House drafts new farm bill
House lawmakers are proposing a new version of a wide-ranging farm bill in an attempt to appease the White House, which had contended that the legislation was full of wasteful spending.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin C. Peterson (D-Minn.) and Virginia Rep. Robert W. Goodlatte, the top Republican on the committee, are proposing to impose stricter limits on subsidies paid to wealthy farmers and to slash extra spending for farm programs.
The administration signaled its support for the draft, but several key members of Senate Agriculture Committee criticized Peterson’s draft, saying it cuts important programs.
One of the programs not listed in the draft was a $5-billion fund created to subsidize farmers who had lost crops because of weather-related disasters.
Peterson’s proposal would also reduce spending on nutrition programs.
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