11/17/2023

Government Spending Bill Extends Farm Programs, Some Nutrition Aid

Extensive aid was once again given to farmers

The stopgap funding bill to keep the U.S. government open signed by President Joe Biden on Thursday includes funding through next September for farm programs and food assistance, but only a few months of funds for a key nutrition program for low-income mothers and their young children.

The spending bill passed by the House on Tuesday and Senate on Wednesday funds government functions through Jan. 19 and includes a one-year extension of the 2018 bill farm bill, which expired on Sept. 30.

Passed every five years, the farm bill costs about a half-trillion dollars and funds farm subsidies, crop insurance, nutrition assistance, conservation programs and more. Without the extension, some farm programs would have expired at the end of the year. Neither the House nor Senate agriculture committees has yet released their drafts of a 2023 farm bill.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Reuters.