The Senate Agriculture Committee advanced its farm bill on a party-line 12-11 vote. The legislation includes year-round E15 and mandatory country-of-origin labeling, but does not include a fix to California’s Proposition 12. Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar said current economic pressures make passage of the farm bill particularly important. “The headwinds of the tariffs, the headwinds of the closing of the Straits of Hormuz, the cost of fertilizer have all hit them very hard, and that makes it even more imperative that we get this farm bill done.” Senate Democrats opposed the bill while seeking a two-year delay in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cost-shifting provisions. “we share this goal of reducing error rates, but we recognize the reality that states across the country need time and equal resources to bring them down.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune expressed frustration with the opposition, saying a one-year delay is reasonable.
