance Program.” Hoeven and other lawmakers will be at the White House today to discuss the path forward. “We had thought that initially that we would put it in the reconciliation bill, but now we’re looking at a supplemental, and we’re obviously pushing as hard as we can to advance that.”
